Notice that you have the following symptoms or doing any of these unknowingly?
1. Waking up with a headache, experiencing myofascial pain, pain radiating to the neck and shoulder.
2. Jaw soreness and stiffness.
3. Clenching your jaws unknowingly and grinding of teeth.
4. Clicking and popping of the jaw.
5. Jaw lock and limited mouth movements.
6. Uncomfortable or misaligned bite.
7. Experiencing fatigue and restlessness due to poor quality of sleep.
If your answer is yes on any of the above, you could be likely suffering from temporomandibular disorder (TMD).
What exactly is TMD? TMD are disorders of a series of jaw muscles, ligaments, inflammation of temporomandibular joints and the surrounding tissues.
Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain often causes discomfort and affects one’s mood, mental health and quality of life. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to relieve and manage TMJ pain.
1. For a start, your Oral and Maxillofacial (OMS) specialist will prescribe some medication to relieve the pain and inflammation of the temporomandibular joints and then,
2. You can start to manage your stress levels through:
a. Meditation and relaxation techniques.
b. Deep breathing.
c. Having a good amount of “good” sleep, which can be achieved with the aid of medication.
3. Make some temporarily changes on diet habits such as:
a. Having soft diet so as not to aggravate the pain through constant chewing by allowing the jaws and muscles to rest.
b. Cutting food to small pieces to minimise wide opening of the jaw.
c. Avoid hard, chewy foods to minimise overuse of jaw muscles.
4. Make minor adjustments on lifestyle habits such as ample jaw rest, avoid wide yawning.
5. Using of cold and hot packs may help in relieving some discomfort.
6. Perform some jaw exercises.
7. In some cases, dental splint and Botox injections are recommended.
TMD is not a severe condition, however it can affect one's mental health and quality of life. You do not have to suffer in silence, visit an OMS specialist to get it check today.
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