Dental

What is TMD? Causes and Symptoms of it

  Temporomandibular Disorder, or TMD, is a condition where you will feel pain in the muscles or jaw or anywhere on the cheek region of your face. This issue can be taken care of with the help of the remedies explained by the dentists. Sometimes, the severe condition might include surgeries or bridgework. Dr. Elassal is an expert orthodontist for all issues and TMJ treatment. They have been in business for decades and know about handling all TMD issues. You can visit their Elassal Orthodontics to learn more about TMD and other conditions. Check their website and book an appointment today.

TMD 

Temporomandibular disorder is when you hear constant clicking, popping, or painful jaw movements while eating, speaking, or doing something else. If there are any issues in the temporal bone, lower jaw, or the in-between region can lead to TMD.

Causes 

The causes of TMD can be many. Studies have proven that women are more prone to developing this issue in the later years when compared to men. The initial problems include sore muscles, inflammation, and pain in the tendons and ligaments. The leading cause of TMD is the constant stress on the jaw muscles due to teeth biting or grinding.

Symptoms 

Some of the symptoms that can indicate the development of TMD include,
  • Clicking Sounds – Whenever you close or open your mouth, you might hear grating, popping, or clicking sounds from your jaws. It can be because of the disk-shifting inside the jaws.
  • Muscle Pain is caused by the over-exertion of the temples and cheek muscles due to grinding or clenching in sleep.
  • Joint pain – Arthritis is when you feel pain from either one jaw or both jaws. It can be because of the dysfunction in the working of jaw muscles.

Remedies 

The available remedies to take care of TMD include,
  • Resting of the Jaws – Allow your jaw to rest by avoiding some movements such as yawning, chewing, yelling, or singing. Allow your jaws to rest for as many hours as possible.
  • Posture Correction – Your sitting, lying, and sleeping postures majorly impact taking care of TMD. Always try to sit in a relaxed position wherever you are, be it in your car while driving, sleeping, sitting in your office, etc. You can take the help of a backrest pillow if required.
  • A Peaceful Sleep – Always use pillows under your neck while sleeping to support your neck. Follow the sleeping posture on your back to avoid stress on the jaws.
  • Take Help of Cold or Hot Compress – Ice can act as a numbing agent for pain and heat can help with the healthy flow of blood to your jaws. Follow the routine of keeping hot and cold compress in the interval of 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Follow Jaw Exercises – Jaw exercises can help in handling TMD. You can get advice from your dentist to help you with your pain.
Avoid bad habits such as nail biting, teeth clenching and grinding, biting the inner layer of cheeks, etc. You should avoid some hard food such as snacks, junk food, mouthfuls, etc.