TMJD Treatment

Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is a problem affecting the ‘chewing’ muscles and the joints between the lower jaw and the base of the skull. The

• symptoms found in this disorder are:
• Clicking, popping noises during chewing,
• Muscle tightness and pain around the jaw,
• Buzzing or earache,
• Headaches or migraines,
• Lockjaw.

This disorder is mainly due to bruxism (clinching or grinding problems) occurred during sleep.

It could be also caused by osteoarthritis, after an injury to the jaw joint, an uneven bite, rheumatoid arthritis, gout or fibromyalgia.

The treatment consists generally on non-surgical treatments such as:

Lifestyle changes

• Resting the joint by eating soft food,
• Holding a cold or warm flannel to the joint for 10-15 minutes several times a day,
• Doing a few gentle jaw-stretching exercises,
• Avoiding opening the joint too wide (for example yawning)
• Massaging the muscles around the joint,
• Relaxing techniques to relieve stress,

Mouth-guards
They are very helpful if the patient grinds his teeth. 
They are worn at nighttime to cover teeth and protect them from bruxism.

Medication
Painkillers as paracetamol, ibuprofen or codeine can help relieve the pain associated with TMJ disorder. Sometimes stronger medication such as muscle relaxant or anti-depressant could also be prescribed.

Injections of Botulinum Toxin
They alleviate temporomandibular tension by relaxing the jaw muscles and ending grinding relating headaches without affecting functions such as speaking, swallowing and biting.

If the above measures are being ineffective, the patient could be referred to the oral and maxillofacial department at hospital & a surgical treatment such as arthrocentesis (joint-wash-ou) may be suggested.