Helpful Ways to Deal With Stress

Stress and anxiety are common experiences for most people. In fact, approximately 70% of adults in the United States say they feel stress or anxiety daily. This is further heightened by the events that have transpired over the past few months. Individuals who have never experienced stress before are confused about what they are feeling. Stress is how the body reacts to and handles harmful situations, but ongoing stress can manifest in physical ways, like teeth clenching. Clenching teeth puts additional strain on the jaw muscles and increases the pressure on the jaw joint. Symptoms experienced can range from a sore jaw, muscle pain, tooth pain, or headaches as a result. Those who experience issues with TMD need to be particularly mindful of their stress levels. A recent article in The New York Times, mentions all of these symptoms and more as they relate to stress in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak. Learning to manage stress can help relieve these symptoms.

The Facts About TMD

Temporomandibular disorder (TMD), a condition affecting the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), often goes undiagnosed because people who suffer from it might not know the cause of their pain, and therefore, don’t know where to go for treatment. That’s why it’s important to separate fact from fiction when it comes to this common problem, which affects as many as 10 million Americans.

Keep Your Appliance Clean

Your oral appliance works hard to help alleviate your TMD or sleep apnea systems. We understand it’s easy to forget about it once you take it out of your mouth, so we like to remind our patients every now and then about how to keep your appliance clean and in good condition. This will help extend the life of this important aid in your TMD or sleep apnea treatment. Read the tips below on how to care for your oral appliance.