TMJ Self-Care
If you are one of the many patients with mild TMJ symptoms, you may only have occasional flare-ups or experience discomfort with certain movements. Your treatment plan may include monitoring your condition to ensure it doesn’t deteriorate and performing some self-care activities at home. Keep reading to learn about the therapies we often recommend for home care.
TMJ Disorder Isn’t Always Debilitating
TMD is a degenerative disease. It can start as mild or occasional symptoms that may be annoying at times but don’t usually impact your daily life. For instance, perhaps your jaw gets sore or pops when you need to keep your mouth open for a prolonged period, like during a dental cleaning. In cases like this, we will recommend some things you can do at home to help. Here is a list of our most recommended at-home remedies:
- Moist Heat – if your jaw is sore or aching, you can soak a washcloth in warm water and hold it to your face for 20 minutes. Be careful to check the temperature of the water and washcloth beforehand. Water that’s too hot will burn your face and not give you any relief. Instead of a washcloth, you can use a hot water bottle or a medicinal heat pack. Again, check the temperature before touching anything to your face to prevent burns.
- Cold Therapy – Cold is best for sharp pain to reduce inflammation, numb pain, and promote healing. If you have a medicinal cold pack, that’s great. Otherwise, you can put ice in a bag or use an ice pack (the kind you would put in your lunchbox). Wrap the ice bag or pack in a towel to diffuse the cold. Please note: holding a bag of ice or ice pack directly to your skin is dangerous. We recommend a maximum of 15 minutes of cold therapy to prevent tissue damage. You can repeat cold therapy every 2 hours or so, as needed.
- Dietary Changes – If your jaw is feeling especially sensitive, avoid crunchy, chewy, or hard foods. Take a break from chips, pretzels, hard candy, caramels, whole fruits, and raw, crunchy vegetables. Try alternatives, like yogurt, ice cream, cheese, apple sauce, and smoothies. Cut your fruits, vegetables, and meats into small pieces that require less chewing. You can steam veggies to soften them and still preserve their nutrients. We also recommend taking a break from food that requires you to open wide, like overstuffed sandwiches or burgers. In general, smaller bites are better for your TMJ health.
Facial exercises and massage are also helpful to relieve occasional TMJ symptom flare-ups. If you want a list of safe exercises and massage techniques, please talk to one of our TMD specialists. You can also ask them about any recommendations you’ve seen on social media or elsewhere online. Not all facial exercises and massage techniques are suitable for every form of TMJ dysfunction, so please do not perform them on yourself without speaking to one of our doctors first to ensure you do not do more harm than good.
If you have questions about your TMD treatment plan or know someone who is feeling symptoms but has been unable to find relief, please contact one of our 4 locations: Bellevue, Lynnwood, Federal Way, and Silverdale, WA. We are here to help!
