I received an email from a reader who is new to TMJ. I know that many of my readers have had or are contemplating a TMJ replacement, but there are others who have not had any surgery and are looking for help. The National Institute of Dental and Cranial Facial Research estimates that over 10 million Americans are affected. The condition appears to be more common in women than men. The New York times reported that up to three-fourths of Americans have one or more signs of a temporomandibular problem, most of which come and go and finally disappear on their own. Specialists from Boston estimate that only 5 percent to 10 percent of people with symptoms need treatment. On that note, I thought this would be a good time to try to help those who suffer from TMJ by listing some of the treatments that are available to us.
MEDICATIONS:
The first is pain medications. Everything from over the counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs like Ibuprofen to narcotics like Percocet which is basically Tylenol and 5mg of Oxycodone, Oxycodone (Oxyneo), and Morphine such as Dilaudid (Hydromorphone).. Many narcotics like Oxycodone and Morphine come in a short (4 hour) and long (8 hour) lasting formats.
The second is other types of medications that help to reduce pain like Gabapentin (Neurontin) which are nerve related drugs and target the nerves, to Anti-depressents like Venlaxafine (Efexor). I myself am on Gabapentin and it really helps me with nerve related pain.
The third is muscle relaxants like Flexeril. The fourth is anti-nausea medications for those with severe TMJ.
SELF CARE PRACTICES:
SPECIALISTS:
MEDICATIONS:
The first is pain medications. Everything from over the counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs like Ibuprofen to narcotics like Percocet which is basically Tylenol and 5mg of Oxycodone, Oxycodone (Oxyneo), and Morphine such as Dilaudid (Hydromorphone).. Many narcotics like Oxycodone and Morphine come in a short (4 hour) and long (8 hour) lasting formats.
The second is other types of medications that help to reduce pain like Gabapentin (Neurontin) which are nerve related drugs and target the nerves, to Anti-depressents like Venlaxafine (Efexor). I myself am on Gabapentin and it really helps me with nerve related pain.
The third is muscle relaxants like Flexeril. The fourth is anti-nausea medications for those with severe TMJ.
SELF CARE PRACTICES:
- Eating soft foods.
- Resting your jaw as opposed to talking or chewing gum.
- Heat or cold. I was told that moist heat is best. I have one of those old-fashioned hot water bottles. There are also heat and cold packs. I have gel type heat packs where you bend a little metal disk and it causes the gel to heat up. You then boil it to "reset" it. I also have a bean bag that you can heat up in the microwave.
- TENS machine. The same little device that you use for physiotherapy on your knee. A low easy setting is best. I have one and used it every day prior to my replacement surgery.
- Facial or Jaw exercises. A girlfriend of mine is taking voice lessons and has a device that she uses to strengthen the muscles of her face. I don't know what it is called. I have a Therabite that I use to exercise my jaw and maintain my ability to open my jaw nice and wide. (See the more section of my blog. I have a page on Therabite.)
SPECIALISTS:
- A chiropractor and physiotherapist can help to relieve your pain and improve jaw mobility or stabilization. I find that I tense up my shoulder, neck and back muscles from pain and require "adjustment" by my chiropractor to help reduce muscle tension.
- Injections like Botox may also help. My surgeon gave me two rounds of "Trigger Point Injections". The first injection helped and lasted 6 months. The second injection did not help. The trigger point injections are very painful. I was given sedation and happened to wake up just as he was inserting the long needle into my joint and it was the most painful second of my life! Luckily I fell back asleep almost instantly but the pain was severe enough to wake me up. I have heard of others who have had the injections without being sedated and they said it was the most painful thing they have ever experienced. My recommendation is that you have sedation if you are planning to get this type of injection. Botox injections are much less painful and do not require sedation.
- Many TMJ sufferers have bruxism. We grind our teeth at night. In that case, a nightguard is highly recommended not only to protect the teeth from the effects of grinding, but to help stabilize the joints. Wearing a splint or mouthguard is also helpful to relax the muscles of the face and jaw.
- Of course the last resort after you have tried all of the above and more is surgery such as Arthroscopy.