TMJ
disorders or the temporomandibular joint disorder create
many problems that include pain in and around the joint
area, difficulty in opening and closing the mouth, ear
pain, migraine, cluster headache, dizziness, and a host
of others that are difficult to tackle. Thus when a
person suffers from the TMJ syndrome, it is not
surprising that he or she will want quick TMJ
relief.
Since so
many people are suffering from this distressing disease
and all of them are in search of effective and quick TMJ
relief, it is not surprising that there are so many
solutions that we can find today. They include pain
relievers, muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory
medications, natural remedies, home remedies, surgery
and even TMJ exercises. However the fact remains that
except for one or two of them, the others mostly fail.
TMJ exercises are quite good because they can relax the
muscles in the face, shoulders and the head. Natural
remedies that use herbal supplements are also often
effective, but the problem is, the signs of TMJ cannot
be removed permanently. They almost always make a quick
comeback.
TMJ
Treatment
As uneven
teeth formation can disrupt the temporomandibular
joint’s ability to close evenly, which is what leads to
the TMJ disorder, the treatment procedure should include
restoration and maintenance of even rapport between the
upper and the lower jaws (maxillae and mandible). Stable
dental corrections are also essential for all those
people who are suffering from chronic or recurrent TMJ
symptoms. Restoration of bite anomalies in treating TMJ
disorder may be done with the help of the following
procedures.
- Using
mandibular repositioning devices to set the jaw in
appropriate position
- Through
orthodontic treatment
procedures.
However,
if the occlusal surface of the teeth is found to have
been damaged due to incessant tooth grinding/clenching,
trauma or natural decay, the desired occlusion can be
restored by manual setting of the bite and grinding the
offensive teeth. And it can also be achieved through
dental procedures like adjustment of the crowns or
bridges to ensure appropriate alignment of the bite. In
other words, occlusal therapy is often needed in
resolving TMJ problems. Surgery is always risky business
and thus it is always better to seek the opinion of your
physician, rather than basing your judgment on this
article.
Studies
have shown that certain vitamins and herbs have curative
effects on temporomandibular joint disorders and are
therefore mentioned below…
- Both
Calcium and Magnesium are effective in proper
functioning of muscles. Muscle spasms that create
muscle tension headache in TMJ can be controlled by
the intake of these two.
- Anti-oxidant
vitamins like A, C, E, Zinc and Selenium help protect
as well as repair damaged disc cartilage in the
TMJ.
TMJ
Natural Cure
Herbal
blends comprising of wild lettuce leaf, Passionflower,
hops, Boswellia Serrata and skullcap having natural
anti-inflammatory properties work as muscle relaxants
and they have zero side effects as compared to drugs
like Valium and similar products that are prescribed for
TMJ disorder patients. Use of Sea Cucumber which is a
natural source of chondroitin sulfate known for its
ability to repair damaged cartilage is often recommended
for all those who are suffering from TMJ disorders.
Nevertheless, most of these treatments appear to be of
transitory nature where withdrawal of the healing agent
causes the symptoms to reappear.
However,
TMJ relief can be of permanent nature if the problem is
addressed at the source. To be precise, most TMJ
problems will go away if the misaligned bite is somehow
corrected and the jaw is put back to its original
position.
Here a Neuromuscular dentist can work wonders.
He/she will not only take care of the wayward muscles,
ligaments and nerves around the RMJ but will set the
bite right. And once that is achieved, the symptoms will
disappear soon.
Although
Chiropatric treatment protocol is believed to be
effective in spinal realignment and associated
relocations, some chiropractic clinicians have already
started working with temporomandibular joints,
recreating faulty biomechanics so that the jaws can be
realigned and the bites corrected. However there have
been so many cases where the results have been less than
perfect, and so this may not seem like the ultimate
treatment.
Incidentally,
it may be relevant to learn about the outcome of the
studies that have been carried out recently at the
Palmer
Center for
Chiropractic Research, Davenport, Iowa about the effect
of chiropractic treatment for TMJ/TMD related symptoms
which is summed up below.
“The
qualified result of both outcome measures used in this
perspective case series indicate that TMJ symptoms of
participants in this study improved following a course
of treatment using Activator methods, International
protocol for adjusting the TMJ. Consequently, further
investigation of this type of chiropractic treatment for
patients with articular type of TMD is warranted”. But
what happened after a while? Did the TMJ make a
comeback? There is no mention about this in the
study.
Relief Of
TMJ Symptoms – What To Do
The only
way to get permanent TMJ relief is from holistic
remedies that treat the body as a whole to identify all
the root causes of the disorder. And having identified
them, once these causes are eradicated, the symptoms
also go away. All other treatments just treat the
symptoms and not the real cause. This is why holistic
remedies have been so successful with the TMJ syndrome.
