If you're suffering from Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJD) and are looking for relief, here's how a professional chiropractor can help ease your pain.
Get Chiropractic Adjustments for TMJD for Long-Term Relief
According to the American Chiropractic Association, licensed chiropractors throughout the United States, treat over 35 million people annually. The great thing about chiropractic treatment is that it doesn't involve expensive medications or surgeries to treat patients. Chiropractors use natural
techniques and procedures to re-establish balance in a patient's body, promoting their overall well-being.
The standard ailments addressed by these professionals include back, neck, or spine-related pain. However, did you know that chiropractors can also provide relief for conditions you might otherwise see a dentist? Many chiropractors can assist with Temporomandibular Joint Disorder or TMJD pain, a familiar sore spot for most individuals.
In this article, we'll take a look at the specifics of TMJ (temporomandibular joint) and how a DeBole chiropractor can help treat the discomfort that comes with the condition.
What is TMJ?
The temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is a painful condition affecting your jaw bone or mandible area. The TMD is more commonly known as TMJ, a blanket term for acute or chronic inflammation around a person's temporomandibular joint. TMJ or TMD refers to a broad range of conditions that can affect facial muscles around the jaw, facial nerves, and TM joints.
The TM joint refers to a person's jaw joint that can be found on both sides of the head, existing to connect the jaw bone to the skull's temporal bones located on each side of the head. The muscles around the joints are attached to the jaw bone, allowing it to move. When a person opens their jaw, the jaw bone's rounded ends on either side of it glides on the joint sockets at the skull's base. And when a person closes their mouth, these ends slide back to their initial position, resulting in a 'popping' sound that individuals with TMD often experience.
Besides the 'clicking' or 'popping' sound of the jaw, the symptoms of the condition vary from patient to patient, but most experience swelling, excruciating pain, jaw movement issues, headaches, difficulty eating, or struggling when talking, and neck aches.
Dentists usually prescribe TMD treatments to alleviate the condition's symptoms or directly target the TMD causes such as bite misalignment or muscle tension. However, when a patient is experiencing TMD because of incorrectly positioned bones or muscles in the neck, chiropractors may help ease this condition.
What Causes TMD or TMJD? 
Temporomandibular joint disorder or dysfunction (TMD or TMJD) are terms used to refer to a broad range of conditions that affect the joints on the mandible. Several causes of these conditions include issues with the bones, muscles, connective tissues, and muscles around the temporomandibular joint.
Some of the more common causes include the following:
- Injury - Injuries from falling down the stairs, fights, car accidents, or direct traumas to the temporomandibular joint can cause damage, leading to TMD.
- Disc Dislocation - When the cushioning disc present in the temporomandibular joint becomes dislodged or stop gliding, it can cause the joint to stop closing and opening correctly.
- Stress - Although stress doesn't cause TMD itself, it increases your chances of developing the condition. That's because when you get stressed out, there's a high chance that you will clench or grind your teeth, causing joint pain, and eventually lead to TMD.
- Tight Muscles - The muscles surrounding the temporomandibular joint, which attaches the skull to the jaw, can become so tight that they can pull a person's jaw to one side when they try opening or closing their jaw.
- Weak Posture - The muscles around the temporomandibular joint also attach to the shoulders and neck, so stress on postural muscles can result in TMD. That's why many chiropractors
encourage their patients to practice proper posturing since it can affect several areas in the body.
Because of the complexity of diagnosing the cause of TMD or TMJD symptoms, it's best to seek treatment with a medical professional familiar with the condition. However, most cases of these conditions are benign and respond significantly to chiropractic treatment. The chiropractors at DeBole Chiropractic can help determine the cause of your TMD symptoms and guide you in choosing the best treatment for your condition.
The Symptoms of TMD or TMJD
Issues with the temporomandibular joint can produce several symptoms that can be present long-term or come and go with motions like chewing, talking, laughing, or simply opening and closing the jaw.
The following are the common TMD or TMJD symptoms:
- A clicking or popping sound when opening or closing the mouth, or when chewing
- Having difficulty while chewing
- A feeling of slight 'grinding' of the teeth when trying to open the mouth, or when chewing
- Severe pain on both sides of the face
- Having a hard time opening or closing the mouth
- Sharp pain on the surrounding areas of the ears
- Headaches or migraines
- Pain in the temporomandibular joint
- Severe pain on the neck, back, and shoulders
- Pain in the jaw area
- Dizziness
- Stiffness of the jaw
Once you feel pain or having difficulty moving your mouth, it's best to seek help. An expert chiropractor from DeBole Chiropractic can help evaluate your condition, guiding you to choose a treatment method that's conservative and non-surgical.
How is TMD Pain Treated?
For some individuals, TMD symptoms can go away after a certain period, even without any treatment. However, in other cases, treatment is necessary. Experiencing TMD can be painful, but there are several ways you can ease the pain. These include consuming softer food, applying ice packs on the affected areas, avoiding talking, laughing, or talking too much, gently massaging the soft tissues on the jaw, or gently stretching your jaw.
However, even after practicing these techniques and seeing that there's no improvement, it's best to book an appointment with a licensed chiropractor.
Professional chiropractors from DeBole can help modafinil discuss your specific symptoms with you and examine your jaw to locate where the issue originates from. They do this by listening or feeling your jaw when you close and open it. Our chiropractors will treat your TMD through intricate jaw adjustments and manipulation.
They aim to resolve your jaw's structural issues and will guide you on what exercises you can do at home to alleviate pain on your temporomandibular joints. However, when you're experiencing excessive pain, experts at DeBole will not hesitate to consult with other specialists to ensure you only get the best quality of care possible.
How Long Does it take for a Person to Recover from TMD?
How long the TMD pain can ease or resolve will depend on how long the person has had the condition and the severity of the TMD itself. If you've lived with the condition for several years, easing the pain can take a long time. However, if you've only acquired TMD because of constant clenching and grinding of your teeth because of stress at work, the pain can go away on its own after a couple of days.
The recovery rate for each patient varies, and treatment may also have varying results from one patient to another. A chiropractor can help make a treatment plan that can treat your specific symptoms with ease, ensuring your speedy recovery.
Can TMD be Cured Permanently?
No, there's no permanent cure for TMD because the condition itself isn't fully understood because it doesn't always exist in one condition and can happen anywhere in a person's body, including the most complex joins in the human body. However, the good news is, although treating conditions related to the temporomandibular joint is challenging, it's not impossible. Quality DeBole Chiropractic care can efficiently and swiftly reduce the pain.
Is a Chiropractor Good for Treating TMJD or TMD?
Yes, but your assigned physicians or dentists may also help you. However, most dentists and general practitioners will suggest you see a chiropractor if your TDM is related to incorrectly positioned bones or muscles in your neck. Professional chiropractors realign muscles, bones, and joints to enhance a person's bodily functions while reducing the pain. Since TMD's effect differs from each patient, chiropractors will create a treatment plan tailored to each person's specific ailments, ensuring fast and smooth recovery.
How Can a Chiropractor Help?
Chiropractors are not only limited to treating spine-related conditions, as they can treat TMJ and alleviate TMD symptoms. If you're experiencing any pain or discomfort around your jaw area, don't hesitate to reach out to an expert chiropractor from DeBole Chiropractic. The chiropractic adjustment therapy from DeBole provides a fast and painless way of alleviating pain surrounding your temporomandibular joints, allowing you to regain movement around your jaws with ease.
Chiropractors from DeBole Chiropractic have successfully treated several jaw-related injuries due to physical or mental stress, from grinding the teeth too much to car accidents, chiropractic care can help. Chiropractic therapy has provided pain relief for numerous patients suffering from different forms of temporomandibular joint disorders.
DeBole Chiropractors are experienced and skilled in various chiropractic techniques, boasting enough knowledge that allows them to determine which chiropractic treatment will work best for your specific condition. They can help ease the pain while bringing your smile back.
https://www.lynlakechiropractic.com/TMJ-Pain-Temporomandibular-Joint
https://www.gardenstatespinalcare.com/can-a-chiropractor-help-with-tmj-pain
https://albertachiro.com/ACAC/Chiropractic_in_Alberta/BLOG/Chiropractic_for_TMJ_pain.aspx
