FOR JULY 2, 2023
DR. RHODA ENTERO
MEDICAL INSIDER
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TMJ DISORDERS
(Part 4 – Conclusion)
Our discussion last week included some treatments of TMJ
Disorders. So far, we mentioned Home or Clinic Therapies and
Custom-Made Dental Appliance.
To continue, other forms of therapy would mention the following:
Physical Therapy, Hot and Cold Compresses and Injections.
Let us now discuss each.
Physical Therapy: This is another non-invasive and non-
surgical option when it comes to treating your aching jaw. As
the term suggests, this is typically done with the assistance of a
physical therapist. You can undergo facial massage or you
might be required to do jaw, mouth, and face exercises to
correct any misalignments or rehab the joint in order to provide
long-term pain relief.
Hot and Cold Compresses: What is meant by hot and cold
compresses? Instead of medicating with OTC pain pills to
relieve TMJ-related pain, you or your physical therapist can put
on hot and cold compresses on your jaw to decrease all that
persistent ache and stiffness from the temporomandibular joint.
Injections: There are various injections available to provide you
pain relief or even symptom relief for your TMJ disorder. Which
benefit can you get from them? It depends on what kind of
medicine is put into these injections. They could range from
anesthetics to even Botox injections that deaden the face with
botulism toxin. For the most part, the injections include steroids
that bring down all the swelling and pain. Consult a dentist or
doctor to get prescribed for this TMJ syndrome treatment.
Let us also remember that there are TMJ-Related Surgeries.
What are these? Well, if all else fails—if all your painkiller doses
and steroid injections aren’t enough to bring down the pain—then
your best bet is to undergo TMJ-related surgery to get rid of the
TMJ syndrome pain. There are actually multiple surgery options
for you to choose from depending on the type of TMJ disorder you
have and how severe it has become. Most cases don’t require
surgery but some are severe enough to justify going under the
knife.
Let us all remember that one should only consider taking surgery
if all the above mentioned therapies and treatments haven’t
worked for him and his persistent suffering at all.
Therefore, you can take the surgery option if your TMJ issues
have become severe enough to affect your quality of life. Weigh in
the risk and reward for TMJ surgery the same way you would any
other procedure type. TMJ surgery includes open-joint surgery or
arthrotomy, arthroscopy, modified condylotomy, arthrocentesis,
and so forth.
What is the bottom line for all these discussions? Seek dental
services and attention if you have persistent tenderness and pain
in your jaw. Your dentist is there to find a way to make your TMJ
pain go away.
This means that you should definitely see a dentist or a doctor if
you’re unable to close or open your jaw completely. Your TMJ
specialist, doctor, or dentist can talk to you in regards to the
possible causes for your issues and their respective treatments.
It’s more often than not difficult to determine the exact cause of a
person’s TMJ disorder. There is a number of factors that can
cause you pain when you have TMJ disorder, such as jaw injury,
arthritis, or genetics. Some patients suffering from jaw aches also
have a tendency to grind or clench their teeth, which is a condition
known as bruxism. Curiously, there are those who are habitual
teeth grinders yet they never develop disorders of the TMJ kind.