Prevention

To prevent temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), try to reduce muscle tension in your jaw. You can reduce muscle tension in these ways:

• Relax. If you have a lot of stress and anxiety in your life, try relaxation techniques. See the topic Stress Management.
• Learn to recognize when you are clenching your teeth. Practice keeping your teeth apart, bringing them together only when swallowing or eating. When driving, avoid clenching the wheel with both hands, because often your teeth will be clenched also.
• Do not overuse and stress your jaw muscles. Avoid constantly chewing gum, biting your nails, resting your chin on your hand, or cradling the telephone receiver between your shoulder and jaw.
• Change your diet. Eat softer foods, and use both sides of your mouth to chew your food. Avoid hard or chewy foods, such as popcorn, apples, carrots, taffy, hard breads, and bagels.
• Maintain good posture. Poor posture may disturb the natural alignment of your facial bones and muscles, causing pain.

In the past, various procedures such as dental restoration and orthodontic treatment were used to prevent joint sounds from developing into TMDs. Such measures are not only unneeded but also potentially damaging to a joint that may never become painful on its own.

See Home Treatment for other ways to prevent or reduce muscle tension in your jaw.

Home Treatment

If your temporomandibular disorder (TMD) symptoms are mild, try home treatment for at least 2 weeks. If your symptoms get worse during this time, call your doctor or dentist.

Home treatment involves reducing your stress, resting your jaw (by eating only soft or pureed foods), taking steps to reduce pain, and exercising your jaw.

To help relieve pain and restore jaw function:

• Try comfort measures such as moist heat, ice, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
• Do jaw exercises as prescribed by your doctor or physical therapist. Also, pay attention to your jaw, and relax it when you are tense.
• Change your diet to decrease jaw strain.
• Manage stress. Many people tend to clench or tighten their muscles when they are under stress of any kind.
• Change your body mechanics, such as by using good posture for sitting and standing.

If you have been diagnosed with a TMD, these home treatment measures will optimize the treatments prescribed by your doctor or dentist, such as a splint therapy or physical therapy.