Treatment For TMJ Disorders
Usually, you make facial movements like smiling, laughing, talking, and chewing every day, with little or no thought. But if you have TMJ disorder (temporomandibular joint dysfunction), these simple movements can cause severe pain. The exact cause of TMJ Bronx is often challenging to determine since the pain may be due to a combination of factors, including arthritis, genetics, or jaw injury. For many people, the pain and discomfort associated with TMJ disorders are temporary and improved with self-managed care or nonsurgical treatments. Below are a variety of treatment options that your doctor may recommend.
Medications
The following medication options are usually used along with other nonsurgical treatments to relieve pain associated with TMJ disorders.
- Pain relievers and anti-inflammatories. If over-the-counter medications do not alleviate your pain, your doctor may prescribe stronger pain relievers like prescription strength ibuprofen to reduce TMJ pain. Prescribed painkillers are for a limited time.
- Tricyclic antidepressants. Medications like amitriptyline are mostly used to treat depression, but in low doses, they can be used for pain relief. These medications can also help control bruxism and sleeplessness.
- Muscle relaxants. Your doctor may recommend using muscle relaxants for a few days or weeks. These types of drugs can help relieve TMJ pain caused by muscle spasms.
Therapies
Below are different nondrug therapies that your physician may recommend for TMJ disorders.
- Physical therapy. Your specialist may guide you through exercises to stretch and strengthen jaw muscles. Treatments may include ultrasound and cold and hot compressions.
- Occlusal appliances. These may include oral splints or mouth guards. A soft or firm device inserted over your teeth can help with jaw pain. But it is uncertain how these devices work to alleviate pain.
- Counseling. A counseling session with your doctor will help you understand the risk factors and habits or behaviors that aggravate your pain so that you avoid them. For example, biting fingernails, teeth clenching or grinding, and leaning on your chin can worsen pain associated with TMJ disorders.
Surgical or other procedures
For some people, medications and therapies are not enough to relieve the pain and discomfort caused by TMJ. When other conservative methods don’t help, your doctor may recommend the following procedures.
- Injections. Corticosteroid injections into the joint sometimes help people with TMJ disorders. Sometimes physicians inject botulinum toxin type A into the jaw muscles to relieve pain associated with TMJ disorders.
- Arthrocentesis. This is a minimally invasive procedure whereby the doctor inserts small needles into the joint and irrigates fluid through the common to remove debris and inflammatory byproducts.
- TMJ arthroscopy. Sometimes arthroscopic surgery can effectively treat various types of TMJ disorders as open-joint surgery. For this procedure, the doctor inserts a small thin tube into the joint space and inserts an arthroscope and small tools used for surgery. The risks and complications of TMJ arthroscopy are fewer than open-joint surgery, but it has some limitations too.
- Open-joint surgery. If your jaw pain doesn’t improve with other more conservative treatments and appears to stem from a structural problem in the joint, you may need open-joint surgery. The procedure used to repair or replace the joint; involves more risks than other procedures.
If you have further questions about TMJ disorders treatment, consult your doctor at Advanced Dental Care of Riverdale.
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