Laying on your side with a hand under your pillow can also exacerbate the symptoms of TMD. This damaging sleep position creates a misalignment for your head and neck, making TMJ pain very likely. The best sleep position for TMD is sleeping on your back in order to keep your head and neck properly aligned.
Depending on the pillow you use, sleeping on your side can put your head and neck out of alignment, leading to TMJ pain in the morning and the day. On Your Back. If you suffer from TMJ pain, lying on your back is by far your best option. Your neck and back stay in good alignment and no pressure is put on your jaw.
Studies have found that untreated mouth breathing can lead to the development of long, narrow faces, crooked teeth, narrow arches, receded jaw, and future TMJ problems. This is because if the mouth is open then the tongue is on the floor of the mouth instead of the palate where it belongs when your head is growing.
Do not eat hard crusts of bread, tough meat, raw vegetables or any other food that will require prolonged chewing. Avoid using chewing gum during this period of treatment. Be sure not to protrude your jaw, as you must do when biting off a piece of thread. Do not bite any food with your front teeth.
Tips on reducing TMJ irritation while sleeping
Try a different pillow- Your pillow could be aggravating your TMJ condition. If it's worn out, too thick, or too hard, it could be aggravating your condition. Some pillows have been designed specifically to address TMJ disorders.
Sleeping on your back or sides allows your jaw to fall into a more rested position, is more relaxing for your neck and therefore is the best sleeping position for your jaw and neck.
Sleeping on your back will be the best position if you suffer from TMJ, as this will help keep your head and neck in a neutral position. This position will help decrease the tension in your jaw and can help to reduce the pain and inflammation you may be feeling.
Use a hot or cold compress
Ice helps reduce swelling and pain, while heat can increase blood flow and relax your jaw muscles. Apply a hot or cold compress to your jaw for 15 to 20 minutes at a time using a light layer between the compress and your skin.
Massage is highly effective in treating TMJ both directly and indirectly. In a French study, 15 patients presenting with TMJ were treated with massage of the lateral pterygoid muscle. The results showed that joint clicking was solved in 80% and pain in 50% of the cases.
TMJ pain can be on one side or both sides. It all depends on where the pain is located. If the pain is located on one side of the face, the problem is likely to originate from that side. However, if the pain is spread across both sides of the face, it is less likely that the problem originates from one specific side.
Untreated TMJ can cause constant tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, that can disrupt sleep and make it difficult to concentrate. Because our body's sense of balance is in the inner ears, the inflammation caused by TMJ disorder can impact balance as well, resulting in dizziness, unsteadiness, and vertigo.
Is it bad to sleep with your mouth open? Yes, it's bad to sleep with your mouth open. Breathing and sleeping with the mouth open are signs that airway health has been compromised. These symptoms can potentially lead to other health problems throughout the body.
The good news is that most TMJ symptoms will clear up in no more than three weeks typically. However, certain TMJ conditions, especially those brought about by arthritis or bruxism, can last months or years, depending on the severity of the underlying condition.
While there are several reasons a patient can experience sudden or severe jaw pain, inflammation and overworked muscles tend to be the most common causes of TMJ flare-ups. Many physical changes and lifestyle habits can contribute to swelling around the joint and muscle tension.
Frequent headaches —a constant ache, throbbing, or piercing like a migraine. Clicking or popping of your jaw when you eat, talk, chew, or open your mouth. Ear pain, from a dull ache to sharp, searing pain. Neck and/or shoulder pain with or without muscle spasm, and reduced flexibility.
The best medicines for TMJ pain are over-the-counter painkillers and anti-inflammatories, such as Tylenol and ibuprofen. In some extreme circumstances, a dentist may prescribe something stronger, but even then it's likely to be a prescription ibuprofen, not opioid painkiller.
Supplementation — Magnesium is the holy grail of supplements for TMJD. I use one called Triple Calm Magnesium, a blend of three magnesiums (taurate, glycinate, malate). It's critical for relieving muscle spasms, tightness and stress. And it improves sleep.
TMJ flare-ups can last from a couple of hours to several days. Untreated cases of TMJ disorder can become chronic and debilitating. The length of time that TMJ flare-ups last depends on the person. Each case is different and is determined by the underlying cause and if any treatment is being utilized.
One of the reasons that TMJ/TMD is so hard to treat is that it can be caused by many different injuries, lifestyle choices, and conditions. Unless you narrow down the cause of your TMJ/TMD, you may not get the right treatment.
Place 2 to 3 fingers on the muscles below your cheek bones. If you clench your teeth, you should feel the muscles tighten under those fingers. Press into the muscles and hold that pressure for 6 to 10 seconds. Keep your jaw relaxed and repeat in another tender or tight area of your cheek.
Stand in front of your patient with your gloves on. Gently place a pad of gauze onto the patient's lower molars to protect your fingers against sharp teeth. Push down and then forward on the lower teeth to place the jaw back into the temporomandibular joint. You will feel a pop when the jaw is back in place.
Resting teeth means they are sitting dormant and it also means they're not interacting with anything else like food, your tongue, or each other. The standard resting position has the teeth not touching each other; when the mouth is closed the teeth are slightly apart.
Try using a wedge-shaped pillow to elevate your head and upper torso while you sleep. Aim for an elevation of 30 to 60 degrees. This should help to keep your mouth closed, making you breathe through your nose. Sleeping with your head elevated can also help to reduce snoring and improve sleep apnea.