You Can Ease the Pain of TMD
This common ache in the jaw, face, ear, or neck may benefit from behavior modification techniques, new research suggests.
Many people with one of the most common causes of pain don’t seek treatment—they simply suffer in silence.2
Temporomandibular disorder (TMD), which can lead to pain in the jaw, face, ear, and neck,1,4 affects about 10 to 15 percent of Americans.2 It is second only to chronic low back pain among musculoskeletal conditions in causing pain and disability,2,3 according to a 2007 study in the Journal of the American Dental Association.2 The study blames TMD for about $4 billion in annual health care costs.2,3
Those costs could be reduced and patients would fare better with early intervention using behavioral modification techniques, the study found.2 Treatments can include self-care practices such as eating soft foods, avoiding gum chewing and wide yawning, using ice packs, and temporarily using over-the-counter or prescription pain medications.4,5 Your doctor can also recommend certain jaw stretching and relaxing exercises that may help jaw movement.4
The most common forms of TMD yield pain that arises in the chewing muscles.3 TMD pain can also stem from the temporomandibular joint, which allows the lower jaw to open and close. TMD patients face pain in the chewing muscles and jaw joint when they talk, chew, clench their teeth, or even yawn. The pain may persist for quite a while.1,4
TMD is not always easily diagnosed. The causes and risk factors include:
TMD also affects women much more than men,1,4 particularly women of childbearing age.1
If you have chronic pain in your face or jaw, see your doctor. He or she may be able to help.
1 “Facial Pain (TMD/TMJ).” American Dental Association. www.ada.org/2676.aspx?currentTab=2 Accessed 2010.
2 “Cost-Effectiveness of Treatments for Temporomandibular Disorders: Biopsychosocial Intervention Versus Treatment as Usual.” A.W. Stowell et al. Journal of the American Dental Association. February 2007, vol. 138, no. 2, pp. 202–8. http://www.jada.info/cgi/content/full/138/2/202
3 “Facial Pain ” Mational Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, March 20, 2008. http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/datastatistics/finddatabttopic/facialpain Accesses 2010
4 “TMJ Disorders.” National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, July 25, 2008. www.nidcr.nih.gov/NR/rdonlyres/39C75C9B-1795-4A87-8B46-8F77DDE639CA/0/TMJDisorders.pdf Accessed 2010.
5 “Less Is Often Best in Treating TMJ Disorders.” National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, March 20, 2010. www.nidcr.nih.gov/oralhealth/topics/tmj/lessisbest.htm Accessed 2010.