Home Remedies to Relieve Jaw Pain / TMJ Pain

 

relieve jaw pain
Jaw Pain (Source: Vitaphysical)

The home remedies to relieve jaw pain are really effective in allaying and getting rid of the root cause of pain.

While taking antibiotics and pain killers help alleviate temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain, they are usually short-lived and have negative side effects and therefore home remedies to relieve jaw pain are  of vital importance as they cut back the possibilities of any adverse effects.

Natural Home Remedies are helping more and more people suffering from illnesses that can easily be prevented. The majority of diseases today is because of our lifestyle choices. Nutrition plays a major role in fighting disease and alleviating many of the symptoms we are suffering from and subsiding our pain.

Causes of Jaw pain

First, it’s one of the foremost usually used joints in the body. Our jaw joints move each time we eat or speak. Add to that the use of those who chew gum, and there’s plenty of motion in these joints each day.

If you experience frequent headaches, annoying clicking and sound within the jaw, or pain within the face, neck, or shoulders, the matter might virtually be all in your head, it is very much evident that you are suffering from a misalignment of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). TMJ is a joint that enables your jaws to open, close, and move sideways.

relieve jaw pain

Your initial lines of defense are heat, cold, and an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen. And take a look at the opposite approaches below to relieve jaw pain. Regardless of that avenue you’re taking, you conjointly ought to offer your mouth a rest (that suggests that no more biting pencils, gnawing on jerked meat, or chewing gum). Use it as an excuse to not answer the phone!

A holistic medical aid to relieve jaw pain ought to comprise of following approaches-

  • Jaw exercises for TMJ treatment
  • Relaxation exercises to scale back pain causing stress
  • Eating habit changes to addressing nutritional deficiencies that worsen TMJ
  • Lifestyle Changes to alleviate pain and cure TMJ

Home Remedies to Relieve Jaw Pain

Jaw Exercises

Jaw Exercise 1

Open your mouth wide enough. With mouth wide open, move your jaw bit by bit to the right and hold for ten seconds. Come back to the middle. Move your jaw gradually to the right and hold for ten seconds. Return your jaw to the center and close your mouth. Repeat 4-5 times.

Jaw Exercise 2

Using your right index finger; trace the jaw hinge on your right aspect. Gently massage the muscles with a downward action of your finger. Repeat the action on your left aspect with left index finger.

Jaw Exercise 3

Sit erect and move your chin up and down for around a second. Stop and then move your chin in a side to side movement for one more minute. Repeat twice. Don’t stretch too hard otherwise you might sprain your neck.

Relaxation Exercises

  • Sit erect and open your mouth in a very relaxed manner. Bend your head back to purpose your forehead to the sky. Take in a deep breath and slowly exhale. Come back to the starting position and repeat.
  • Yoga and meditation exercises also are great to induce relaxation. Regular exercise is a good way to beat stress and cut back the allied symptoms of TMJ and relieving jaw pain.

Dietary Modifications

Stay Hydrated
Dehydration can result in muscle cramps on your neck, shoulders and mandibular joints. It is so important to keep the body properly hydrated. Not drinking enough water is one in all the most causes of TMJ related cramps. Increase water intake to a minimum of eight glasses (150 ounces) on a daily basis or higher.

Increase Intake of Fruits and Vegetables

A liberal intake of fruits may be a helpful in treatment of TMJ and its allied symptoms

Calcium Rich Food

FYI, on an average, an adult needs a daily intake of about 10 grams of calcium. Calcium rich foods that can help cure TMJ include unboiled milk, unpolished rice, banana, sesame, oranges, wheat flour with husk, almond, coconut, groundnut, green peas cabbage and spinach.

Magnesium Rich Foods

Include foods such as Avocados, Black-eyed Peas, Brazil nuts, Cashews, chocolate (Dark Chocolate), Corn (White or Yellow), Dry roast Peanuts, Flax, Oatmeal, Low Fat yogurt, Molasses, Pumpkin, Rice, sesame Butter, sesame Seeds, Squash, sunflower seeds, Watermelon Seeds, roasted Soybeans, milk and Walnuts.

Essential Oils

The best essential oils to relieve jaw pain include peppermint oil, frankincense oil, and lavender oil. Peppermint is known for pain relief, lavender for relaxing tense muscles, and frankincense for reducing inflammation.

Lifestyle Changes

 Avoid smoking as it may aggravate the pain.
 Fasting on an all-fruit diet clears the body from toxic radicals that cause muscular stiffness.
 Cut down junk food to get relief at the earliest.
 Eat soft foods to avoid chewing for long.
 Don’t yawn widely, sing, chew gum or bite your nails.
 Reassess pills: several antibiotic or contraceptive pills scale back immunity and increase muscular strain which may aggravate TMJ pain.
 Sleeping on cervical pillows is helpful in the cure and treatment of TMJ.

Foods to Avoid

Sugar – Increases inflammation and lowers immune response.
Caffeine  – Increases muscle tension by dehydrating the muscles.
Alcohol – Increases teeth grinding during night.
Tough foods – Be careful with the foods that are difficult to chew.
Gum or caramels – Any hard to chew candy can make TMJ worse.

Massage– Effective Approach to Relieve Pain

relieve jaw pain
Source: Pinterest

Plain body massage: A plain body massage with bergamot, tea plant, sandalwood, juniper, or alternative essential oils helps improve blood circulation and provides relief from pain related to TMJ

Hot massage: Hot massage is an efficient relaxant. Massage jaw, neck, and shoulders with warmer or hot-water bag for relief from TMJ pain.

Cold Packs: For applying cold packs, fill a plastic zipper bag with ice and canopy it with a towel. Place this towel on the affected jaws and neck for as long as you feel comfortable.
The cold numbs your nerves, dulling pain messages that move to your brain. Wrap a handful of sloppy packs in skinny towels and hold them on each side of your face for about ten minutes some (not longer than twenty minutes, though, otherwise you might cause gentle frostbite).

Massage around your jaws to alleviate muscle tightness and enhance blood flow to the area. Open your mouth and then rub the muscles by the ears close to your temporomandibular joints. Place your forefingers on the sore areas and press gently till the muscle relaxes. Close your mouth and repeat the massage.

Massage the muscles on the sides of your neck: Those muscles don’t directly control your jaw, however, by massaging them you facilitate to cut back tension that contributes to jaw pain.

An alternating heat and cold massage is also very effective and can be frequently used to get relief from TMJ pain.

Miscellaneous

1) If you’re sitting on a chair most of the day, it’s particularly vital to sit down up straight instead of leaning forward.
2) Your back ought to be supported.
3) Make sure that your chin doesn’t project ahead of your body. If you’re angular forward, you’re putting strain on your neck and back, which creates jaw pain.
4) If you are spending most of your time on the phone and using your hands for alternative tasks, get a headset. Cradling the phone receiver between your shoulder and cheek puts lots of strain on your neck and jaw.

Note: The above-mentioned home remedies to relieve jaw pain are safe and less likely to cause complications. If the pain persists, consult a dentist at the earliest to avoid complications.

Happy living!

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