If you have occasional TMJ pain that’s mild enough for you to deal with, you might think you can get by without medical treatments, especially if you don’t feel like you have the time or the money to deal with it. Unfortunately, if you put off treatment for TMJ disorder, there will be more significant problems down the line. Obviously, chronic jaw pain is bad enough, and you shouldn’t have to deal with it at all, but if you leave TMJ pain alone, it’s highly likely the pain will grow worse, both in severity and in frequency of flare-ups. Just like with any joint or bone injury, TMJ disorder requires rest so that the tissues can heal. If they aren’t given time to rest, the damage will only get worse with wear over time – and, just as a bone injury needs a cast or splint, TMJ disorder might also require mechanical reinforcement to relieve pressure on the joint while it heals, like a mouth guard or an oral splint.
If you want to prevent a long road of discomfort that could seriously affect your quality of life, seek treatment for your TMJ disorder sooner than later. If you experience symptoms of TMJ disorder for more than a few days, or if it recurs frequently for a few days at a time, make an appointment with your dentist for a diagnosis and treatment. If you experience serious pain that affects your ability to perform daily functions, see your doctor or dentist as soon as you can. One of the most common causes of TMJ disorder is chronic clenching or grinding of the teeth, a condition called bruxism. To treat TMJ disorder that is caused by bruxism, your dentist will provide a mouth guard for you to wear while you sleep, relieving pressure on the jaws and giving the joints time to heal. In many cases, this treatment is sufficient to prevent inflammation from recurring.
The pain of TMJ disorder can exist in the jaw, of course, but it can also radiate into the ears, sinuses, or other areas of the head. If you currently experience headaches or migraines when you have flare-ups of TMJ, these will only get worse if you don’t address the problem. The muscles that support the temporomandibular joint in its operation cross all the way around the skull and into the neck and back. Inflammation in the joint can lead to inflammation in the muscles around it, causing stiff necks and headaches and possibly even affecting the ability to turn or move the head. These uncomfortable episodes increase in severity and frequency when allowed to persist.
If you have a problem with your bite alignment, you might also have a TMJ disorder, and you might also have an obstructive breathing disorder like sleep apnea that prevents you from breathing properly while you sleep. An examination for TMJ disorder can help dentists and doctors diagnose conditions like sleep apnea, which can dramatically interfere with quality of sleep by depriving the brain of oxygen, leading to brain fog and fatigue. Untreated TMJ disorders can also cause tinnitus, which is chronic, constant ringing in the ears. In cases where TMJ pain is severe and remains untreated, it’s not uncommon for patients to seek pain relief with prescription medications, alcohol, or other chemical substances, which can lead to substance abuse if used excessively or continuously, and, when it’s painful to eat solid food, this can lead to malnutrition and exacerbate the effects of drugs and alcohol.