TMJ And Ear Pain-Dont Ignore As Getting Older Pain

We really make things harder on ourselves than they need to be. How many times have you dismissed some little ache or pain, or worse, just chalked it up to getting older? Headaches, neck aches, ear aches, these are all common ailments that people routinely ignore. But they shouldn't. It could be TMJ and Ear Pain.

TMJ or temporemandibular joint pain is caused when there is inflammation in that joint. Many people look for remedies for the wrong problem. They try to get relief for a sore neck or an ear ache when in reality they should be looking for treatments for TMJ. There are two forms of TMJ muscle related or joint related.

Muscle related occurs when there is tension in the jaw and the muscles around the jaw.  The joint related version of TMJ occurs when the tissues start to deteriorate.

Some of the most common symptoms are these:

1. Frequent ear aches
2. Soreness of the face
3. Soreness along or below the ear
4. Popping when opening or closing your mouth
5. Soreness and difficulty with chewing
6. Chronic headaches
7. Ringing in the ears

If you have one or more of these symptoms on a frequent basis you should talk to your doctor or dentist and ask them to perform tests to find out if it is TMJ. Your doctor will want a full medical history because one or more of these symptoms can be a sign of some other, potentially more serious medical condition

Once your doctor has established that you do have TMJ, the next step is to find the best treatment for you. There are several options for treatments:
changing your posture, eating softer foods, avoiding chewy foods and eating smaller size bites are some of the simple day to day changes you can make that may offer you some relief.

Other slightly more in depth treatments might be to use hot or cold compresses, anti inflammtory medications to keep the swelling down, pain pills, mouth guards to prevent you from clenching and grinding your teeth at night and even some exercises can all help alleviate the pain and in some cases stop the pain in the first place.

Another thing that has provided relief to a lot of people is relaxation techniques. Allowing people the time to de-stress can go a long way to helping prevent one of the main causes of night time teeth grinding. Simple things can often make a big difference so start small and try to relax a little more. Your whole body will thank you, not just your jaw.

In extreme cases TMJ may require surgical treatment, but that is pretty extreme. In most cases a combination of one or more of the simple, non invasive treatments listed above will be enough to provide relief.

If you suffer from chronic ear pain, don't just dismiss it. It could very well be a sign of a bigger problem. TMJ and ear pain are very common and very commonly mis diagnosed.