Lower Jaw Pain and What Lower Jaw Pain Means To You

Some folks coming to this blog may be wondering why they have lower jaw pain and what they can do about it. Lower jaw pain can mean a variety of things, but most often it could be a form of TMJ. TMJ stands for Temporomandibular Joint Disorder. I recently wrote an article about lower jaw pain and what it means for you. More often then not, you can relieve your pain without surgery and without spending tons of money.

TMJ Cure - Can you "Cure" TMJ?

Some say yes and some say no. The problem with TMJ is that there are so many causes and symptoms, that doctors argue over what TMJ REALLY is. Those of us with TMJ know that it is real and it is incredibly painful.

I've experimented with several TMJ cures over the years. Pretty much everything short of having surgery. Some worked, but most didn't. My favorite pain relieving method right now is using a dixie cup.

Yes! Fill a dixie cup 1/4 full with water and put it in your freezer. Once it's frozen, take the cup out and place the bottom of it on your TM joint. Rub in a circular motion. This is heavenly when you're a lot of pain. The ice makes the inflamed joint go down and it numbs the joint at the same time.

That's my favorite pain relief technique, but it's not a tmj cure. I've been trying these exercises at home in my bathroom for several months now. I haven't had a bad TMJ flare up in several weeks. Trust me they work!

What is TMJ?

What is TMJ?

TMJ (sometimes called TMJD or TMD) is a catch all term for chronic or acute inflammation of the temporomandibular joint. This is the joint that connects the lower jaw to the skull.

Because the TMJ joint is so complex, there are many medical reasons for it to become inflamed. This is probably the most complex joint system in the body, so many things can a do go wrong. Reasons for TMJ can actually cross the boundry of dentistry, psychology, or neurology.

Symptoms

Symptoms can range from person to person. You may feel muscle tightness that limits the movement of your jaw, you may feel tooth pain, ear pain, and this pain could be dull or sharp. The fact is that everybody is different. The most common complaint among sufferers of TMJ is muscle pain around the jaw hinge that can radiate up around the ear. Now you've answered that question " What is TMJ ?"

As a TMJ sufferer myself, I know exactly how excruciating the pain can be. I remember not being able to sleep for days at a time because taking asprin no longer worked for me anymore. I've experimented with numerous relief techniques which I'll point out on this blog. My hope is that one of these treatments works for you so that you no longer feel this pain.