TMJ causes the disc in the temporomandibular joint to become displaced, resulting in clicking, limited, and cracking jaw movement. The issue can also cause jaw and face pain and cause the muscles around your jaw to become sore or spasm. Anything that strains or overworks the joint might cause or aggravate TMJ symptoms. Avoiding factors that make temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) worse is vital to treating your disease and preventing flare-ups, whether you suffer soreness and aching or substantial pain and jaw locking.

This article discusses things you should not do if you have TMJ. Using these tactics, you may prevent irritating the joint and aid in keeping TMJ pain at bay.

• Avoid Chewing Gum

Although you might enjoy chewing gum, you should avoid it if you have TMJ. The body’s most often used joint is your jaw. By limiting overuse of the joints and muscles, pressure is reduced, and they are given time to rest. The first step to reducing your TMJ symptoms is to rest painful muscles and joints.

• Avoid Eating Hard Foods

When you have TMJ pain, you should avoid eating hard items such as apples and bagels. These meals may cause excessive stress in your jaw, limiting the joint from getting the rest it needs to heal properly.

• Avoid engaging in non-functional jaw activities

We frequently perform things with our mouths instinctively or out of habit as we go about our daily lives. For example:

• You may unconsciously chew on a pen while writing or reading.
• While browsing the internet, you may chew on little pieces of clothes or bite your fingernails.

These parafunctional activities may put a strain on your TMJ and impede the healing process.

• Try not to clench your teeth.

The medical word for clenching your teeth is bruxism. This could happen while sleeping or during the day. This can be a big issue if you have TMJ since teeth clenching can put a lot of strain on the muscles in your jaw.

Stress can cause teeth clenching; therefore, attempting to minimize your stress can assist. Your dentist may also recommend that you wear a mouth guard while sleeping to prevent your teeth from clenching excessively.

• Don’t rest on your chin

While studying, watching TV, or perusing social media, many individuals rest their jaw in their hands. This position may be pleasant, but it can harm your jaw.

This strain on the side of the jaw may push against the joint, causing the disc to move out of place and causing issues with how the jaw opens and closes. Breaking this habit of resting on your chin will help your joints heal properly.

It is critical to avoid or discontinue activities that put excessive or unneeded strain on your jaw. However, if you or a loved one is still experiencing major TMJ disorder symptoms after avoiding these activities, call Time To Smile at (310) 475-5598 right immediately to book a consultation with Dr. Sid Solomon and talk about your symptoms to establish the best course of action. All of our TMJ treatments and operations have been authorized by the American Dental Association. To assess the patient’s optimal bite, we utilize surface electromyography (SEMG), computer mandibular scanning (CMS), and sonography using a K7 device.