How to Treat Restricted Jaw Movement

Restricted jaw movement occurs when the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), located directly in front of the ears, becomes inflamed and painful. This makes it difficult for a person to move their jaw up and down which limits their ability to eat and talk. There are things that a person suffering from TMJ, or restricted jaw movement disorder, can do to ease the painful symptoms and increase the movement in their jaw.

Things You'll Need

• Soft food or smaller bites
• Mouthpiece
• Physician or dentist
• Surgery

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Instructions

• 1

  Quit chewing gum. Frequently moving your jaw such as when you are chewing gum can trigger a painful episode of restricted jaw movement or TMJ disorder. To protect the muscle and joint in your jaw give up the habit of chewing gum today, and save yourself pain later.

• 2

  Eat smaller bites or soft foods. Foods such as whole apples and peeled bananas require you to open your mouth wide to accommodate the size of the food. By cutting apples, bananas and other large food items up before inserting them in your mouth, you can reduce how much your jaw must open. In addition, by selecting to eat soft foods you reduce the amount of chewing and movement that occurs with your jaw.

• 3

  Consult your dentist or doctor for jaw exercises. There are exercises that you can do to alleviate some of the pain associated with TMJ and build the strength and muscle in your jaw. Your doctor or dentist can show you what exercises to do and how to do them correctly.

• 4

  Obtain a mouthpiece for sleeping if necessary. Some people grind or clench their teeth when they sleep, which can causes TMJ. Your dentist can make a custom mouthpiece for you that forces you to relax the muscle or stop grinding your teeth.

• 5

  Ask about medication to treat restricted jaw movement. Anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants and corticosteroids can be used in the treatment of TMJ. While they can't cure the disorder they can provide pain relief and reduce the swelling associated with it. In addition, you may seek out therapy services to reduce the stress and anxiety you have as this can lead to a clenched jaw and eventually restricted jaw movement.

• 6

  Surgery. Consult with your doctor and dentist about having oral surgery to fix your jaw. Most will try alternative treatments such as those listed here, and only use surgery as the last option. However they may be able to give you certain cosmetic changes within your mouth to help with TMJ, such as replacing missing teeth.