406-248-7172If you have been struggling with TMJ issues, we are here to help! There are things you can do from the comfort of your own home and treatment options we provide to resolve your TMJ pain. One way or another, we look forward to helping ease your jaw discomfort as your jaw joints start to heal and recover, so you can enjoy a pain-free quality of life without persistent jaw pain, migraines, back pain, facial pain, and the all too familiar problems of chewing and talking.
Watching What You Eat
This strategy isn’t about losing weight; rather, it is about minimizing the stress on your tender jaw joints and keeping the symptoms from recurring again later. While your TMJs are healing, they are pretty vulnerable. The foods you eat can either protect your jaw joints and chewing muscles or make them feel worse.
Tip: Stay far away from hard, chewy, tough, crisp, and crunchy foods, even if they are your favorites, as they can contribute to the jaw cartilage’s degeneration from osteoarthritis. Instead, take the time to plan and prepare your meals while you are trying to heal painful jaw joints.
Safe and Healthy Foods on a TMJ-Friendly Diet
- Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, yogurt, soft fruit, cooked vegetables, soft meats and cheeses
- Lunch and snacks: Soup, pasta, canned tuna or chicken, sliced deli meat (or other soft forms of protein), fruit or vegetable smoothies, and cottage cheese
- Dinner: Lasagna, spaghetti, salmon, tofu, lentils, and tender meats like shredded chicken, pot roast, or pulled pork
- Side dishes: Sautéed vegetables, mashed potatoes, quinoa, white rice, sweet potatoes
Reminder: While your jaw is healing, it’s important to make sure you nourish yourself with lots of protein throughout your day as it supports overall healing and repair. Sticking to anti-inflammatory foods can help pain relief; consider them the aspirin of foods!
Anti-inflammatory Foods
- Tomatoes
- Bok Choy, celery, cooked beets and broccoli
- Olive oil
- Green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, and collard greens)
- Soaked nuts like almonds and walnuts
- Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines
- Fruits like pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, cherries and oranges
- Chia seeds and flax seeds
- Bone broth
Lifestyle Changes
- Taking measures to cut stress and anxiety. It is crucial because you tend to clench your jaw and grind your teeth when stressed. Anything you can do to lessen this habit will help soothe your jaw. If you do these in your sleep, they can interfere with good sleep, making it harder to heal quickly. Find a soothing stress reducer you enjoy and do some of that daily. Sitting in meditation, stretching with yoga, doing cardiovascular exercise, and staying far away from excess caffeine and sugar exacerbates stress.
- Putting a stop to bad habits. Anything that makes you clench and grind your teeth stresses your jaw joints. If you tend to bite your nails, chew on ice or gnaw on pencils, gum, or tobacco, and open things with your teeth, do yourself a favor and avoid these moving forward.
- How you stand, sit and sleep. Be mindful of slouching because it puts pressure on your TMJs, making your symptoms worse instead of better. This means practicing good posture (both sitting and standing) and sleeping on your back instead of on your stomach.
Call Today for Help!
As you can see, there are plenty of things you can take control of when it comes to healing painful jaw joints. If practicing these tips doesn’t bring you TMJ relief, please reach out to our team so we can schedule a consultation to further evaluate your condition and help you find effective solutions based on your unique needs. Enjoying a pain-free life can boost productivity and enjoyment in every area of your life!