Home Remedies For Relieving TMJ Ear Pain

TMJ ear pain is one of the leading symptoms associated with tempormomandibular joint disorder. TMJ is known as the joint at the front of the ear that serves as the attachment of the skull to the lower jaw bone and can be found on both sides of the head. The dysfunction in this joint could significantly cause jaw pain, headaches, clicking and popping in the jaws, and trouble opening and closing the mouth. Sadly, this condition is frequently misdiagnosed and left unaided.



Researches have shown that 50% of TMJ sufferers are also experiencing pain in their ears. However, whenever they visit their doctors, they are not able to see any infection that might be the root cause of such ear pain. TMJ induced ear pain usually happens due to the fact that the joints of the ear and jaw are strongly connected with each other. Hence, when the jaw is in pain it causes contraction to the little muscles inside the ears that hold the ear bones in place, which is made up of malleus, incus, and stapes, thereby causing the ears to hurt.



TMJ and ear pain could be pervasive and could have devastating effects on the lives of TMJ sufferers, especially if left unaided. The severe pain could be troublesome during sleep and makes it difficult to concentrate on the tasks at hand. Due to these, many people who are suffering from TMJ are forced to undergo frequent doctor visits in order to alleviate the pain caused by their medical condition. Their doctors in turn would recommend them to consume some kind of drugs to reduce the pain, use expensive mouth guard to relax the muscles of the jaw and avoid teeth clenching, or to go under the knife.



Of course, in these tough economic times, doctor visits can be hard in the pocket considering that TMJ treatment is excluded from many healthcare plans. Yet, did you know that the use of muscle relaxants, mouth guards, or TMJ surgery are not effective measures in order to alleviate the ear pain caused by TMJ? There are many kinds of effective TMJ home remedies that you could try as alternatives for expensive doctor visits, which could help reduce and eventually eliminate TMJ and ear pain, and one of these is through TMJ exercises.



TMJ exercises or stretches may not be very well known in the medical community, but they have been actually proven effective. The first kind of TM J exercise is developed to put the jaw back on its right position. To do this, you could stand right in front of the mirror and slowly open and close your mouth at least ten times, take a short breath, and then repeat the process for at least three to four times daily as this exercise will reinforce your jaw to appropriately open and close without feeling any pain. Another variation of this is the mandible stretches, wherein you will move your lower jaw from side to side and opening and closing your jaw. The process should be done three to five times a day for at least a month so as to increase your jaws' range of motion.



It is apparent that as opposed to mouth guards and muscle relaxants, jaw exercises target directly the causes of ear and jaw pains induced by TMJ. With the help of massaging and strengthening, your jaw would be relieved from the tension and pressure that usually causes the pain in your ear, and would also help in strengthening the muscles in your jaw and would help it return back to its original position. Although this option might take some time before you could feel the result, it is, however, safer, inexpensive and none invasive than frequently visiting a doctor, taking medications, or undergoing a surgery.