Therapy of temporomandibular joint inflammation
The first step in an acute TMJ inflammation should always be pain relief and inflammation inhibition. Because in the inflammatory state, all further treatment options cannot be carried out. Painkillers that also have an anti-inflammatory effect are therefore recommended.
Only when the patient can move the lower jaw freely again and feels no more pain when touched, can physiotherapy or splinting be performed. In the case of inflammation of the temporomandibular joint, we first try to be as non-invasive as possible in order to avoid surgery as far as possible. This is done by means of certain made-up splints, which are inserted into the patient and simulate a healthy bite position for a longer period of time.
If this helps to relieve the pain, certain changes can be made to the teeth to maintain the healthy bite position without the splint. Prosthetic treatment may also be necessary. Furthermore, physiotherapy can be prescribed.
Muscular tensions can be relieved and also body postures can be corrected. A few relaxation exercises can also help. Avoiding food that is too solid and difficult to chew can also reduce the suffering.
Medication can be prescribed to relieve the inflammation and make pain more bearable. You can also actively contribute to the healing process by perhaps changing your lifestyle and reducing stress. Often there is a nightly overload, which can have different causes.
The treatment of psychological suffering can also help. A correct sleeping position should be taken during the night. This lying on your back, with a slightly high pillow.
You can also actively observe during the day to what extent you strain your muscles and whether your teeth are tense. It is also useful to wear a splint to protect your teeth at night. See below: Crunch splintsIn case of an inflammation of the temporomandibular joint, anti-inflammatory and painkilling medication is most advisable.
High-dose ibuprofen or diclofenac are suitable for this purpose. To reduce the frequency of side effects, COX-2 inhibitors, which are also anti-inflammatory, can be used instead. These include celecoxib (1-2 x 200mg daily) and rofecoxib.
The drugs can either be taken in tablet form or injected by a doctor. However, it is preferable to take them in tablet form, as injection is associated with the risk of germ transfer. The temporomandibular joint can become inflamed if there is incorrect loading, for example, due to prosthetic fittings or stress-related grinding of the teeth at night.
At home, if the muscles are overactive, the first thing you should try to do is to reduce stress and perhaps adjust your lifestyle a little. Furthermore, loosening exercises can help to relax the muscles connected to the joint. Chewing gum or food that is difficult to chew should be avoided.
Some patients have also found quark compresses or heat from a red light lamp to be effective household remedies. However, if necessary, these should be used parallel to a splint prepared by the dentist. The splint can intercept any existing hyperfunctions and relax the temporomandibular joint somewhat.
Since antibiotics are in principle only effective against bacteria, it should be clearly determined that it is a bacterial inflammation before prescribing an antibiotic to treat the inflammation of the temporomandibular joint. Rarely it can come to the fact that bacteria can spread from the middle ear or the maxillary sinuses to the temporomandibular joint. If the MRI image shows an accumulation of fluid within the temporomandibular joint, the fluid can be aspirated with a syringe and then examined.
If bacteria are detected, antibiotic therapy can be administered. Amoxycillin or clavulanic acid are the most suitable drugs for drug treatment. Much more often, however, the inflammation of the temporomandibular joint is a reaction to constant overloading, without bacteria having contributed to its development.
In this case, the use of antibiotics is prohibited. One of the most common causes of inflammation of the temporomandibular joint or general problems with the jaw joint is over-functioning of the muscles due to incorrect strain. These are caused, for example, by strong teeth grinding.Mostly the reason for this grinding of the teeth at night is due to mental strain, stress, nervousness or sleep disturbances. There are many homeopathic remedies that can help in this context: However, an inflammation caused by bacteria can only be treated with antibiotics.
- Echinacea
- Hamamelis virginica
- Potassium chloratum
- Myristica sebifera
- Schüssler salt Magnesium phosphoricum
