Jaw pain is a typical problem affecting the temporomandibular joints on either side of the head, in front of the ears. It can become a persistent and unpleasant problem if left untreated. It might be challenging to get the proper treatment for jaw pain because people have misconceptions about jaw pain, and these are confusing terms.
This blog will help you to know how can a chiropractor help with jaw pain. Also, we will remove myths and explore complementary therapies that claim to relieve pain. Together, we will explore the realities and complete solutions to enlighten your route to comfort.
What is Jaw Pain or TMJ?
Millions of Americans suffer from TMJ (Temporomandibular joint and Muscle Disorders). Jaw pain can appear as an irritation, tenseness, or discomfort in the region surrounding your ears or jawbones. Jaw pain, whether mild or severe, can negatively impact your quality of life. Gum disease, teeth grinding, toothaches, and other conditions can all contribute to jaw pain. However, jaw pain can sometimes indicate a more severe problem, such as a dislocated or fractured jaw or a heart attack.
What Does Jaw Pain Feel Like?
Your face may feel rigid if you have jaw pain, particularly in the joints before your ears. These joints facilitate jaw movement by joining your lower jaw to your skull. Your jaw may ache or throb occasionally, particularly following an injury.
An acute pain in your jaw joint that radiates to your shoulders or chest may indicate a heart attack, which is extremely dangerous and necessitates prompt medical attention. Trismus, or the inability to open your mouth quickly, is another symptom of jaw pain. You must consult a physician if you encounter any of these symptoms.
What Causes Jaw Pain?
Misalignment of the spine can cause jaw pain, but there are other potential causes as well. Let’s discuss the jaw pain below.
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Bruxism
Bruxism, or teeth grinding, can harm the TMJ joint and produce jaw pain. Unknowingly grinding their teeth is a typical behavior among Des Moines residents that significantly causes jaw pain and tense muscles. Chiropractic treatments are essential for treating the underlying issues that lead to tooth grinding and offering relief and prophylactic care.
Bruxism can be caused by any number of factors, including food intolerances. Because they care about the whole picture, our doctors at The Brost Clinic will try to identify the essential cause of your condition and offer the best available care.
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Posture
Check your posture right now. Are you scrolling in bed, at a desk, or in a car? Take a look at your neck. It is not nice if it is bent down. It’s a significant contributing factor to neck issues like discomfort and arthritis. This neck issue may also be causing jaw pain.
Given the connection between your jaw and spine, an extended time of staring down might cause tension in your neck. It can also affect your jaw. This may result in persistent headaches. Correct posture is essential to feeling healthier. In our Brost Clinic, we treat patients who suffer from poor posture. We modify their necks to help with headaches, neck pain, and posture and use a specific gadget.
The Risk of Ignoring Jaw Pain
You shouldn’t wait while your jaw pain worsens, even though giving it time to decrease on its own is acceptable. Ignoring jaw pain can have serious consequences, including substantial damage and loss of function. In addition, it might cause headaches, shoulder and neck discomfort, and disruptions to regular tasks. It can also cause trouble speaking and eating and mental distress.
How Can a Chiropractor Help With Jaw Pain
A chiropractor can help relieve jaw pain in different ways. Let’s discuss some primary therapies a chiropractor provides to reduce jaw pain.
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Trigger Point Therapy
Professionals with extensive training in treating various jaw pain conditions, such as joint discomfort, tense muscles, and spasms in the muscles, are chiropractors. They achieve this by employing trigger point therapy to try and relax the stiff muscles surrounding the jaw and spine. Trigger points are the highly tight muscles that result in aches and pains in the jaw.
This type of treatment helps to rebalance the TMJ muscles when the jaw muscles are too tight or unbalanced. Additionally, this therapy assists patients in regaining appropriate neck posture and lowering their general stress levels. Chiropractors are very knowledgeable about diseases of the TMJ. They are skilled in the precise manipulation of muscles to induce relaxation. Additionally, this exercise can help relieve neck, shoulders, back, legs, and hip pain.
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Soft Tissue Therapy
A chiropractor can manipulate the soft tissues surrounding the jaw to relieve pinched nerves and impulses and restore normal function. The corrections will release tension in the masseter, temporalis, and pterygoid muscles, as well as realign misaligned jaws.
Soft tissue injuries from trauma, repetitive stress, and other sources are the focus of a chiropractor’s practice. Restoring function, accelerating healing, and relieving TMJ pain are among the services that most chiropractors specialize in.
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Easing Stress and Tension
Overstress on the body and mind can cause pain in certain instances, which is known as TMJ. A skilled chiropractor can provide adjustments and massage therapy to ease tense muscles and stressed nerves. Any muscles and nerves in the area of the jaw, face, neck, shoulders, and back are the focus of the treatment.
Chiropractors can treat neck and spine disorders, reduce muscle tension, and release pinched nerves. The therapy also reduces stiffness and increases blood flow to the jaw muscles. Pain and pressure in the jaw and neck region should go away after the prescribed treatment course is completed.
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Chiropractic Adjustment
Chiropractic adjustments are recognized to be just as effective as medical treatments. However, most people with TMJ difficulties seek therapy from doctors and dentists. The goal of this exercise is to release the muscles that surround the joint. Reducing TMJ pain may involve loosening the muscles, ligaments, and nerves surrounding the joint.
Our team of skilled chiropractors can realign your spine and nerve system if they are misaligned. They can also make minor adjustments to help address spinal abnormalities, restore the spine to its proper position, and finally reduce TMD discomfort.
FAQ
When Should I See a Chiropractor for Jaw Pain?
Chiropractic care can often help people manage their symptoms of TMJ pain, while there isn’t one treatment that works for everyone. However, the most crucial thing to remember is to contact a chiropractor as soon as possible for assistance. This will help decrease the chance of long-term harm and help relieve symptoms.
Is It Dangerous to Adjust the Jaw?
It’s critical to remember that only a licensed, skilled healthcare practitioner, such as a doctor of chiropractic, should make safe, regulated adjustments to the jaw. They should also be aware of any underlying medical issues that could worsen following the modification.
Conclusion
Many people ask, “Can a chiropractor help with jaw pain?” when trying to relieve jaw pain. Practitioners like those at The Brost Clinic provide a holistic approach, which holds the key to the solution.
Chiropractors treat misalignments that might lead to jaw pain using gentle adjustments and specialized techniques. They seek to improve general well-being and reduce pain by assisting the spine and its supporting tissues to operate correctly. Thus, if you’re looking for all-natural jaw pain solutions, call The Brost Clinic’s chiropractors today. Say goodbye to suffering and hello to a healthier, happier version of yourself.