If you get occasional jaw pain, and it’s not bad enough to see your dentist, you may want to try some of these common home remedies.
Warm and Cold Compresses
If you suffer from muscle stiffness, try a warm compress for 10-12 minutes twice a day where your muscle is aching. Heat allows muscles to relax and can result in reducing discomfort.
If you tried warm compresses, and your jaw is still achy, alternate with a cold compress, since ice can reduce muscle spasm.
Magnesium
Magnesium is well known for many of its benefits, including calming nerves and anxiety, prevention of migraine headaches, and relieving muscle aches and spasms.
Magnesium is crucial to nerve transmission, muscle contraction, blood coagulation, and bone and cell formation.
If you are suffering from muscle spasms in your jaw or general tension, magnesium can go a long way in helping you relieve some of your symptoms.
OTC medications
Over-the-counter medications, such as NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) are effective in treating minor short term pain in the jaw area. However, you don’t want to be taking pills for long as it can have long term effects on the rest of your body. If you are taking medication for more than a few days, contact us for a consultation.
Massage
Gentle massage over the jaw joint and the muscles of your face can help relieve jaw pain. You can also extend your massage to the temple area, which is commonly associated with jaw pain.
In addition, meditation and stress reduction can go a long way in reducing jaw pain.
If you have questions about chronic pain or other TMJ issues, get in touch with holistic dentist Dr. Agatha Bis by calling 905-338-6684 or filling out the form below.