Jaw-Dropping Stress & TMJ

 

Situational Stress

You overslept. You jump out of bed, scurry through your morning shower, throw on your clothes and rush your way out the door. No time for breakfast, you’ll grab that on the way.  You get in your car and are driving along until you hit a wall of traffic backed up for miles. Now you will miss an important meeting and your whole morning is thrown off schedule. You start getting anxious and feel the build-up of tension all before 8 am. What a way to start your day and this is a common situation in our daily lives today.

Pressure & Pain

Suffering with headaches, jaw pain or facial pain? All are all common symptoms of TMJ or TMJD (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder). Stress can cause your facial muscles to tighten. Grinding your teeth can put pressure on undue pressure on the joint. The Temporomandibular Joint or TMJ is located where the jaw meets and attaches to the skull, TMJ is also a term used to describe disorders related to this area  also referred to as TMJD (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder). TMJ symptoms come from brain-muscle conditioning acquired by trauma or stress.

Damage Control

If you think you have TMJD, it is important to address the causes of stress in your life and take measures to relieve some of the strain. What relaxes you? A long walk? Meditation? Music? Make sure you find time for enjoyable activities so you become less tired and anxious.

If you are grinding your teeth at night during your sleep, you need proper treatment to prevent further damage involving fracturing, loosening, or loss of teeth. Proper care can eliminate jaw soreness, headaches and keep your teeth from being worn down from grinding. Contact South Tampa Smiles at (813) 289-0560 for a FREE consultation. You don’t have to live in pain.