If you are experiencing any temporomandibular disorder symptoms, it’s important you seek treatment and guidance from a professional. As well, to ensure your comfort and prevent further damage, you’ll want to make sure you’re not engaging in any of the typical habits that hurt your TMJ.
Be sure to avoid the following habits, or you may further damage your temporomandibular joint.
Using Your Teeth As Tools
You may think your teeth make the perfect at-hand tool, and when you’re struggling to open something up, you may instinctively use your teeth. However, your teeth are delicate and need to be protected! When you use your teeth as tools, you damage your TMJ and increase your chances of daily symptoms such as headaches, jaw pain, trouble opening your mouth, and more.
Eating Chewy or Tough Foods
If you experience daily pain caused by your TMJ, it’s essential to give your jaw muscles much-needed breaks. One way to do this is by eating softer foods and avoiding chewing on anything tough. Some of these foods include:
- Touch meat
- Sticky and chewy candies
- Hard fruits or vegetables
- Crunchy cereals
- Any food that causes you to open your jaw widely and forcefully chew
Biting Your Nails
A nervous habit done by many, biting your nails, can do more harm on the body than just on your fingers. You may even be unaware you do this or how much you do this, meaning the habit could be worse than you realize. The acting of biting and chewing throughout the day causes increased pressure and movement for your TMJ, so if you can, you want to try and quit biting your nails.
Tobacco Use
In general, smoking is one of the most damaging habits to the human body. Tobacco use is not only incredibly harmful to your teeth, but it leaves you a much higher chance of developing oral cancer and other chronic conditions, such as TMJ.
TMJ Treatment in Suffolk County, NY
Dr. Scott Simonetti, a TMJ disorder specialist, is here to help diagnose and put an end to your pain and discomfort caused by a TMJ disorder. Visit our website or give us a call at (631) 277-4848 to learn more about our POD® night guard treatment and how we can help you.