Treatment FAQ

what is evidenced based treatment for tmj

by Janie Donnelly Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Medication

“There are a wide variety of potential treatments for TMJ, including self-management, physical therapy, medications, occlusal adjustments, intraoral appliances, and surgery. Evidence based clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of TMJs do not currently exist, despite the fact that treatment is common.

Procedures

CT scan to provide detailed images of the bones involved in the joint MRI to reveal problems with the joint's disk or surrounding soft tissue TMJ arthroscopy is sometimes used in the diagnosis of a TMJ disorder.

Therapy

TMJ arthroscopy is sometimes used in the diagnosis of a TMJ disorder. During TMJ arthroscopy, your doctor inserts a small thin tube (cannula) into the joint space, and a small camera (arthroscope) is then inserted to view the area and to help determine a diagnosis. In some cases, the symptoms of TMJ disorders may go away without treatment.

Nutrition

Complementary and alternative medicine techniques may help manage the chronic pain often associated with TMJ disorders. Examples include: Acupuncture. A specialist trained in acupuncture treats chronic pain by inserting hair-thin needles at specific locations on your body.

What is the best treatment for TMJ?

What are the tests for TMJ?

What is TMJ arthroscopy?

Can complementary and alternative medicine help treat TMJ disorders?

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What is the best medication for TMJ?

If over-the-counter pain medications aren't enough to relieve TMJ pain, your doctor or dentist may prescribe stronger pain relievers for a limited time, such as prescription strength ibuprofen.

How to reduce TMJ?

Lifestyle and home remedies. Becoming more aware of tension-related habits — clenching your jaw, grinding your teeth or chewing pencils — will help you reduce their frequency. The following tips may help you reduce symptoms of TMJ disorders: Avoid overuse of jaw muscles.

What is the purpose of MRI for TMJ?

MRI to reveal problems with the joint's disk or surrounding soft tissue. TMJ arthroscopy is sometimes used in the diagnosis of a TMJ disorder. During TMJ arthroscopy, your doctor inserts a small thin tube (cannula) into the joint space, and a small camera (arthroscope) is then inserted to view the area and to help determine a diagnosis.

What is the procedure called when you insert a needle into a joint?

Arthrocentesis (ahr-throe-sen-TEE-sis) is a minimally invasive procedure that involves the insertion of small needles into the joint so that fluid can be irrigated through the joint to remove debris and inflammatory byproducts. Injections. In some people, corticosteroid injections into the joint may be helpful.

How long do you take muscle relaxers for TMJ?

Muscle relaxants. These types of drugs are sometimes used for a few days or weeks to help relieve pain caused by TMJ disorders created by muscle spasms.

Why are tiny openings inserted into the TMJ?

With arthrocentesis, tiny openings are inserted into the TMJ so that fluid can be flushed through the joint to remove debris.

What is the best device for jaw pain?

Oral splints or mouth guards (occlusal appliances). Often, people with jaw pain will benefit from wearing a soft or firm device inserted over their teeth, but the reasons why these devices are beneficial are not well-understood.

What to do if TMJ gets worse?

If your TMJ problem gets worse with time, you should seek professional advice. Proceed cautiously, and get several independent opinions before beginning any suggested irreversible treatment.

What kind of doctor treats jaw pain?

Complex cases, often marked by chronic and severe pain, jaw dysfunction, comorbid conditions, and diminished quality of life, will likely require a team of doctors from fields such as neurology, rheumatology, pain management, and other specialties for diagnosis and treatment.

What is connective tissue disorder?

connective tissue disorders such as Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Scleroderma. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) advises patients to look for a health care provider who understands musculoskeletal disorders (affecting muscle, bone and joints) and who is trained in treating pain conditions.

Is TMJ a complex condition?

Since 1936 TMJ has been primarily treated by dentists, however today, we know TMJ to be a complex condition with many biological systems (circulatory, digestive, endocrine, exocrine, immune, muscular, nervous, reproductive, respiratory, and skeletal) playing a role, indicating the need to bring the medical and other allied health professionals in research and patient care.

How to relieve TMD pain?

Patients with TMD tend to report that their pain is intensified by events such as stress, clenching, and eating, while it is relieved by relaxing, applying heat to the painful area, and taking over-the-counter analgesics1,4,5,10.

What is the dental exam for TMD?

As part of the clinical exam, it is recommended that dental practitioners visually perform an intraoral screening, evaluating for evidence of pathology, such as swelling, cavities, deflection of the soft palate when saying “ah,” etc. The patient's history will often have alerted the practitioner to oral disorders that may be causing or contributing to the symptoms and which may indicate that additional radiographs or tests are needed. Generally, only a screening radiograph, such as a panoramic radiograph, is needed in the evaluation of the majority of TMD patients2,5,17,18.

How many people have TMD?

Approximately 33% of the population has at least one TMD symptom and 3.6% to 7% of the population has TMD with sufficient severity to cause them to seek treatment1–3. TMD is often viewed as a repetitive motion disorder of the masticatory structures.

What are the contributing factors to TMD?

Examples of commonly identified TMD perpetuating factors are nighttime parafunctional habits, gum chewing, daytime clenching, holding tension in the masticatory muscles, neck pain, excessive caffeine consumption, stress, tension, aggravations, frustrations, depression, poor sleep, poor posture, and widespread pain . It is recommended that the contributing factors that are the easiest to change and that are speculated to provide the greatest impact on the symptoms be initially changed1,2,4,17,24.

Where is TMD pain located?

TMD pain is generally located in the masseter muscle, preauricular area, and/ or anterior temporalis muscle regions. The quality of this pain is generally an ache, pressure, and/or dull pain and may include a background burning sensation.

How to determine if a mandibular opening is restricted?

If the patient has a restricted opening, the practitioner may be able to determine its origin by stretching the mouth wider. This is usually performed by placing the index finger over the incisal edges of the mandibular incisors and the thumb over the incisal edges of the maxillary incisors and pressing the teeth apart by moving the fingers in a scissor-type motion2. The patient will usually feel tightness or pain at the location of the restriction, and the patient is asked to point to this location. The location is confirmed by the practitioner palpating that location2.

Does TMD increase with postural activity?

The patient's TMD symptoms increase with abnormal postural activities.

How does DBT help with PTSD?

DBT teaches skills to help control harmful and impulsive behaviors such as self-harming, substance misuse, and binge eating; reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviors; and improve symptoms of PTSD , depression, and borderline personality disorder. This treatment can also help patients build and maintain healthy relationships and may be particularly well-suited for people who experience a lot of conflict in relationships with frequent ups and downs. DBT uses a combination of acceptance and change strategies to help you learn new problem-solving and coping skills to improve your overall quality of life.

How long does CBT-D last?

Typically lasting from 12 to 16 sessions, CBT-D can help you reach your treatment goals. Through this therapy, you may:

How long does CPT therapy last?

CPT typically lasts from seven to 15 weekly sessions, either in an individual or a group setting, depending on your preference. Through this therapy, you may:

What is BA therapy?

BA is a therapy that has been shown to relieve or resolve symptoms of depression. This therapy will help you become more engaged with activities that can improve your mood.

How many sessions are there in IBCT?

IBCT typically ranges from 11 to 26 sessions, but your treatment plan will be tailored to your needs and has no fixed number of sessions. The therapy may teach you how to negotiate and set goals together with your partner, friend, or family member in two phases: evaluation and treatment.

What is the first evidence based diagnostic criteria?

The first evidence-based diagnostic criteria have been developed to help health professionals better diagnose temporomandibular disorders (TMD), commonly known as TMJ, a group of often-painful jaw conditions that affect an estimated 10 to 15 percent of Americans .

What is the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research?

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is the Nation’s leading funder of research on oral, dental, and craniofacial health.

How does DC/TMD work?

The DC/TMD start with a refined version of Axis I, the physical assessment. It begins with an easily administered patient questionnaire that is specially designed to detect pain-related TMD. If TMD is detected, the protocol moves on to newly crafted diagnostic criteria to help practitioners differentiate among the common subtypes. In field tests, the diagnostic criteria for painful TMD were found to have at least 86 percent sensitivity and 97 percent specificity. Sensitivity refers to how well a test identifies a person with a given ailment, while specificity characterizes the ability to identify correctly those who are not affected.

Is TMD a jaw problem?

Although TMD is commonly considered a jaw problem, researchers have determined that most people with chronic temporomandibular problems also contend with other ailments. In 1992, the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD) reflected this awareness.

What is the biomedical model of TMD?

Recently, a paradigm shift regarding “TMD” has occurred from the biomedical model, more specifically from occlusion, to a biopsychosocial model of disease. The biopsychosocial model was introduced in medicine in 1977 and published in 1978 by Engel [1, 2]. The model was based on general systems and intended to provide a total framework in which all the levels of organization pertinent to health and disease could be conceptualized. One of the levels of organization in the musculoskeletal pain condition “TMD” is the entity “occlusion.” This paper addresses “occlusion” because the interaction between occlusion and “TMD” still has not been unambiguously clarified, leading to controversial research conclusions. This review paper aims to clarify the existing controversy with a scientific approach of the literature in order to provide (1) recommendations for future research and (2) up-to-date evidence-based tools for “TMD” management in the general dental practice.

How many papers have been published on temporomandibular dysfunction?

To date, over 22,000 papers are published concerning the disorders temporomandibular dysfunction and the synonymous craniomandibular dysfunction. In this paper, the term “Temporomandibular Disorders,” henceforth “TMD,” is used to present a collection of the 4 studied terms and its abbreviations: temporomandibular disorders, temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD) and craniomandibular disorders, and craniomandibular dysfunction (CMD).

What are the two types of occlusal splints?

2 types of occlusal splints–TMD clinical and EMG

How many TMD papers were published in the period 1977–2017?

In the period 1977–2017, a total of 20,340 “TMD” papers were published, starting with 160 papers in 1977 to almost a thousand (903) in 2016. Figure 1shows a temporary increase in the period 1982–1992. A similar increase seems to be present in the papers about “TMD” refined with “occlusion.” Most “TMD”-“occlusion” papers were published in 1985 (90) and 1991 (104). In that 11-year period, on average, 70 papers were published yearly.

How many studies have been published on the biopsychosocial model?

During the recent 67-year period, there are only 35 papers published concerning the biopsychosocial model and “TMD,” 86 different trials, of which 52 randomized controlled trials (Table 2) [3–54] and 21 different studies with the keywords “Evidence Based Dentistry” (Table 3) [55–75] focused on all 6 “TMD” terms and “occlusion.” Further refining the 35 BPSM studies with the search term “evidence based dentistry” results in 3 studies by Ohrbach and Dworkin [76], Simmons [77], and Goldstein [78]. One of the 35 BPSM papers is an RCT by Andrew et al. [79].

Does TMD follow occlusion?

The “TMD” refined with “occlusion” curve does not follow the curve of evidence-based dentistry papers. However, the number of EBD papers did increase in line with the total number of “TMD” papers. In the recent decade, EBD papers also increased substantially to approximately 180 papers yearly. It might be prudently concluded from these data that apart from the 21 papers presented in Table 3, the EBD papers were apparently not proportionally focused on “occlusion”.

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Diagnosis

Treatment

Lifestyle and Home Remedies

Alternative Medicine

Medically reviewed by
Dr. Mansi Shah
Your provider will work with you to develop a care plan that may include one or more of these treatment options.
TMJ disorder may be self-treatable in some cases. In cases requiring treatment, it is always a combination of therapies.
Medication

Anti-inflammatory drugs: Drugs that are used to manage pain and inflammation.

Ibuprofen


Tricyclic antidepressants: Drugs used to treat depression.

Amitriptyline


Muscle relaxants: Reduces stiffness.

Cyclobenzaprine

Procedures

Arthrocentesis: Insertion of needles into the joints to drain out the fluid and inflammatory debris.

TMJ arthroscopy: Surgically correcting the joint using instruments and camera inserted into the joint through a small cut.

Modified condylotomy: Done in case of locking; involves surgery of the lower jaw bone.

Therapy

Physical therapy:Includes exercises, using ultrasound, moist heat and/or ice to relieve pain and improve jaw movements.

Counseling:To help you understand the factors causing your condition and avoid them.

Nutrition

Foods to eat:

  • Foods rich in hyaluronic acid like broth of animal tendons and bones
  • Foods rich in magnesium like green vegetables
  • Organ meat and red meat

Foods to avoid:

  • Foods rich in salicylates like jams, jellies and juices
  • Dairy products like yogurt, cheese and milk
  • Bakery products like cakes and cookies

Specialist to consult

Dentist
Specializes in the treatment of diseases associated with teeth and gums.
Otolaryngologist
Specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the ear, nose and throat.

Preparing For Your Appointment

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