Foods to Avoid When You Have TMD Pain

Posted on 12/25/2019 by Rodney Rastegar

One of the symptoms of TMD is pain. The pain can last for a long time or it can be something that happens intermittently. There are many ways to manage the pain when it occurs, but it is better to try to prevent the pain from ever occurring. One way to do that is to watch what you eat.

There are some foods that can increase the likelihood of experiencing TMD pain. If you avoid them, you may not have as much pain.

The Cause of TMD Pain

The temporomandibular joint connects the jaw to the skull. There are ligaments, muscles and connective tissue in and around the joint. When it works properly, there is no problem. When the joints on either side of the head are not working properly, there are a variety of symptoms that will appear. These can include difficulty opening or closing of the jaw and pain. The pain can occur in the jaw, ears, or in other parts around the TMJ.

The symptoms are not always consistent. They can occur at different times. Some of the symptoms will appear because of things that the individual suffering from the disorder does. This includes eating certain foods.

What Foods Can Aggravate TMJ

The foods to avoid are the foods that will make your jaw work harder. Chewing gum and chewy candy are an obvious thing for most people. But there are other foods that are more difficult to chew, especially when you have pain from the TMD.

Bagels, steaks, corn on the cob and other foods that require a lot of chewing can make the pain from TMD worse. Hard candies that are difficult to chew also are something to put aside for a while. When you have pain from TMD, it is best to turn to softer foods that do not exert much force on your jaw until the pain subsides.

To get a complete list of do and don't about TMD schedule an appointment to talk to our dental professionals.

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