How can I soothe TMJ pain? About twice as many women as men experience the soreness, earaches, stiffness, and tooth sensitivity that accompany dysfunction of the jaw's muscles and temporomandibular joint . To keep your jaw in good shape and put a stop to temporomandibular disorder , chew on this professional guidance

Natural Health, April, 2005

Naturopath

I often recommend that people with TMD follow an anti-inflammatory diet, which helps reduce inflammation in the whole body. Select foods that are not processed, choose organic as often as possible, and eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Animal products like red meat and dairy tend to cause inflammation, while the omega-3 fatty acids in fish and flaxseed oil have anti-inflammatory effects.

TMD is a mind-body condition, so with my patients I do a lot of gentle, hands-on energy work around the jaw, neck, and upper and lower back muscles to release tension. To deal with stress, try to get sufficient sleep and exercise, and take up stress-relieving practices like yoga and visualization. When you start to feel stressed out, step back, take a deep breath, and tell yourself, "I'm not going to go down that road. "When the stressful thoughts build up, the pain only gets worse.

--Elizabeth Sutherland, N.D., Portland, 0re.-based naturopathic doctor

Otolaryngologist

There are many different causes of TMD, from grinding your teeth during sleep to clenching your jaw when you're under stress. Another possible cause is overuse of the joint from chewing gum or eating chewy foods like bagels. Sometimes the condition is caused by a problem with the alignment of your teeth, but in most cases stress plays a big role. TMD usually arises from the same types of situations that can cause tension headaches. Stress triggers pain, and the pain results in more stress.

To avoid TMJ pain during the day, use techniques like breathing exercises when you're stressed out. At night you can wear a bite block to prevent you from grinding your teeth; it's possible to buy one over-the counter, but more effective to have one custom-made for you by your dentist or oral surgeon. To deal with the pain, you can use heat application or over-the-counter anti-inflammatories like Advil or Tylenol--anything that stops headaches should alleviate TMD pain. In rare cases, surgery may be required to treat TMD, but most conditions improve with self-care.

--Marilene B. Wang, M.D., associate professor of head and neck surgery at the University of California at Los Angeles

Dentist

The first thing I tell my patients with TMD is to stop chewing gum and eating chewy foods like taffy and jerky. You need to watch for repetitive movements of the jaw, such as biting your fingernails or the end of your pen. You dont want to put stress on that joint, it also helps to take small bites when you eat, avoid opening wide when you eat or yawn, and keep from holding the phone in the crook of your neck. And stay away from monosodium glutamate, which promotes muscle spasms.

Stress is always taken out on the teeth, so psychological stress is strongly linked with TMD. And when you have TMD, you may panic because of the pain and stiffness. To ease the pain, wet a washcloth, stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds, until it's hot but not scalding, and hold it to the joint for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the heat fades. Repeat several times--the more the better. A hot bath can be beneficial, too. The moist heat lengthens the muscle fibers, taking the jaw muscle out of spasm.

--Eric Curtis, D.D.S., spokesman for the Academy of General Dentistry