Nowadays the suffering and illnesses of the people are increasing. The patients complained about the fibromyalgia most. To address the disease of these patients we have some concerns, especially when it is related to dental health. Firstly, we must understand the meaning of fibromyalgia. It is a chronic and common syndrome which causes mental distress and musculoskeletal widespread pain. It also caused the sleep, mood, memory and fatigue issues.
The symptoms of fibromyalgia are like arthritis which is also a common reason for late diagnosis of this disease, And the physicians and dentists got confused to diagnose this. Fibromyalgia damages the soft tissues while arthritis damages the joints. The cause of this disease is still not known and still, it has no cure. Through medication, exercise and behavioral therapy it can be controlled, and the sleep disorder can be made better.
Fibromyalgia also affects the teeth. This disorder is called Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJD). It causes severe pain in the jaw. Commonly patients neglect to describe the pain in the teeth as they are struggling with other health problems due to this illness. Those people who lost their teeth and spent long hours on the dentist chair knows its importance and significance. To get awareness, take precautionary measures, and treatment in time is very important to avoid complication resulted with TMJD.
The temporomandibular joints connect our jaw to our skull. It is stabilized by ligaments, facial nerves and muscles which helps us to close and open our mouth, talk, swallow, chew, yawn and other such tasks. Tenderness and pain in or around the joints of the jaw are known as TMJD.
Factors restricting the function
In the patients of TMJD, there are few factors which restrict the functions of the joint function of the jaw. These factors are given below:
· Teeth properly do not come together.
· Due to the myofascial trigger points tight muscles are pulling them out of the alignment.
· Opposing muscles are under stress.
· Teeth grinding
· Due to degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis or trauma or due to an accident, there is a physical derangement of the joint.
· Dry mouth or mouth dryness (most of the patients of TMJD do complain of dry mouth and it can contribute a lot in doing the condition worse as due to this you can face difficulty in tasting, speaking, swelling and chewing. It can cause the burning mouth syndrome, mouth infection or gum, in the throat a dry feeling, and dental cavities).
Symptoms of TMJD
The symptoms of Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJD) are headaches, ringing in the ears, grinding noise, clicking, chronic muscular headaches, dizziness, nausea, and face, head, and jaw pain. This pain can spread to the shoulders, ears, and neck.
Precautionary Measures
To avoid TMJD, and especially if you are a patient of fibromyalgia, there are few preventive measures, you can take to avoid this disease and its severity.
· Avoid stress or depression
· Consult a dentist regularly
· Eat a healthy and hygienic diet
· Be conscious of your posture. Try to sit in a way which put less stress on the neck and head.
· If you are taking any medication and observing its side effects, talk to your dentist about this.
· Try to drink a lot of water to avoid dehydration and dryness of the mouth.
· Behind the front teeth of your mouth, rest your tongue. It will decrease the grind of the teeth and will become an act of relaxation.
· Do massage on your face plenty of times during to whole day as it will help you to relax. You can do this by putting your thumb in your mouth and fingers on your cheek trapping the muscle between your thumb and fingers.
· Practice good oral hygiene.
· After consulting your dentist, you can use a mouthwash that increases the saliva (saliva is a very essential aspect. It helps indigestion. And if there is not enough saliva it will badly affect the overall health.
Treatments
There are two types of treatment for TMJ:
· Conservative treatment
· Aggressive treatment
Conservative treatment
This treatment includes few methods which are named under:
· Reduction of stress
· No gum chewing
· Ice packs
· No wide yawning
· Anti-inflammatory medicines or drugs
Aggressive treatment
When the illness becomes worse than doctors use aggressive treatment, in this procedure of treatment surgery or orthodontics is included. It is also suggested to take the opinion from two to three doctors before going for surgery.
There are options for the treatment of the TMJD as discussed above and it depends on its seriousness. In case of facing any difficulty related to this disease, it is very important for you to consult the doctor as soon as possible to preserve your mouth healthy and to avoid more complications and damage to your teeth.
