I was recently been diagnosed with tmj disorder. i am in pain from this up to a few times a day and seems to get worse. what can i do for relief?

Biofeedback: Acupuncture and intra-oral massage. Hurts at first, but very helpful. Do weekly until resolved. Biofeedback if your TMJ is from grinding your teeth (bruxism). If the cause is stress, work on that. If it's from a food allergy, do an oral food challenge test (food elimination diet). Natural anti-inflammatories can help as well (ginger, boswellia, bromelain, turmeric).

Take Antiinfammatory: If advil (ibuprofen) or Motrin doesn't resolve your pain, you must see a specialist . Some dentists are able to help.

Soft diet etc: 1) soft diet - no chewing for 2 weeks 2) antiinflammatory medication around the clock (motrin or alleve or advil) 3) ice, a bag of frozen peas against the jaw joint for 20 minutes four times a day 4) dental evaluation and possibly an nti occlusal device to prevent clenching and/or grinding while you sleep.

Bite guard: You need to see your dentist or oral surgeon so they can make you a bite guard so you don't grind your teeth at night which increases the inflammation in your tmj. Also antiinflamatories like Motrin or Aleve (naproxen) and ice will help.

See a specialist: The duration and/or severity of your symptoms should tell you that a specialist should be seen. Trying home remedies may make things worse.

Be careful of NTI: The one concern I have about the usage of nti appliance is if they are used for patients with a dislocated joint. They are good appliances to deprogram muscles, but if you only bite on the front teeth and your jaw is dislocated, then the next structure to become loaded is the dislocated joint. A disc appliance may be appropriate, so check with you dentist for a good diagnosis (noise is a bad).

A few ideas: Depends on symptoms, and cause of symptoms. 3 signs of TMJ dysfunction: joint noises, joint pain & limited oral opening. Self treat with soft diet, jaw exercises, massage, heat/cold, OTC pain meds. A splint or physical therapy would be next. Occasionally muscle relaxants, biofeedback. Xrays are done for diagnosis. Surgery usually reserved for serious symptoms not responsive to other treatments.