Treatment for TMJD Almost Always Requires a Softer Diet

TMJ Disorder is one of the most exasperating conditions that patients, doctors, and dentists are faced with. No one treatment works for everyone. Complicating the issue even more, TMJ Disorder has a host of symptoms. Ironically, there are people with TMJ Disorder who experience no pain whatsoever! Unfortunately, most cases of TMJ Disorder are quite painful.

Some cases are temporary and fleeting; others are permanent and devastating. There is no quick fix or single approach for the treatment of TMJD.

Most medical practitioners, however, advise their patients to eat a softer diet. For some, this seems impossible because they aren't familiar with many easy-to-chew recipes. Most people think of a softer diet as soup, oatmeal and the like. There are, however, a plethora of tasty, nourishing meals that one can eat if one is prescribed a "softer diet."

In addition, one may find that his/her diet becomes more healthful once most fast foods are eliminated.

Unfortunately, it seems there's an entire generation of younger folk who have an aversion to the kitchen. This generation is the "eat out" generation, but changing to an easy-to-chew diet will rapidly encourage one to prepare meals at home, thus saving untold amounts of money.

There are excellent recipes available on line, or one can choose from several cookbooks to find recipes tailored specifically for the TMJD patient. You Can Conquer TMJ:Ideas and Recipes is one such book that offers a plethora of easy-to-prepare, easy-to-chew, nutritious, tasty meals that the whole family will enjoy eating. These same recipes, plus a few others, are also available in One Pot Galley Gourmet, which retails for less. Both books are available on amazon.com and www.moonlightmesaassociates.com. One Pot Galley Gourmet, however, does not have the suggestions/recommendations for dealing with TMJD issues that the other book contains.

Statistically, most cases of TMJD will self-resolve given time and a softer diet. Unfortunately, there are other cases that will not resolve without irreversible procedures being done, for which there is no guarantee of success.

This is a condition that should not be taken lightly if one is in the early, nonpainful stages. Be forewarned and be pro-active with eating and chewing habits.

The Link Between Allergies and TMJ Disorder

Just how strong is the link between allergies and TMJ Disorder? There’s been surprisingly little study done on this subject, although there are those medical practitioners who feel that at least some cases of TMJ Disorder are caused by allergies.


Interestingly, Weston A Price inadvertently suggested a dietary connection to TMJD when he wrote his major opus, Physical and Nutritional Degeneration. In this work, he showed how quickly dental arches became deformed once native people’s diets changed from natural, wholesome foods indigenous to their group, to a diet laden with processed white flour and sugar. Within one generation, dental caries became rampant, as did deformed dental arches, something most Americans seem to have. Deformed dental arches could contribute significantly to the development of TMJD.

Taken a step further, it is easy to see that food allergies can also be a culprit that brings about dental disorders and, subsequently, trouble with the temporomandibular jaw joint (TMJ).

According to the Atlanta Dental Group, PC., when allergies cause the nose to swell so that one begins to breathe through one’s mouth, many things go wrong. “With children that are growing, mouth breathing from allergies can be disastrous. The jaws will not grow together and a bad bite develops.” Eventually the allergy sufferer’s tongue becomes misplaced and is lowered to help facilitate breathing. Over time, this abnormal tongue placement can cause swallowing difficulties and even speech problems.

Ultimately, according to the Atlanta Dental Group literature, “Untreated allergies can also be the original source of TMJ problems because these allergies disturb the normal functioning and growth of the teeth and jaw bones.”

Besides the most common source of allergies, such as dairy, gluten, etc. many do not stop to consider possible allergies to metals – specifically metals that may be found in amalgam fillings.

The connection between allergies and TMJD is not studied or considered much at all, yet the possibility of a connection is there. Perhaps, instead of treating TMJ Disorder, one should check for, and treat, allergies first.