How to Manage Orofacial Pain
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, understanding your pain's underlying cause is crucial to know the proper steps to take for treatment and relief. For this reason, it’s essential to receive an expert diagnosis from your dental or medical professional so you can rest easy and avoid unneeded discomfort.
Because pain has so many root causes, your dental or medical professional may refer you to a specialist who can best guide your treatment and offer specific, cutting-edge advice. Pain management is a field in its own right, so they may even recommend a clinic focused on your pain itself.
Your dental or medical professional may recommend treatments, including:
- For dental causes: Fillings for cavities, root canal procedures for infected teeth, dental restorations (like crowns), practicing proper dental hygiene, and other procedures.
- For TMD causes: Avoiding big movements of your jaw, performing exercise at home, and other interventions.
- Medications: Prescription or over-the-counter options to help manage your pain or treat its underlying cause.
An important takeaway is that are many causes of orofacial pain due to your body's complexity, but dental problems and TMD are the most common. Because it's so vital to discover your pain's underlying cause to find relief, you've made an excellent choice to increase your knowledge of the subject.