The Healthy Truth

I first noticed the problem with my jaw when I had a tooth pulled out back in high school.

My dentist didn’t put a false tooth in because he noticed that my wisdom teeth weren’t out yet, and true to his word, the wisdom tooth popped out several weeks later and the rest of my back teeth moved forward to fill in the gap.

But I noticed that when I try to open my mouth to its fullest extent, a grinding sensation could be felt, and only on my left side, where the tooth was removed.

Sometimes the left joint would erupt in pain when I would suddenly laugh out loud and I’d hear it pop whenever I moved my mouth.

This is known as a TMJ disorder. The hinge joints in your jaw are known scientifically as the temporomandibular joint, and it’s called TMJ for short.

TMJ disorders are any problem dealing with improper function of the hinge joint in your jaw, and here are my tips on how to treat the disorder, all of which worked well for me.

To ease pain:

Only arthrocentesis TMJ is said to give constant pain, but most disorders can make the jaw or even the whole facial area ache every now and then.

-          To keep the pain from becoming more unbearable, stop moving your mouth immediately.

-          Using circular motions, gently massage the area beside the joint, which is located just before your ears.

-          Keep your tongue from touching the roof of your mouth and don’t let your lower teeth press against your upper teeth.

-          Take a painkiller or place an ice pack against the side of your face.

To prevent a TMJ disorder from getting worse:

-          Stop grinding your upper and lower teeth against each other. Constantly pushing them together causes tension in the TMJ, which can wear down the connections of the joint.

-          Avoid opening your mouth too wide.

To treat a TMJ disorder:

-          You have probably seen what a turf toe brace looks like on athletes who injured their big toe, and there is a similar brace for the TMJ, which works to keep the upper and lower teeth from pushing against each other.

Dentists and doctors recommend this TMJ brace or splint for their patients who are habitually or unconsciously grinding their teeth a lot, especially in sleep, or as a protective measure against those who recently had surgery to fix the disorder.

-          Slight cases of TMJ disorders can be treated by performing jaw and mouth exercises to strengthen the joint and help the ligaments reconnect properly.

-          For severe TMJ disorders, such as when the joint is dislocated or the soft disc cushioning the bones are badly worn, surgery is necessary to treat it.

Around 20% to 40% of the American population gets canker sores, and often the sores are treated at home without the aid of a doctor.

The sores appear on the inside of the mouth on the soft tissue of the checks and back of the throat. Canker sores are shallow ulcers and are normally about a centimeter in size with a bright red outline.

The ulcer will hurt for seven to ten days, but may take up to six weeks to fully heal There are a number of causes of canker sores and a few different ways to treat them at home.

Causes

The exact cause of canker sores are unknown, but it has been proven that there’s a genetic component.

This means that they can and will run in families. Canker sores will also appear when oral trauma has occurred.

This means that if a person chews on or injures the inside of their checks or lips then canker sores will be more likely to pop up.

People with braces also have a higher likelihood of getting canker sores.

Some theories on canker sore causes include excess stress or a lack of restful sleep. Canker sores may also appear after eating food that the person is allergic too or by drinking a lot of acidic juices, like orange and cranberry juice.

It is also believe that if sufficient minerals or vitamins are not provided in the diet then canker sores may appear.

Treatment

While canker sore causes have not been pinpointed, their treatment has. If a canker sore appears then the person should begin eating soft, non-spicy foods to avoid further irritation to the area. Cutting or mashing the food can also be helpful.

Foods that have high amounts of acid like citrus fruits, pineapples and cooked tomatoes should also be avoided.

Drinking cold beverages can also help avoid further irritation to the ulcer. Hot beverages and those high in caffeine should be avoided.

If the canker sore is too painful to drink or eat then a piece of ice can be held against the area until it is numb. Pain killers that have aspirin or ibuprofen can help ease the pain too.

A salt water rinse can be made by mixing one tablespoon of salt and one cup of warm water. Rinsing the mouth out a few times a day with the salt water can help speed healing. Warning: This will hurt.

Prevention

After discovering and treating a canker sore most people sigh with relief, but that relief may be short lived.

Canker sores will normally be a recurring problem for most people who get them. It is believed that the sores will occur more frequently during the teenage and early adulthood years, and then as the person ages the sores will occur less often.

To help prevent future canker sores the person should pay attention to what may have caused the sore in the first place. If eating a certain food caused the sore then that food should be avoided. Also, using a soft bristled tooth brush could help prevent trauma to the inside of the mouth.

Any trauma to the inside of the mouth should be avoided. Reducing stress also helps control canker sore outbreaks.

There is also a natural way to get rid of these painful little ulcers. Unbeknownst to much of the population, there’s a common chemical in their toothpaste that has been implicated in canker sores. Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) is a foaming agent used in a lot of household cleaning products, including most toothpastes, and it has been shown to be a cause for canker sores.

So the simple solution is to stop using commercial toothpaste and replace it with a natural, sodium lauryl sulphate free toothpaste instead. It will take a few weeks or even months, but people who switch to an SLS free toothpaste will see their mouth ulcers diminish over time, to the point that they may never get them again!

It is not a new medical discovery that castor oil is used as a laxative. In fact, the oil already made a name in alternative medication due to its effectiveness in relieving pain and discomfort caused by abnormal bowel movement leading to constipation.

Physicians also use it to cleanse the intestinal tract before a bowel surgery or inspection.

Proper Usage of Castor Oil Laxative Treatment:

The oil is taken internally with the precise directions of the physician. On the other hand, in such case that you are self-medicating the amount would vary due to factors such as the age, medical condition and prior or possible response to castor oil laxative treatments.

If it is your first time to take castor oil, make sure to ask a health care provider like a pharmacist for any information listed on the oils package that you may not understand.

Usually, the oil is taken on an empty stomach. Castor oil should take a couple of hours to 12 hours to present its effects.

A person would take castor only for a week but if there is no change with the constipation problem, there are possible adverse effects that may result.

Positive and Negative Reviews of Castor Oil:

It is to be expected that castor oil will have different effects to different people. Again, there should be proper usage and correct amount taken in order for the oil to present good results.

Castor oil, when taken in large amounts or regular dosage, will not help normalize the movement of the bowels. It will only cause dependence or overdose.

There are some people who have used castor oil to treat their constipation and were not treated at all. In this case, there may be other factors to why the oil did not work.

Of course, there is also a possibility that the body’s response to castor is not what is desired. Other natural laxatives or manual enemas might be of more use.

People who have used the oil and were successful in treating their constipation must be cautious.

The reason for this is because the side effects of the oil may be diarrhea which can also lead to dehydration.

Thus, prior research about the oil and its effects should be done before trying to self-medicate.