The pain and jaw dysfunction associated with Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) can impact your ability to chew and swallow food. How and what you are able to eat can seriously compromise your nutritional and health status - an aspect of TMD that is often overlooked by both patients and health care providers.
The TMJ Association (TMJA) asked patients their opinion on this topic. Here are a few comments we received:
"...Eating fruits, veggies, and health foods tend to be very hard on my jaw; I can get a headache just from eating an apple or a few carrots. I would much rather sit around and eat mashed potatoes and not hurt..."
"...There are days I am so hungry, but I know the price I will pay if I 'chew' the wrong foods..."
"...My daily food choices are very limited, due to the possibility of my jaw locking up while chewing crunchy or chewy foods..."
Based on patient feedback, we found that there is a definite need to address nutrition and TMD. To help us, we enlisted the expertise of:
With their expertise, we developed, "TMD Nutrition and You," a nutritional guide booklet specifically developed for people with compromised oral function to help them maintain a healthy diet in spite of their oral disability. Click here to download a free copy of our booklet.
Please consider a tax-deductible contribution to The TMJ Association. As a nonprofit organization, we rely upon your contributions to carry out projects like this to help improve the lives of those we serve - TMJ patients.
©2016 The TMJ Association, Ltd. All rights
To view or order a free booklet about TMJ Disorders, visit the National Institutes of Health website.