Understanding TMJ Treatment Options in 2025

By Dr. Cory Herman

If you have jaw pain, clicking, or difficulty moving your jaw, you might have a temporomandibular joint disorder, often called TMD or TMJ.

TMD is a complex condition with many possible causes. Unfortunately, TMD’s are often challenging to properly diagnose. A board-certified orofacial pain specialist has years of specialty training to help make them well qualified to help bring clarity to both a diagnosis and appropriate treatment plan. For those who suffer from facial pain, TMJ can seriously affect your daily life.

Table of Contents

• Understanding TMJ Treatment Options in 2025
• Self-Management Techniques for TMJ Patients
• What Professional TMJ Treatments Actually Work?
  • Physical Therapy
  • Mouthguards and Oral Splints
  • Pain medications for TMJ pain
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Trigger point injections
  • Evidence-based care
  • TMJ surgery
• Application of Mouthguards can Reduce the Incidence of TMJ Injuries
• Current, Proven, and Standardized TMJ Treatment Options
• Conservative and Reversible TMJ Interventions Have a 75% to 90% Success Rate
• CONCLUSION: Find the Best TMJ Help in the Twin Cities

The good news is that there are ways to manage jaw problems, depending on the cause and your severity of TMJ pain. At Minnesota Head & Neck Pain Clinic, whenever possible, we work to create individualized conservative treatments which start with simple, non-invasive TMJ treatment options. Recent scientific literature has restated the following guiding principles.

Patient-Centered Care is at the heart of our temporomandibular joint treatment plans

Effective TMJ treatment requires patient involvement, a positive perspective, and a good partnership with your provider. We like to set realistic expectations upfront. When at home, work, or out and about, you need to be focused on reasonable strategies to help manage control symptoms and decrease their impact on your life and daily routine.

Self-Management Techniques for TMJ Patients

Controlling lifestyle factors can reduce your risks or severity of TMD pain. Learning to manage pain yourself is key.

• Stress management: It is important to recognize the role that stress has on the body. By learning to manage stress levels and activate the body’s relaxation response, this will also aid in, relieving TMJ-related tension.
• Your active role is empowerment: By embracing exercises as part of your TMJ treatment routine, you actively participate in your journey towards a healthier, more comfortable and functional jaw.
• Diaphragmatic breathing: Deep breathing can help with pain management and sleep quality, which can help with recovery from TMJ disorder. How to practice:
  1. Sit or lie down comfortably.
  2. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen.
  3. Inhale slowly through your nose, feeling your abdomen expand.
  4. Exhale slowly through your mouth, tightening your abdominal muscles.
  5. Your TMJ specialist may suggest you practice diaphragmatic breathing for 10 to 5 minutes, 3 to 4 times daily.
• Ensure you get quality sleep: The cycle of pain and sleep deprivation is known to amplify TMJ disorder symptoms. Insufficient sleep often increases pain sensitivity and tolerance. This connection between TMJ and sleep disturbances can also impact mental well-being and energy levels. Strive to get at least 7 to 8 hours of restorative sleep.
• Consume food and beverages responsibly: Your diet may significantly impact your general health and TMJ recovery. What you eat and drink can influence the strain on your jaw muscles; eating soft foods to minimize strenuous chewing can help your TMJ heal. Conversely, crunchy, hard, chewy, or sticky menu items can exacerbate pain and slow down the recovery process by putting excessive stress on the jaw joint. Stay hydrated; remember that coffee and alcoholic beverages can dry you out.
• Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR): Tension versus relaxation can significantly impact TMJ recovery. Consciously reduce muscle tension in the jaw and facial area. Over time, you will create new positive muscle activity and habits. Promoting relaxation and alleviating pain associated with the temporomandibular joint and jaw anatomy contributes to a faster and more successful recovery.
• Applying heat or ice: Once you have a professional diagnosis, ice and heat therapy for TMJ may be recommended. Your provider can guide your at-home activities for a timely ice therapy and heat therapy role in the healing process.

What might you expect from a TMJ professional?

As of February 2025, TMJ treatment options will likely include a mix of established methods alongside emerging advancements like dry needling and Botox injections. When necessary, we may use further diagnostic or imaging techniques to help clarify pain sources.

What Professional TMJ Treatments Actually Work?

Non-surgical TMJ services is what experts recommend as the initial treatment of jaw related conditions.

Effective and safe TMJ treatments typically include:

1. Physical Therapy.
2. Health Psychology.
3. Pain Medications for TMJ pain.
4. Mouthguards and Oral Splints.
5. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
6. Evidence-based care.
7. Trigger point injections.
8. TMJ Surgery.

Details on effective and safe TMJ treatments:

Physical Therapy:

Specific exercises and stretches recommended by your physical therapist can improve jaw movement and reduce jaw muscle tension effectively.

Health Psychology:

This can help you change how you think about and perceive pain and develop coping strategies to manage pain better.

Pain medications for TMJ pain:

While some over-the-counter pain relievers may provide short-term relief, you may benefit from professionally prescribed muscle relaxants or low-dose antidepressants. Professional medication management helps you avoid over-dependence on prescriptions.

Mouthguards and Oral Splints:

Mouthguards can help reduce clenching or grinding teeth, especially at night. These oral appliances help reduce muscle tension and protect your teeth by holding your jaw in the correct position while you sleep. They are especially helpful for treating bruxism and related headaches.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):

This form of professional-led therapy can help you manage pain-related thoughts and behaviors. How does CBT help with pain?

1. Helps patients manage pain-related thoughts and behaviors.
2. Reduces psychological distress: Having a support team that can direct you and stand with you can improve your pain management skills. TMJ symptoms may subside by incorporating mindfulness techniques, physical activity, and behavioral strategies and providing you with supportive resources.
3. Awareness empowers patients to reduce TMJ risk factors that may impede healing from pain conditions long-term.

Trigger point injections:

Some patients report that injected medications into the jaw and neck muscles can help reduce pain and inflammation.

Evidence-based care:

We are passionate about helping a pain patient understand their options for the latest, evidence-based TMJ treatment in 2025 and years to come. Our highly trained and Board Certified providers along with our seasoned staff recognize when new technology lacks proof of being more effective than basic strategies and standardized care.

TMJ surgery:

TMJ surgery is rarely needed; it is our last resort for structural problems. Our Board-Certified TMJ and orofacial pain specialists a work closely with our oral and maxillofacial surgery colleagues when surgery is indicated. Although there are times when surgery can be very helpful, it is not always curative and comes with a higher cost of care. We may recommend it when other treatments haven’t worked.

Working together, our goal is to help you control your symptoms, reduce pain, and get back to enjoying daily activities. TMJ impacts many people, causing jaw pain, jawlock, clicking, and chewing difficulties. We find that there is a clear link between physical jaw structure, emotional state, and coping abilities.

Application of Mouthguards can Reduce the Incidence of TMJ Injuries

Research indicates that while mouthguards (occlusal splints) can provide relief for some individuals with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, a substantial number of patients require additional treatments for effective management. The exact percentage varies across studies, but evidence suggests that many patients benefit from a multimodal approach beyond the use of mouthguards alone.

We especially see that sports-related injuries to the jaw can trigger TMJ.

Author BJA Educ reported December 2020 on an international Temporomandibular disorders consensus stating that “reversible conservative therapies are used as the first line of treatment for TMD. This recommendation is founded on data which demonstrate that between 75% and 90% of patients will respond to less invasive management techniques.”

One highly successful and basic treatment option

TMJ oral appliances can significantly reduce the forces on the jaw joint, thereby easing stress and discomfort. We recommend close monitoring with all oral appliances. Conservative therapy can effectively help to mitigate most symptoms of TMD.

The majority of TMDs are managed without irreversible restorative dental treatment or bite adjustments to the dental occlusion. When dentists and physicians face complex presentations of jaw, face or headache pain involving widespread pain, comorbidities, central sensitization, or previous failed interventions, they often refer to our specialists.

Current, Proven, and Standardized TMJ Treatment Options

The Minnesota Head & Neck Pain Clinic supports patient-centered decision-making as critical to managing TMDs. Board certified and current in best practices, we know the risks and complications of delaying TMJ diagnosis and treatment; that’s why we practice the following approach to treatment.

“TMDs are a heterogeneous group of conditions affecting the temporomandibular joints (TMJs), the jaw muscles, and the related structures. TMDs are associated with clinical signs and symptoms, such as functional limitation and joint sounds, muscle and/or joint pain upon palpation and during function, amongst others.

 

Proper training is thus required for dental professionals to avoid focusing TMD practice on outdated, unproven, or refuted concepts. This will then help reduce the chance of diagnostic delay, inappropriate treatment, and thereby the risk of iatrogenic chronification.” – Temporomandibular disorders: INfORM/IADR key points for good clinical practice based on standard of care

 

Conservative and Reversible TMJ Interventions Have a 75% to 90% Success Rate

We encourage you to do your research and find a team that understands TMJ disorders and takes a whole-person approach. You can search online or ask your primary physician or dentist for a referral.

Current literature suggests that “the majority of cases (75% to 90%), either joint or muscular, have a positive result with conservative and reversible interventions.” The understanding of the scientific literature in 2025 continues to support conservative treatments whenever possible. Providers at Minnesota Head & Neck Pain Clinic keep current with changes and trends in the science and modify their treatment recommendations as a result. ^[1]

We help you understand how temporomandibular joint issued cause facial pain. By staying informed and partnering closely with your TMJ provider, you’ll discover the best path to managing your pain and improving your quality of life.

CONCLUSION: Find the Best TMJ Help in the Twin Cities

Gain a personalized, multidisciplinary approach to managing your TMJ pain effectively. If you have questions or requests for additional information, contact info@mhnpc.com.

Helping people overcome orofacial pain and Temporomandibular Disorders is so refreshing and rewarding! Managing TMD care is often more than just mouthguards.

Call (763) 577-2484 and Conveniently Schedule a Clinic Visit

 

About the Author

Cory Herman DD, MS, Doctor of Dental Surgery, diagnosis and treats adults and children with TMJ and Orofacial pain disorders and addresses snoring and sleep apnea with the use of oral appliances at the Minnesota Head and Neck Pain Clinic. He is known for his non-surgical jaw pain management with an emphasis on collaborative and integrative care.

 

 

References:

[1] Daniele Manfredini, et al, “Temporomandibular disorders: INfORM/IADR key points for good clinical practice based on standard of care,” Jan 2025, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08869634.2024.2405298

[2] Camila Maria Bastos Machado, et al, “Short-term effectiveness of conservative therapies in pain, quality of life, and sleep in patients with temporomandibular disorders: A randomized clinical trial,” June 2019, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/08869634.2019.1627068