Soft Food Diet for TMJ
- Scrambled eggs.
- Fruit and yogurt smoothie.
- Hot cereals (e.g., Cream of Wheat, grits, oatmeal, porridge)
- Cottage cheese.
- Yogurt.
- Applesauce.
- Beans.
- Fish.
What foods should you avoid with TMJ?
Some of the worst foods for TMJ pain are:
- Gum and chewy or sticky candies.
- Bagels, crusty bread, and other chewy baked goods.
- Apples, carrots, and other hard fruits and vegetables.
- Chewy or tough meat.
- Hard nuts.
- Ice (put it in your drinks, use it in a cold compress for swelling, but don’t bite into it!)
How long should I be on a soft diet for TMJ?
Making Healthy and Tasty Choices on a Soft Food Diet. If you are suffering with TMJ, your jaw pain may make it hard to eat many different foods. Before you seek help, you might try eating a soft diet for a week or so to see how well it allows your muscles to relax and reduces your jaw pain.
What can you eat when your jaw locks?
If your jaw locks up, or chewing is simply too painful, you may need to adopt a liquid diet of smoothies, purees, and juices. Try to create a well-balanced meal within your drink of choice. Add plenty of leafy green vegetables, fruits, and experiment with add-ins like peanut butter, ginger, or protein powder.
What soft foods can I eat with TMJ? – Related Questions
How do you calm a TMJ flare up?
What are some ways to relieve TMJ pain?
- Apply heat or ice to the affected area.
- Maintain a soft food diet, and avoid hard or chewy foods.
- Take over-the-counter pain relief options.
- Try relaxing techniques that will also help relax your facial muscles.
- Gently massage your jaw to increase blood flow and promote healing.
Can I eat pizza with TMJ?
Pizza – pizza itself isn’t bad for the TMJ joint, but the crust can be chewy and hard to get through. Repetitive chewing through pizza crust can cause inflammation and irritation. Steak, beef jerky (any chewy meat) – steak is one of the highest offenders of TMJ pain.
Can I eat pasta with TMJ?
Eating with care
Choose soft foods. These include scrambled eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, quiche, tofu, soup, smoothies, pasta, fish, mashed potatoes, milkshakes, bananas, applesauce, gelatin, or ice cream. Don’t bite into hard foods. These include whole apples, carrots, and corn on the cob.
Can I eat rice if I have TMJ?
Some great ideas for soft foods to try with a TMD are yogurt, oatmeal, protein smoothies, soft cheeses, rice, beans, eggs, hummus, peanut butter, quinoa, avocado, bananas, fish, tofu and ground meat.
Can I eat chicken with TMJ?
Stay away from chewy or tough meat, like steak. Instead, eat soft, healthy proteins like eggs, tofu, legumes, chicken and fish.
Why does my jaw hurt when I eat pizza?
Specifically, eating a high amount of very chewy foods, like bagels, pizza crusts, dryer/leaner cuts of meat, and chewy treats like taffies, gummies, or bubble gum can overwork the jaw muscles, leading to fatigue. In addition, taking large bites of food can overextend your jaw, further straining the TMJs.
Does TMJ hurt after eating?
If you find your jaw feeling sore during or after a meal, you could be suffering from a TMJ disorder, also known as TMD. You’ll be glad to know that this is treatable.
Does chewing make TMJ worse?
Jaw Pain, TMJ and TMD
For many people, TMD symptoms don’t last long, but for others, pain and discomfort when moving their facial muscles is chronic (long lasting) and can be made worse by clenching, chewing, swallowing, or grinding teeth over time.
Does chewing worsen TMJ?
You may enjoy chewing gum, but if you have TMJ, you should avoid it. Your jaw is the most used joint in the body. Limiting excessive use of the joint and muscles alleviates pressure and gives them a chance to rest.
What will a dentist do for TMJ?
Treatment form an orthodontist can alleviate TMJ symptoms in many cases. If your TMJ comes from teeth grinding or clenching, your dentist may recommend that you wear a custom dental appliance. Often called a bite plate or a splint, this appliance will keep your upper teeth from grinding against your lower teeth.
Does TMJ ever fully heal?
Fortunately, TMJ disorder is not irreversible. With proper care and treatment, you can cure it permanently. In most cases (especially mild to moderate ones) you don’t need to seek professional help, as there are ways to manage the pain, and even make it go away.
Does sleeping position affect TMJ?
Laying on your side with a hand under your pillow can also exacerbate the symptoms of TMD. This damaging sleep position creates a misalignment for your head and neck, making TMJ pain very likely. The best sleep position for TMD is sleeping on your back in order to keep your head and neck properly aligned.
How can I relax my jaw when I sleep?
Start Relaxing Your Jaw Muscles Every Night Before You Sleep
You can do this by placing a warmed piece of cloth on the side of your face. This particular method is more effective with people who grind their teeth as a result of an acute situation, such as a broken or otherwise injured jaw.
How should I sleep to relax my jaw?
Sleeping on the back is considered an ideal position for reducing pain because it avoids pressure on the jaw, keeps the head and neck in better alignment, provides increased support for the head, neck and shoulders and makes it less likely that teeth clenching or grinding will occur.
What kind of pillow should you use if you have TMJ?
But whether you sleep on your back or your side, you need to make sure that your neck is adequately supported. Many people recommend feather pillows if you have neck pain because the soft pillows will naturally curve around your head and neck, but there are many other types of pillows that can do this, too.
What should I wear at night with TMJ?
Night guards can help protect your teeth, mouth and jaw from a number of conditions, including TMJ, teeth grinding and clenching while you are sleeping.
