Ask anyone with TMJ disorder what the letters stand for and you will hear a number of responses, but ask them what it is and all of them will talk about the pain. TMJ actually stands for tempro-mandibular joint.

Put your fingers on the little triangular sections of your ears. Now move your fingers forward onto your head. Open and close your jaw. What you feel is your tempro-mandibular joint. The name of the joint comes from the names of the two bones involved. The temporal bone is the side of the skull and the mandible is the lower jaw.

TMJ disorder (or disease) has a number of causes. The most common are:

• Stress, causing one to clench or grind their teeth in their sleep
• Injury to the jaw, teeth or head
• Overuse injury to the muscles of the jaw from activities like gum chewing
• Chewing primarily on one side of the mouth
• Poor bite, caused by the teeth not fitting together properly

But what can you do about TMJ disorder? The answer to that question depends mostly on what caused the disorder in the first place. No matter what the cause of the TMJ disorder, massage can help. Like all treatment plans, this article is not a replacement for competent medical advice. See your dentist for an examination and diagnosis of your problem.

Anti-inflammatory over-the-counter medication such as aspirin and ibuprofen can help alleviate the pain of mild TMJ disease. Ice will help as well. If your teeth are especially sensitive to cold, ice may be painful or uncomfortable on the outside of your cheeks. Rub an ice cube wrapped in a damp towel along the side of your jaw (where the edge of your face meets your hairline) from the angle of the jaw to the side of your cheekbone. Keep it up on one side for about half a cube and then rub the other side. You should have relief from pain for 10 to 20 minutes.

If you cannot tolerate ice try a heating pad or hot pack. Be forewarned--Heat can exacerbate a condition involving inflammation. Heat does relieve pain, but at the same time it increases inflammation often leading to more extensive tissue damage than would otherwise have occurred. If within an hour of using any form of heat on your jaws you experience an increase in pain, discontinue the heat immediately and do not reapply without a specific order from your dentist.

After applying the heat or ice, massage the muscles of your jaws. Starting at the TM joint on one side of your face work your way down the side of your head to the angle of the jaw and all the way over to the center line of the face. Since you cannot manipulate these muscles because of the way they are attached to the bone you will have to massage them by running your finger or thumb down the jaw in a straight line, firmly. Then repeat on the other side. Do not forget to massage your gums. This can be done in the same manner as the jaw massage except in this case always massage toward the teeth.

Massage the temples in a circular motion.

• If your TMJ disorder is being caused by stress you will probably need a number of head, neck and shoulder massages by a professional massage therapist before you will be able to feel a significant difference in the level of pain.
• If you clench or grind your teeth in your sleep, you will need to break that habit before massaging your gums will be able to have a positive effect that you can feel.

Have a healthy and pain-free month.

Leslie Hope has been licensed, certified massage therapist since 1988 when she graduated from the Massage Institute of New England. She is the owner of the Healing Hands of Hope in Boston, Mass.