Foods to Avoid if you suffer from TMJ Pain

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If you suffer from TMJ pain, you most likely experience pain and popping noises when you chew, yawn, or even talk. The pain is often felt in the jaw area but can also be felt in the head and around the ears. In order to alleviate some of the pain of TMJ, a change in diet may be necessary. Avoid the following foods that enhance pain in the joints and jaw.

Avoid chewy foods that cause your jaw to work overtime. These foods include gum, steak, candy, and much more. The repetitive motion of your jaw will likely aggravate your TMJ pain.

Keep your jaw strain-free by avoiding crunchy foods like popcorn, fried chicken, chips, and tacos. These foods can cause pain in the jaw because of the intensity of the bite.

You may be surprised to learn that you should exclude fatty foods as well when you’re experiencing TMJ pain. Omit all fried food and pastries from your diet to prevent inflammation in your body.

When you are suffering from TMJ pain, you may not be allowed to open your mouth bigger than a few inches so large pieces of food such as fruit and sandwiches could be difficult to consume. Cut your food into smaller pieces.

Change your diet to include soft foods such as soup, bananas, yogurt, mashed potatoes, and fish. Include as much fruits and vegetables in your diet as possible but make sure your vegetables are not raw but cooked to a soft texture. Not only will your mouth love you for it, but your body will too.

If you believe you may be suffering from TMJ pain, give C & C Dentistry a call at (512) 263-8900.

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  1. Stephanie Warren

    Every time I eat walnuts it triggers pain in my jaw joint. Can anyone tell me why?

    • It seems like different foods can trigger TMJ discomfort. Some say chewing gum, beef jerky and also bagels can trigger their TMJ. It just seems different for different people. For some it’s hard foods, for others it’s soft foods (i.e. gum and bagels). The one thing they all have in common is that the discomfort is coming from muscle hyper activity and spasms due to bad positioning of the lower jaw. Malposition of the jaw comes from a malpositioning of the teeth. Teeth dictate jaw position and jaw position is controlled by muscles. Hope that helps a bit.

    • Anonymous

      My ENT doctor advised me to avoid walnuts and all nuts because they are hard and can aggravate TMJ problems.

    • Martin

      My ENT doctor advised me to avoid walnuts and all nuts because they are hard and can aggravate TMJ problems.

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