In a new study, researchers have developed a gel that rapidly relieves temporomandibular joint (TMJ), muscles of mastication, and myofascial pain and chronic inflammation. The gel should be administered as a first-step procedure before trying to diagnose and treat the cause of the patient’s pain and dysfunction. The study is published in the Journal of Oral Implantology. The gel is composed of 18% potassium complex, 10% dimethyl isosorbide, and 72% aqueous hydroxyethyl cellulose gel. The gel is rubbed onto the facial skin as soon as clinicians identify the TMJ disorder, as the authors have found that the gel routinely and predictably provides rapid pain relief and patient comfort and speeds restoration of the jaw’s functional abilities, usually within 5 minutes after it is applied. The rapid relief seen from the gel led the authors to recommend that the gel be applied as a first-step procedure before definitive diagnosis and treatment. Once the pain has been eliminated as a complicating factor, a diagnosis and treatment plan concerning the jaw’s biomechanical problems may be identified and dealt with. The gel can be reapplied by the patient as needed, safely providing self-help for comfort control and aiding in the successful treatment of this troublesome condition. The gel is topically applied and directly targeted. It is also painless, odorless, noninvasive, and routinely and predictably effective. The gel’s ability to remove pain and inflammation as a first measure minimizes patient anxiety, depression, and psychological concerns. Subsequent diagnosis and treatment of the biomechanical disorders related to TMJ are then more easily and effectively treated.
(Source: American Academy of Implant Dentistry, Journal of Oral Implantology, 2007;33(6):356-370)
