Can temporomandibular arthritis heal on its own?

Temporomandibular arthritis, also known as mandibular arthritis, is a chronic, damaging inflammation of the muscles, ligaments and nerves at the temporal and mandibular joints that can cause dysfunction of their movement and popping or pain. Usually, if the symptoms are mild, it may heal on its own, but if the symptoms are severe, it cannot heal on its own and requires targeted treatment. If the symptoms are mild and only symptoms such as painful sensation in opening and closing the mouth, temporomandibular arthritis has not developed to the point of organic damage, it can usually be induced to heal itself through daily care and correction of poor chewing habits; if the patient feels severe local pain with redness and swelling, as well as restricted mouth opening, causing some functional impairment, etc., early detection and treatment are required, and most patients need professional treatment to heal. Most patients need professional treatment to heal, such as taking drugs like etoricoxib and celecoxib for treatment, and physical therapy such as ultrashort wave, ion introduction, and hot compress to relieve discomfort, and surgery can be considered if the effect of the above treatments is limited. After suffering from temporomandibular arthritis, in daily life, one should pay attention to avoid eating hard foods, avoid excessive mouth opening movements, such as laughing, yelling, gulping and other behaviors that may cause excessive jaw movement, and also avoid getting cold, as well as avoid sleeping on the side or prone to avoid pressure on the jaw, which may aggravate the symptoms.