When you first suspect you may have TMJ disorder, the first thing you will often read or your doctor will tell you is that there are self-care techniques that you can do at home to help your jaw pain.
- Moist heat – many TMJ patients find heat very helpful to relieve pain & muscle tension and/or spasm.
- Ice therapy – patients who have just had surgery or are experiencing inflammation often like ice.
We’ve tried MANY heating pads, from small electric ones you slide the moist sponge into to provide moist heat (verdict: affordable and easy to find) to more sophisticated models that draw humidity from the air and have digital dials to let you set the exact temperature you’re looking for (verdict: amazing, but can be more expensive).
Here are the qualities you should look for in a heating pad for TMJ pain:
- Delivers moist heat (this is more beneficial to your muscles)
- Has some way (velcro, ties, etc) to make the heating pad stay around your face/head
- Lasts a long time and is well made since you will be using it often
Here are our favorite heating pads for TMJ disorder, based on trial / error & patient feedback (we have included some actual TMJ patient reviews):
Best product all around, the one patients seem to like the most:
1. Theratherm Digital Moist Heating Pad
Here’s what one patient said about the Theratherm heating pad: “I love this heating pad! I really cannot say enough positive things about it. It provides moist heat without the hassle of wetting a sponge, & has a soft comfortable washable cover.. it allows you to set treatment time (up to 60 min) & you can set the temp. as well. It is large enough to lay on a pillow & you can roll from side to side without re-adjusting. It has a “lock” feature so you don’t accidentally change settings, and possibly the best thing about it is that the heating elements inside the pad themselves are large enough to cover the jaw joint. I would highly recommend anyone looking for a heating pad to buy this!”
2. Patient recommended ice & heat therapy – Face Caddy
Here’s one patient review of the Face Caddy: “I work at home and found it time consuming to keep icing my jaw with frozen veggies or ice wrapped in a towel. The Face Caddy works perfectly, I can get my work done on the computer without having to hold it in place.”
Also, note that we have a $5 discount code for Face Caddy if you enter TMJ as your coupon code at checkout! You can also purchase the FaceCaddy on Amazon: Face Caddy Ice and Heat Wrap (Color: Black)
3. Most affordable product
4. Sunbeam Renue Heating Pad is a favorite heating pad for neck / shoulder pain: 
Sunbeam 885-000 Renue Heat Therapy Neck and Shoulder Wrap, Green
5. Thermophore – tried & true, this is the heating pad I have personally used for over 10 years, and it’s still working great!! I keep thinking it will stop working some day, but it hasn’t!
Battle Creek Thermophore Automatic Moist Heat Pack