Q I enjoy eating hard foods like dried filefish and dried squid. Is that bad for the jaw joint? I live in Dong-gu and often eat them as late-night snacks.
A Hard, chewy foods are a representative trigger food that delivers repeated impact to the chewing muscles and the joint disc, worsening symptoms.
Detailed Answer
Foods that require forceful chewing, such as dried filefish, dried squid, and beef jerky, apply great force to the jaw joint. If the disc is already in an unstable state, the joint noise may worsen and the range of mouth opening may decrease further. During the treatment period, soft foods such as porridge, tofu, and boiled vegetables are good.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
At Dongjedang, we see that the stimulation of hard foods burdens not only the area around the jaw but also the stomach and the body's internal heat and circulation. During treatment, we guide you to rest the jaw with a soft diet while reducing stimulating and cold foods, so that the balance within the body is restored together.
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