TABLE 3.

Therapies that have been shown to be beneficial for daytime TMD symptoms.

Orientation	Treatment
Relaxation/Stress Management	Breaking daytime parafunctional and muscle-tensing habits. Learning to relax masticatory muscles and maintain this relaxed state throughout the day. Learning stress management and coping skills for life's irritations. Performing biofeedback to help learn to relax masticatory muscles.
Orthotic	Wearing an occlusal orthotic during the day (as a temporary crutch until daytime habits are broken or to increase awareness of daytime habits and facilitate breaking them).
Medicative	Prescribing a tricyclic antidepressant that can be taken during the day [e.g., desipramine (25 mg, 1 tab in the morning and afternoon)].

Some treatment effects generally carry over to the other portion of the day, so patients who have mild daytime pain may find that nocturnal wear of occlusal orthotic provides satisfactory symptom relief.