Jaw Pain

I’m not going to bore you with all the anatomy of the face and jaw, but here are some key structures that are useful to know:

• The jaw joint (called the temporal mandibular joint or TMJ).  This is the part that can click, pop and lock on some people.
• The powerhouse muscle known as your masseter.  This sits outside the mouth along your jaw bone.  You’ll feel this pop out when you clench your teeth, because that’s its key job when chewing.  If you clench your jaw regularly, this is the guy that will need some attention and is frequently associated with chronic headaches.
• Little muscles just inside your mouth called you pterygoids.  These deviate your jaw from one side to the other and get very unhappy on people who grind their teeth.  If you’re not sure if you do, ask your partner…apparently it’s very loud at night! 

​So how do you know if you’re jaw needs to be checked out by us (insert link to make a booking)?  Consider it if you are experiencing any of the following:

• Waking with pain in the jaw joint and tight jaw muscles
• Side deviation of the jaw when talking and yawning
• Tension headaches that won’t resolve
• Clicking / popping of the jaw
• Recent dental work
• Your mouth doesn’t open wider than three of your fingers deep
• Your dentist has noticed teeth wear

Treatments usually begin by releasing the muscles of the shoulders, neck and face; then if needed will include a small amount of intra-oral work (inside the mouth with gloves).  Trust me (and all the people I have treated) when I say this considerably less scary than it sounds, and the benefits are fantastic.  So where does the snoring part come in?  Well, we have had promising results from snorers undergoing this treatment when combined with lifestyle and home exercises.  It’s worth a shot!
Caring for Jaw Pain
There are many things we can do to alleviate your jaw tension and after consultation with us (link to Bookings) you will be given specific home care for your needs.  In the interim, here are a couple of exercises we have found particularly useful in our practice.
Retrain Jaw Movements
Place a tooth pick in the gaps of your middle top and bottom teeth (don’t force it if you don’t naturally have gaps there).   Using a mirror, open and close your mouth while keeping the toothpicks in line with each other.  This helps to retrain jaw muscles and correct deviations.
 
Jaw Self Massage
You have likely found yourself doing this automatically if you have tight jaw muscles.  The added bonus is it’s often helpful in easing tension headaches.