01 Nov Jaw Pain? Do These Three Things
1. DO stop clenching.
Are your teeth resting together at any point during the day or night? If so, this is considered clenching. Holding your teeth with even light contact can be a big risk factor for developing or ongoing jaw pain. Create a new healthy habit of keeping your jaw and tongue relaxed. Your tongue should rest in the roof of the mouth, your teeth should be apart, lips relaxed. This is the ideal posture for your mouth and best place to start in treating your jaw pain.
2. DO massage the inside of your mouth.
Massaging the masseter, the strongest clenching muscle, on the inside of your mouth can be much more effective than just massaging the outside. Slide the thumb of one hand into the cheek of the other side. Slide your thumb back towards your ear and cheekbone as far as possible. You can clench gently to feel the masseter muscle tense – that’s how you know you’re in the right spot. Now relax and gently massage by pressing your fingers and thumb together. If you find tender areas, hold gentle pressure for up to 30 seconds. Relax and repeat in another area. Work for 3-5 mins or until you feel tense areas soften or your pain ease.
3. DO pay attention to your stress level.
Stress, whether it be good (preparing for a wedding) or bad (argument with a friend), can distract us from what is going on with our body. We become engrossed in our thoughts or tasks and before you know it, you’ve started clenching again or your shoulders are up by your ears. Even if you don’t clench or shrug under pressure, stress still affects the jaw by creating an environment of “high alert” for our nervous system, which can contribute to experiencing more pain. Start with 1 minute of box breathing, which immediately resets the stress response and can keep your jaw relaxed.
Don’t wait to get treatment. If you have been having symptoms for a while and these tips don’t help, you may need more individualized care. We can help! Most patients see a significant improvement in their jaw pain in 4-8 sessions.
Body One has three convenient locations serving North Indy: Fishers, North Meridian, and Zionsville. Our highly-trained, expert providers can help with TMJ dysfunction and many other issues and conditions. Don’t live with discomfort, pain, or movement problems, come see us at Body One!
