Jaw (TMJ) Pain

Chronic jaw pain is often diagnosed as temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD). When the muscles of the mouth, face, and neck aren’t moving in unison, different muscle groups compensate resulting in muscle aches or pain. It’s similar to when we break a leg — the body can overcompensate for the injury and use other muscles that are normally not used as much for walking.

The temporomandibular joint is a hinging and sliding joint. It is the most used joint in the body (used for talking and eating) and is prone to damage. Overuse of the joint such as teeth grinding and clenching and even chewing gum throughout the day adds additional stress to the joint.

Often, dentists will prescribe a night guard. This approach helps protect the teeth and jaw joints from further damage, but can sometimes fail to recognize or address the underlying problem.

The tongue plays a crucial role in stabilizing the jaw. If the tongue isn’t functioning properly, or is sitting low, the jaw joint simply won’t be stable. Clenching occurs in attempt to stabilize the jaw and bring the tongue up to the palate. Teeth grinding occurs when the airway is narrowed or impinged. Sliding of the teeth and jaw forward is our body’s reflexive attempt to open up the airway to help us breathe better.

How orofacial myofunctional therapy can help

Retraining the body to nasal breathe and establish correct tongue posture will help balance the orofacial muscles and eliminate compensations of other muscles. Myofunctional therapy also helps dissociate the tongue from the jaw, helping the tongue move independently and preventing overuse of the jaw.

It’s important that we eliminate acute TMJ pain before starting myofunctional therapy.