Jaw Pain

Jaw Pain, also known as Temporo Mandibular joint Dysfunction (TMD), can be related to many different factors including, but not limited to: mouth breathing, clenching, grinding, dental crowding, chewing on one side of the mouth, nail biting, or even postural habits like resting your hand on your chin. TMD can also contribute to headaches and neck/should tension and pain. The tongue contributes to stabilizing the jaw. If it isn’t functioning the way it’s meant to or is not in the correct spot, the jaw joint will struggle to be stable.

Patients often find that myofunctional therapy exercises are a great non-invasive option to help with muscular jaw pain. They find relief from jaw pain and headaches if the underlying issues are tongue and muscle related. There are many different ways to alleviate symptoms and every person is different in terms of the jaw pain they encounter. Often, myofunctional therapists work along with other specialist like the orthodontist, dentist, or physical therapist to help rebalance and retrain the muscles of the face, mouth, and neck to help restore to proper function.

How can OMT help with jaw pain?

If TMJ pain is caused by oral myofunctional disorders, then the best way to address the pain is to target those disorders and create a treatment plan based on exercises that will strengthen and retrain the oral and facial muscles. Myofunctional therapy was created to treat oral myofunctional dysfunctions. It can also correct dysfunctional swallowing and chewing patterns, restore nasal breathing, and get the tongue to rest in the correct place (in the roof of the mouth, filling the palate from front to back).

Addressing the dysfunctions can go a long way in resolving TMJ pain. Not only can my patients attest that their pain has been significantly reduced, but a recent study from Brazil shows that Myofunctional Therapy can make a major difference to TMD, helping to restore the temporomandibular joint to correct functionality and reduce pain. The study indicated improvements in pain levels, increased mandibular range of motion, and a reduction in related signs and symptoms.