What is the temporomandibular joint?
Every human has two temporomandibular joints (TMJs), with one located on each side of the jaw. These joints connect your lower jaw bone (the mandible) to your skull via the temporal bone. These connections are what allow your jaw to open and close, giving you the ability to eat, speak and make facial expressions. With how complex many of these processes are, the TMJ is a vital part of the skeletal system.
What are TMJ disorders?
Temporomandibular disorders — more commonly known as temporomandibular joint dysfunction or TMJ syndrome — are situations where one or both of the TMJ jaw joints in your mouth do not function properly. TMJ disorders can create difficulty opening or closing your jaw, pain or tenderness when your jaw is in use, or a feeling of your jaw clicking or grating.
Other TMJ symptoms commonly experienced are a locking of the TMJ, where individuals become unable to move their jaw until the joint is realigned. The pain may also transfer to other parts of the body, leading to TMJ headaches, ear ringing or neck and facial pain. Temporomandibular joint disorders can create significant stress and difficulty in day-to-day life.
How to fix TMJ — treatment for TMJ syndrome
In many cases, the treatment you receive for TMJ dysfunction is based on the cause of the issue — of which there are many. TMJ is often a byproduct of another dental or health issue, and will be resolved when the initial problem is. Examples of these types of issues include bruxism (teeth clenching or grinding), arthritis and malocclusion.
If they aren’t overly serious, the symptoms of TMJ dysfunction will often resolve themselves without serious intervention from a dentist or doctor. Many professionals will advise trying some self-managed TMJ care techniques before they decide to progress further, including diet and eating changes, massages and stress management.
TMJ dysfunction exercises
One of the most impactful and accessible treatments for TMJ are simple stretches you can do wherever you are — though we understand if you would prefer to do them in the privacy of your own home. To relax your jaw muscles and relieve pain, here are some great TMJ stretches and light physical therapy options to try:
Relaxed Jaw Exercise
Begin by resting your tongue gently on the top of your mouth behind your upper front teeth, and then allow your top and bottom teeth to come apart while trying to relax all your jaw muscles. Try and let this be a natural relaxation rather than a forced movement, as this will do a better job of actually relieving TMJ tension.
Goldfish Exercises
Goldfish exercises are designed to help you align your jawbone while you chew, and there are two main ways to do them: either partial mouth opening or full mouth opening. Both begin by placing your tongue on the roof of your mouth, one finger on your TMJ, and another finger on your chin. Then you either drop your lower jaw halfway and close, or all the way down and close.
You should feel resistance, but it should not translate into pain. To get the most benefit, do this six times to complete a set, and do six sets per day.
Resisted Mouth Movements
These movements strengthen the muscles of your jaw, again with two variations: either opening or closing your mouth. For ‘resisted opening’, place your thumb underneath your chin and slowly open your mouth while pushing gently to create resistance.
For ‘resisted closing’, use your thumb and index finder of both hands to squeeze your chin from above and below. Open your mouth and then use your fingers to place gentle resistance on your chin as you try to close your mouth.
Jaw Movements
These exercises involve using a small object (around half a centimetre thick) between your front top and bottom teeth. For side-to-side movement, begin slowly moving your jaw from side to side, and as the exercise becomes easier to do, increase the thickness of the object.
Similarly, to improve forward jaw movement, use a small object in between your teeth and move your bottom jaw so that the bottom teeth sit in front of your top teeth. Move forwards and backwards, and as the exercise becomes easier, increase the thickness of the object.
Other home treatments
The pain associated with TMJ dysfunction can also be treated by over-the-counter pain relief medication, including ibuprofen. Sufferers may also find relief by using warm towels on the affected area and ice packs for no more than 15 minutes per hour. Other relaxation techniques like meditation and yoga also provide help to some people and relieve stress, which can contribute to pain.
Other recommended practices you can bring into your daily life include: eat soft foods (trying to exclude tough and overly chewy foods); avoid biting your nails, lower lip or any external object; limit large or extreme jaw movements (like yawning or singing); and practise good posture.
Professional intervention
Unfortunately, stretches and self-managed care will not always relieve your pain and discomfort, and more significant intervention from a dentist or doctor will be necessary. We recommend starting with the exercises but if pain persists, it is important to consult with your health care team.
To start, your dentist will likely need you to undergo an x-ray or CT scan to best identify the severity of your dysfunction and where the biggest cause of issues is. You may need to undergo treatment for another issue that is causing your TMJ pain and symptoms, such as wearing a dental night guard or TMJ splint, or having orthodontic treatment to fix malocclusion (misaligned teeth) and jaw pain. They may also prescribe muscle relaxants or physiotherapy for TMJ.
In cases of severe pain or chronic pain, TMJ surgery may be the best option to remove your dysfunction. This can involve corrective movement of the joint, fluid and debris removal from within the joint, or even a complete TMJ replacement. However, surgery is very rare as a treatment course.
We’re here to help
Trying to understand TMJ disorder can be equal parts frustrating, difficult and overwhelming — all while being incredibly painful to deal with! At Oakleigh, we do our best to take the stress off and treat you in the way most likely to relieve your TMJ pain. If you’re having TMJ discomfort and jaw pain, come in for a consultation and we’ll find a way to get you smiling fully again as soon as possible.
