Of all the blogs I have written, this is the first one where you will see me referring to myself a fair amount.
I spend a lot of time caring for my physical body through exercise, stretching, hydration, wholesome foods, and ensuring I have a good sleep routine….. (The list goes on, right?).
Most of the time, when my physical body needs some help, I just want to get myself back on track.
However, for years, I have had a persistent issue that requires A LOT of ongoing attention and, to be honest is not settling to a full resolution.
This issue is with my temporomandibular joint – the TMJ. Better known as the jaw.
What does my TMJ do that is so bothersome?
Well, it can click; it aches. It makes a Dental Exam pretty tough (shout out to my fantastic dentist, Ravi, at Brookside Dental), who has the patience of a saint and phenomenal talent to accommodate me and my jaw!
As I have minimal mouth opening due to TMJ tightness - my fear is it will “click out” (which it can do), and wow, does it then hurt to close my mouth again – and I birthed a 9lb baby on gas and air only.
With my jaw issues, I take my dental hygiene very seriously—the idea of anything other than a routine check-up is worrisome.
Well, this happened. In 2023, I had to have a tooth out—I needed a filling (I have since reduced my fruit intake and have more vegetable-based snacks instead!), which was tricky.
There was no guarantee it would work, and with my jaw, I wasn’t sure I could manage the time needed to do the filling.
So, I decided to extract the tooth, which upset me as I loved my smile and straight teeth.
However, I was in pain, and I trusted my dentist. The issue remained: what about my jaw?
Well, I had to be sedated to allow the dentist to get in and take the tooth. After a bumpy recovery, including dry socket (single-handedly the WORST pain I have ever had – again, huge thanks to Ravi for sorting me out and for being a super friendly human), my fantastic body healed and recovered, and I am learning to love a different smile now.
However, my TMJ issue remains, quietly nagging away in the background, resurfacing for my six monthly dental checks.
I decided this was the year I wanted to get on top of my TMJ. After all, the TMJ is a joint, which I deal with in my professional life.
I took this right back to basics, looking at the anatomy to begin with, and then started to look into what I could do to help my TMJ by paying attention to habits and things my jaw didn’t react well to.
This is a whistle-stop tour of the TMJ anatomy. Firstly, understand that while the TMJ is small, it is remarkable. It is involved in speech, eating, and even breathing.
The TMJ connects the mandible (the lower jaw) to the rest of the skull, and the upper part of the jaw connects to the temporal bone.
An articular disc (which can wear over time like spinal discs) is between the upper and lower parts of the jaw. As with any joint, ligaments stabilise it, and some powerful muscles move the TMJ.
What can cause a sore TMJ?
Just like any joint in the body, trauma and arthritis are common triggers for a sore jaw.
In the book Breath by James Nesbit, he explains how our faces are becoming narrower, a process he calls “de-evolving.” This is seen in how most of us now have wonky teeth—so we have the same fascial anatomy as our ancient ancestors but much less space to house it all.
Most commonly, though, it is stress that causes most of the TMJ issues I have and those that I see in the clinic. Stress can often cause habitual (even when asleep) clenching of the teeth together and/or having your tongue firmly pressed against the roof of your mouth—both of which can cause the muscles to shorten and joint approximation—and therefore joint inflammation—which, in short, equals pain and dysfunction.
Before we discuss some of the exercises I do for my TMJ, it is essential to examine what aggravates an already sore jaw.
As we saw above, stress is the big one—it is essential to recognise that your body is holding stress/tension physically anywhere in it.
When it comes to the TMJ holding tension, just stop (often!), take a moment, and see if your teeth are clenched.
If so, take them apart—2-4mm is recommended (fun fact: this is called the Freeway Space)—so lips together, teeth apart.
Your tongue should gently rest against the roof of your mouth, with no pressure on the teeth.
Using a mouthguard at night has retained this space when I am asleep. You can even use them during the day if you are a serial clencher. They are super thin, very comfortable, and clear (so not obvious).
You can ask your dentist to make one, or if your surgery does not offer this, request a referral to maxillofacial (max-fax).
I am okay with crunchy, hard foods (think biting into a whole apple), but some jaws are not.
If this triggers you, cut it up and avoid overly hard foods. I don’t tend to advise a soft food diet – as this potentially limits choice nutrition and does not allow the jaw to work as it is designed to.
However, I may chop my apples up when my jaw is sore and steadily eat the crunchy foods.
A surprising find for me was headphones. I have always been wary of earbuds due to the potential damage to the eardrum, so I would use headphones that bridge over my head and nestle over my ears.
As some of you know, I wear glasses – so this was not a comfortable arrangement, as my glasses felt compressed against my face and behind my ears.
One memorable episode was after a run – I still had my headphones on and went to eat something.
My TMJ clicked, and it hurt – the compression from my headphones over my TMJ was causing inflammation pain and limiting its function (See photos!) I have since switched to earbuds (with careful volume control), and things are much more comfortable.
Ice and heat - as with any joint, ice packs and heat can help the TMJ. I tend to use contrast bathing – you can learn about this here
Here are some exercises I do daily for my jaw:
There are lots of other treatments available for chronic TMJ issues, including acupuncture, Botox injections, and steroid injections – at the moment, I am still exploring Osteopathy both via what I can do and direct treatment from my lovely colleague.
For more information: