“The reason we have two ears and only one mouth, is that we may hear more and speak less.” – Zeno
This is the joint on the outside of your cheeks in front of your ears. It is a delicate joint that allows your mouth to glide when it opens and closes. It can be injured by getting popped in the chin, a car accident, clenching your teeth, grinding your teeth or chewing gum. To nip this quick, stop chewing gum if you do have a TMJ problem.
About 35% of people with have some form of TMJ symptoms. I see many patients, including myself once, who have popping noises when they chew. An imbalance can occur in the muscles of mastication, or the chewing muscles: the buccinator, masseter, lateral and medial pterygoids.
TMJ can cause earaches, headaches, neck and shoulder pain or dizziness. Dentists can provide a mouth guard and medical doctors can offer some meds to help ease the pain symptoms you feel.
There were two studies published in The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutic in 2002 and 2003 regarding chiropractic treatment of TMJ. Both showed positive outcomes with cervical, or neck, manipulation, muscle work and stretches. This might be another option for you to try if you have had no relief.
Many of us want our shoulders rubbed but who asks to have their jaw massaged? The fact of the matter is many of us ignore this region, yet we use it constantly. For instance, you use your jaw for talking and eating. Some of us do one of these too much anyway.
When these muscles get tight you need to stretch them too. Don’t worry you won’t have to bite on a dumbbell or anything. A bite guard can help protect your teeth but it won’t solve why you might be clenching your teeth or why the muscles are tight. Stress is probably the cause.
To summarize my previous stress relief article, here are a few ways to relax and kickback.
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