Jaw clenching and grinding has become extremely common in our culture. Stress, anxiety, poor posture, and over stimulation of our nervous system in the modern world all contribute to this pattern. If you’ve been diagnosed with TMD (temporomandibular disorder), more commonly refferred to as TMJ (temporomandibular joint), you may be experiencing jaw and facial pain, headaches, tension, and clicking. Here are some basic guidelines we recommend to our clients to manage jaw pain and reduce stress and strain on the jaw.

Stress Management: We cannot emphasize this enough! Getting enough sleep, exercise, and time for relaxation and connection with loved ones is vital to building resilience to life’s stressors. People with TMD need to approach their treatment holistically and consider lifestyle changes to help reduce their stress levels; think of your jaw as a barometer or alarm system that’s letting you know that something needs to change in your life! Stress management isn’t simply going to yoga, taking a walk, or spending time alone, it’s also a mindset that these activities are vital priorities that take precedence over work and caring for others.

Consider a clinical herbalism consult to support your body’s ability to cope with stress and discuss lifestyle changes.

Postural Awareness: Not to be confused with having “perfect” or “the right posture”, we recommend that you become aware of your body first. Then, kindly and gently allow yourself to relax and rely on your bones to hold you up, sensing gravity in your pelvic bone and stacking your vertebra and head in such a way that you can actually surrender your body weight into your bones so your muscles don’t have to work so hard to hold you up. Consider introducing variety into your posture overall, moving around from your desk more or circling/rolling your pelvis on your chair throughout the day. Be mindful of the excess tension and holding in your shoulders without being harsh or judgemental of your habits; a common mistake people make is seeking perfect, correct posture, but this actually is a stressful and tense idea that can be counterproductive to your goal of reducing tension and pain!

Self Massage Techniques:

1) Masseter: Place your second and middle fingers immediately in front of your ear and below your cheek bone. Vigorously move your fingers back and forth over your jaw muscle. Do this for at least 1 minute on each side or until you feel less tender and tense!

2) Lateral Pterygoid : You’ll need to actually put your finger in your mouth for this one! Take your pointer finger along the bottom surface of your top teeth until you find the upper, back cranny of your mouth. Press the tip of your finger into the thicker muscle tissue on the outside of your gums but not quite far enough out that you’re on the cheek. You’ll feel a tender trigger point here, press into it for a few minutes and sink deeper as you’re able.

Night Guard: Making sure you have the proper material and fit for a night guard is a vital adjunct to good self-care; we recommend consulting with your dentist to see if this may be necessary for you. Protecting your teeth from wear and creating a space between your teeth can reduce the chronic shortening and tension in your jaw muscles. These do not, however, get to the root of the problem.

Energetic Considerations: Often, when we “hold our tongue” and don’t express what’s in our heart or on our mind, the jaw will manifest this by clenching down or grinding. Emotions of anger, anxiety, and fear often manifest in this part of the body. Symbolically, the mouth and jaw also represent the interface of our inner and outer world where we take in nourishment and where we express our needs, feelings, and our true nature. As children, perhaps you were not safe to express yourself or you did not have your needs met. These patterns can be held in our bodies and may be an underlying component to your jaw clenching. It may be beneficial to journal about all the things you’d like to say to someone or to write about the parts of you that need expressing which may not get to be expressed in your day to day life. It may be beneficial to seek a therapist so you can speak your truth and have a safe space to talk about your needs or emotions. It may surprise you how much this helps your jaw.

How can Feldenkrais and Craniosacral Therapy Help My Jaw?

These approaches are very gentle, soothing, and deeply relaxing to your nervous system and they help you experience more ease and openness in both your tissues and your movement patterns. Feldenkrais lessons support this through movement lessons to help you reduce unnecessary muscle tension and rigid patterns throughout your spine. Craniosacral therapy works directly with the tissues inside your mouth and around your throat and neck to release chronic tension in your fascia and cranial system. With gentle, specific hands on work you can experience more openness, softening, and relaxation in your jaw and neck. When you combine these two approaches, the benefit is profound.