Do You Have Jaw Pain? (TMJ)

By Tanya Pillay, Certified Hypnotist

TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint pain/syndrome) refers to problems with the jaw and often simultaneous headaches. Your doctor, dentist, orthodontist, or chiropractor can confirm whether you have mechanical problems with your jaw/mandible joint.

If your jaw is deemed to be mechanically sound yet you continue to experience jaw or temple pain or if you know you are grinding or clenching your teeth, you can take charge of the situation in addition to or instead of external solutions such as a bite plate, massage therapy, acupuncture, or TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation):

Regarding meals,
- In early phases of extreme pain, choose soft foods and avoid hard foods like raw carrots, chewy meats, hard candies, etc. Also, avoid chewing gum to reduce the strain on your jaw.
- Make a point of breathing deeply before, during, and after meals.
- Check in with your jaw and tongue before, during, and after meals. The message is always the same: let go of any effort.

In General
- Check your stress levels. Make mental stress management a priority, whether by seeking professional help or reading personal development books, journaling, meditating, etc.
- Make physical stress management and posture a priority though yoga, Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais, Somatic Education, PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) etc. Make an extra effort to release/loosen the pelvis, back, and neck.

Before you sleep,
- Check your chin placement on your pillow. Your chin should not be tipped back or toward your chest.
- Check your neck placement on your pillow. Your neck should not be crunched to either side or towards your chest or back.
- Tell yourself: "Lips together, teeth apart. If teeth touch during the night, add space and continue sleeping."

Anytime, you can visualize
- Your lower jaw as a drawer that is slightly open
- Your jaw as an alligator mouth that starts at the base of your skull
- Your jaw as a device that can be tightened or loosened like a bolt. Imagine you are unwinding it.

Anytime you think of it,
- Check in with your tongue. Unclench it!
- Allow your neck to be free. This gives permission to you and your body to do as little work as possible. The underlying sentiment is that if your head weren't attached to your body, it would float up & away.

If you can't get to a hypnotist, these suggestions can still effect significant change over time if you make a regular practice of it. Even better, you can record the content and play it back after any personal relaxation practice as a form of self-hypnosis for TMJ.

If your jaw is feeling tight or perhaps even a little creaky or rusty, it's never too early to address these symptoms unless you want to run the risk of your jaw locking over time. Yes, locking so you cannot open or close it easily. Ouch! Even if your jaw doesn't lock, years of grinding or clenching causes unnecessary wear to your teeth, which should otherwise last a lifetime.