Bruxism And Teeth Grinding – Things You Really Need To Know

Learning how to stop teeth grinding can be a difficult process for those who have this disorder. For many people, they don’t even know they do it until they visit the dentist and find damaged teeth. Here’s an overview of bruxism and how anxiety and teeth grinding may be having an effect on your life.

Bruxism is simply an abnormal chewing action that is caused by your brain becoming inactive while you are sleeping and allowing the reflex chewing activity to remain active.

Approximately 30 to 40 million people in the U.S. grind their teeth at night. About half don’t even realize it. Bruxism is also one of the biggest factors in losing teeth, as well as the single biggest factor for occlusal disease.

Over the course of time, teeth grinding can create major problems. It wears down the teeth to s stump. It can also lead to jaw problems such as TMJ.

While experts can’t pinpoint an exact cause of bruxism, anxiety and teeth grinding seem to go hand in hand. Stress creates muscle tension and in turn, clenching of the teeth.

Some of the more common remedies for teeth grinding include a mouth guard or bite strip. Your dentist would fit your mouth for the device which you would wear on the inside of your mouth during sleep. These bruxism treatment devices have shown to work well in some patients.

Other remedies for teeth grinding include changes in your diet, such as cutting down on caffeine, getting regular exercise which can reduce anxiety and teeth grinding, as well as certain jaw exercises and tips.
Bruxism is a serious condition if left without treatment. The good news is that there are remedies for teeth grinding available to everyone.

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Home Remedies For Bruxism

Bruxism or teeth grinding is one of most damaging forms of dental disorders. This condition is usually difficult to detect in the early stages as the patient is completely oblivious of this habit. It leads to clenching and grinding of the teeth along with extreme jaw movements. You can suffer facial pain due to the clenching – clamping the top and bottom teeth together. This stressful act puts pressure on the muscles, tissues and the areas around the jaw.

It can lead to serious problems like jaw joint disorders, jaw pain, headaches, earaches, damaged teeth and many others. This continuous form of grinding damages the teeth completely. This condition is very common among children but it is not only restricted to them. It is a very common problem among people with Fibromyalgia Syndrome. The teeth clenching and teeth grinding may lead to Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ).

Home Remedies for Bruxism

Before retiring to bed you can chew on an apple, cauliflower or carrot. This will calm your overactive mouth and prevent grinding.

To relax your jaw muscles use a warm washcloth around the sides of your face. Continue doing this for sometime. This will relax the clenched muscles that cause head pain. Do it before bedtime to benefit more.

Be relaxed and avoid stress by taking warm baths and massages. Massage your neck muscles, shoulders and face to relax peacefully. Stress relieving exercises should help you unwind. Squeeze a tennis ball; it may come in handy to get rid of the stress.

Sleeping on your side or your stomach may increase your chances of bruxism. The best position to sleep is on your back to reduce the stress.

Use contoured pillow if you can’t sleep on your back. Place the contoured pillow under you face and the ordinary pillow between your arms. Sleeping in this position reduces the strain on your jaw and neck and prevents you from rolling over onto your face.

Avoid consumption of alcohol as it inadvertently affects your sleep and increases the movement of your jaw which causes clenching. Cut down on caffeine and carbohydrates like candy and pastries.

Try acupressure, it may help you relax for a good night sleep thus avoiding any incidents of teeth clenching or grinding.

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Many Turn to Teeth Grinding for Stress Relief

Bruxism, or Teeth Grinding, Can Cause Facial Pain, Infection.
Sophie may seem like an otherwise carefree 25-year-old, but one look at her worn-down teeth proves otherwise.
“I grind my teeth at night because of stress,” said Sophie, who asked that her real name not be used to protect her privacy.


And Sophie is not alone — dentists told ABCNews.com that they often see signs of bruxism, or teeth grinding, and treat the cracked teeth and jaw pain from people who clench their teeth too much.
“The past four or five months have been so stressful,” said Sophie, who said her dentist recently pointed out the damage she’s done to her teeth from grinding. “It’s no coincidence that I grind.”
Judy LaRosa, 51, knows how Sophie feels. She says she’s been grinding her teeth for as long as she can remember. 


“I wake up in the morning and my mouth is killing me,” said LaRosa. “My teeth ache and my jaw hurts.”
Studies have found that between 5 percent and 12 percent of people suffer from facial pain, known as tempormandibular joint and muscle disorder (TMJD), which is often caused by teeth grinding, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. 


Dr. Harold Menschel, whose Florida-based dental practice The TMJ & Facial Pain Institute specializes in oral face pain, said that he’s convinced the rising levels of stress have increased the number of cracked teeth he mends.
“People today don’t have cavities anymore, and we have gum disease under control,” said Menschel. “People instead [are] losing their teeth by wearing them down and cracking their teeth.”
“It’s a huge problem,” said Menschel. 


Grinding Your Teeth Can Cause Earaches, Headaches and Jaw Pain
The related muscles and joints in the face, said Menschel, are affected by the pressure that grinding teeth produces, often resulting in earaches and jaw pain.
“When you grind your teeth you’re putting force on the system,” said Menschel. “That can result in tooth pain and even headaches because they are all related to the nerve that governs the face.” 


At Dr. Kimberly Harms’ private dental practice outside of Minneapolis, some of her baby boomer patients complain of symptoms that have resulted from a lifetime of grinding.
Stress, Harms said, is a “huge factor” of bruxism.
“From experience, when I had two teenage daughters at home I needed a high number of root canals,” said Harms, who added that root canals are necessary when a cracked tooth — in her case caused by grinding — gets infected. 


“Stress definitely causes bruxism to be more prominent,” said Harms, who also acts as the American Dental Association’s consumer adviser.
“I just had a patient who came in with a major crack say that she’s been under a lot of stress,” said Harms. “Patients recognize how stress causes them to grind.”
And it’s not just adults who are so stressed out that they ruin their teeth, said Harms. Children too have been known to grind down their baby teeth.


“There is some thought that ear infections and colds can cause kids to grind their teeth,” she said. Children may deal with the pain by taking it out on their teeth.
To Cure Grinding, Dentists Suggest Relaxing


Some patients get a plastic mouth guard made to prevent grinding during the night.
“Night guards do protect the teeth and put the jaw in the good position while the person grinds,” said The TMJ & Facial Pain Institute’s Menschel, who also recommends relaxation therapy and even hypnosis.
Harms said that many dentists who can’t get their patients to stop grinding and clenching will adjust the patients’ bite to decrease the impact on their teeth.


“It’s a very hard habit to break,” said Harms.
Sophie says that her grinding problem has opened her eyes to how stressed she actually is and just how hard it is to stop.


“It’s crazy to think that I’m that stressed,” said Sophie. “I can’t even control it — especially if I’m doing it at night I’m doing damage to myself but I don’t even realize it. It’s frustrating.”
LaRosa says her doctor’s advice was nearly impossible to follow.


“He told me to avoid stress,” she said, laughing. 

-- Cure Your TMJ Now --

Teeth Grinding in Children (Bruxism)

Teeth grinding in children is otherwise known as bruxism and happens when children clench their upper and lower teeth, rubbing them together. Commonly children grind their teeth whilst sleeping and are not aware of what they are doing.

What are the causes of bruxism in children?

It is not known for certain why some children start grinding their teeth and some children don’t. There are many theories to suggest that it could be down to the fact that the sets of top and bottom teeth do not fit together comfortably due to the fact that children’s teeth and jaws grow in phases leading to unpleasant sensations in the area. The natural response of the child is to grind their teeth to soothe themselves which often later develops into a habit. It has also been shown that both children and adults grind their teeth when they feel anxious in some way, or even as a response to facial pain such as an earache or teething. It has also been shown that hyperactive children have developed bruxism.

More recent research has suggested that sleep disturbances may be a cause for bruxism in children as well as causing a number of other problems such as bed-wetting, drooling and sleep-talking. Interruptions in the rapid eye movement (REM) patterns due to dehydration during sleep can be the underlying cause of many of these problems, though your dentist will be able to advise you more on this matter.

What are the effects?

Children do not usually experience ill effects from grinding their teeth. Even when their milk teeth show wear it usually does not cause any pain or damage, yet if this wear gets severe, or if your child has already lost their milk teeth, then it is advisable to seek treatment from your dentist as dental problems such as tooth infections can occur. In most cases of teeth grinding in children they will usually outgrow the problem.

What can be done to help?

Whilst the problems will most likely go away you may want to try some methods to help the child stop grinding their teeth in the meantime. Your dentist would be the best source of advice, and will be able to make sure that there are no problems regarding the alignment of the child’s teeth.

The most common remedy recommendation is usually a mouth guard. Wearing a mouth guard at night will prevent the child from grinding their teeth and night, and has a very high success rate in reducing the habit. However, your child may feel uncomfortable wearing a mouth guard and for this reason it is wise to look into other treatment options. In many cases hypnosis has been shown a successful way to get people of all ages out of the habit of grinding teeth.

In children whose grinding appears to be down to stress or anxiety it is extremely important to discover the underlying cause for these feelings. Try ways to relax your child before they go to sleep, such as a warm bath and a massage of the jaw. These methods will help to ensure that your child has a deep, relaxing and uninterrupted sleep.

The most important thing is that you needn’t be alarmed by a child’s grinding as it is extremely common. If your child already has their adult teeth then it is more of a worry, though there are many options available so seek advice from your dentist.

-- Cure Your Children's Bruxism Now --

Chronic Headaches, Neck Pain? The Cause May Be TMD

A recent survey shows that people often live with painful symptoms, such as headache, neck pain and popping of their jaw, despite seeking medical attention from physicians, neurologists and chiropractors.

A typical case is Julie Bush, a professional photographer living near Toledo, Ohio. For seven years she had migraines and facial pain, and her jaw popped when she chewed. Some days her headaches were so intense she couldn’t work. Painkillers and ice packs applied to her face did not alleviate her pain. “I was a closed-mouth smiler,” she said, adding that “In my business, smiling confidently couldn’t be more important.”

Eventually, she discussed the symptoms with a neuromuscular dentist. After an initial examination, she was fitted with an orthotic and “My headaches were gone right way.”

“Line up your jaw–it completely makes sense,” Bush said. She was fitted with crowns and veneers so her jaw would remain in the optimal position determined by her neuromuscular dentist. Her jaw no longer pops and she has no facial pain.

“Now I have a bright smile, which I show to everyone,” she said. “It’s amazing.”

Headache A Major Symptom

A national survey of neuromuscular dentists shows that the No. 1 symptom their patients suffer from is headaches at 75 percent, including migraines. This is followed by jaw joint pain at 20 percent. Other common symptoms include neck and shoulder pain and ringing in the ears. Sufferers commonly miss work due to the level of pain.

“Interestingly, less than 5 percent of the dentists in the world are trained in neuromuscular dentistry,” said Dr. Bill Dickerson, president of LVI Global in Las Vegas, Nev. Dentists from all over the world attend LVI to learn neuromuscular dentistry.

How TMD Is Treated

After a thorough examination, including a pain-free electronic analysis of the muscles of the jaw, specially trained neuromuscular dentists perform a workup and show the patient how treatment will change the bite and alleviate pain. The neuromuscular dentist then uses a variety of techniques to relax the jaw and find the optimal position. From there an orthotic, much like a mouth guard used by athletes, is made and used to temporarily maintain the optimal position until patients can be fitted with permanent crowns and veneers.

-- Cure Your TMJ Now --

Jaw pain starts fresh talk

Norma Pelt has paid a high price for her love of gum. Repetitive chewing triggered powerful headaches, especially at night.

“It’s been very painful,” she said, describing her 15-year condition as a temporomandibular joint and muscle disorder.

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research estimates 10 million Americans have TMJ symptoms, such restricted jaw movement accompanied by a clicking or popping sound.

Women in their reproductive years are now considered nine times more likely to develop TMJ than men - a finding reshaping traditional assumptions about the causes behind these conditions, according to Dr. Christian Stohler, dean of the University of Maryland Dental School in Baltimore.

“Today, we realize this is a highly complex disease involving many genes, hormones and a myriad of complex biologic factors,” he said.

Although a number of existing treatments bring relief for most patients, Stohler says, they do not deal with the underlying disease process

“Most of these cases do resolve on their own, but some people suffer for years,” he said.

-- Cure Your TMJ Now --

Treatment Approaches for Bruxism in Children

Sleep problems are frequent among healthy school going children seen at general pediatric practice. Sleep related problems were reported in 42.7% children that included nocturnal enuresis (18.4%), sleep talking (14.6%), bruxism (11.6%) nightmares (6.8%), night terrors (2.9%) snoring (5.8%) and sleepwalking (1.9%). Bruxism is a destructive habit. It is defined as the nonproductive diurnal or nocturnal clenching or grinding of the teeth.

Bruxism happens in about 15 percent of youngsters and in as many as 96 percent of grown-ups. The etiology of bruxism is unclear. It has been linked with stress, occlusal disorders, allergies and sleep positioning. In addition, type A personality behavior combined with stress is more predictive of bruxism. Because of its nonspecific pathology, bruxism may be difficult to diagnose.

Beside complaints from sleep partners, clenching-grinding, sleep bruxism, myofacial pain, craniomaxillofacial musculoskeletal pain, temporomandibular disorders, oro-facial pain, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue spectrum disorders are linked. The main clinical signs of bruxism comprise tooth wear, tooth mobility, hypertrophy masticatory muscles, and tender joints. Other symptoms of bruxism are multiple and diverse. They include temporomandibular joint pain and dysfunction, head and neck pain, erosion, abrasion, loss of and damage to supporting structures, headaches, oral infection, tooth sensitivity muscle pain and spasm, disturbance of aesthetics, and interference and oral discomfort.

Treatment for bruxism may be simple or complex, depending on the nature of the disorder. Severe bruxism disorders are difficult to treat and their prognoses also may be questionable. Children with bruxism are generally managed with observation and reassurance. Most of the children’s bruxism habit will disappear naturally as they grow up. Adults may be managed with stress reduction therapy, modification of sleep positioning, drug therapy, biofeedback training, physical therapy and dental evaluation. Correction of the malocclusion with orthodontic procedures, restorative procedures, or occlusal adjustment by selective grinding will not control the bruxism habit.

What about prevention? Researchers have found only a weak correlation between different types of morphologic malocclusion such as Class II and III molar relationship, deep bite, overjet, and dental wear or grinding. Moreover, there is no correlation between periodontal disease and bruxism in children. Because the malocclusions’ status in children does not increase the probability of bruxism, early orthodontic treatment (braces) to prevent bruxism is not scientifically justified.

Bruxism is a destructive habit that may result in severe dental deterioration. Bruxism in childhood may be a persistent trait. The occlusal trauma and tooth wear in childhood bruxism can be succeeded by increased anterior tooth wear 20 years later. If your child has significant tooth attrition, dental mobility or tooth fracture may happen. Therefore, it is mandatory to take your child to your dentist for evaluation of bruxism.

-- Cure Your TMJ Now --

Understanding and fighting TMJ

A self-described fan of bubblegum, Norma Pelt has paid a high price for her love over the years.

Along with dizzy spells and a constant pain in her jaw, she said, repetitive chewing triggered powerful headaches, especially at night.

“It’s been very painful,” she said, describing her condition, which began 15 years ago, and was only recently diagnosed, during a flare-up, as a temporomandibular joint and muscle disorder.

The umbrella term refers to a group of conditions that cause varying degrees of pain and dysfunction in and around the temporomandibular jaw joint and the muscles that control their movement on each side of the head.

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research estimates about 10 million Americans have symptoms associated with these disorders, with 5 percent to 15 percent, like Pelt, experiencing the most common ones: pain and restricted jaw movement, often accompanied by a clicking or popping sound.

Women in their reproductive years are now considered nine times more likely to develop a TMJ disorder than men — a finding reshaping traditional assumptions about the causes lying behind these conditions, according to Dr. Christian Stohler, dean of the University of Maryland Dental School in Baltimore, Md.

“A lot has changed on the TMJ front in the last 15 years,” he says. “Today, we realize this is a highly complex disease involving many genes, hormones and a myriad of complex biologic factors.”

Although a number of existing treatments bring pain relief for most patients, Stohler says, they do not deal with the underlying disease process, a complex interplay of biologic factors that go beyond a misalignment of teeth or bite problems, once held solely responsible for these disorders.

They include genetic differences in pain perception or how an individual responds to pain, and the frequent presence of other painful conditions, such as fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis, among others, which may mask or modify the symptoms of a TMJ problem.

“Most of these cases do resolve on their own, but some people suffer for years,” Stohler said. “And the more severe the case, the greater the likelihood that TMJ will coexist with other medical problems.”

In Pelt’s case, her jaw condition is moderate, according to her dentist, Dr. Michelle Dorsey, a solo practitioner on Merritt Island, Fla., who is centering treatment around a computer-guided sensing device, made by Tekscan.

“It tells me which tooth is hitting which tooth and with what force over time,” says Dorsey.

As part of her therapy, Pelt wears a customized splint at night.

The splint doesn’t just protect the teeth from being worn or cracked, Dorsey said, but it takes the pressure off the closing muscles in the mouth so they can relax and lengthen over time, allowing the joint to sit comfortably in the socket without pain.

“This is a process that takes time,” she says, with patients typically coming in for an hour once a week, possibly for many months. “It’s similar to physical therapy when you sprain your leg.”

As a dentist on the front lines, Dorsey said, she became interested in the jaw-pain disorders when she began developing her own problem, in which her teeth began to shift unexpectedly, leaving open areas of contact in her mouth.

Although she had no pain, she said, she had problems with food lodging in her teeth, which became “very annoying.”

So she decided to learn more about TMJ, studying “occlusion training” at the Dawson Academy in St. Petersburg, Fla., where she also underwent treatment, and a 25-month course at the University of Florida.

“I’ve seen about an 80 percent improvement in my own case, so far,” Dorsey says.

Pelt, too, said the subtle changes in her mouth during the past few months have begun to ease the pain.

“I’m not waking up with headaches any more and the dizziness has gone away,” says Pelt. “Since coming here, I’ve been much better.”

-- Cure Your TMJ Today --

Treatments for TMJ

In late 2005, the National Institutes of Health launched a seven-year clinical study to identify risk factors that contribute to the development of these jaw and muscle disorders.

During the study, which will track 3,200 healthy volunteers to see how many develop these conditions, scientists hope to get a clearer picture of early disease. That knowledge could lead to new approaches to treatment, refinements in diagnostic criteria and an ability to predict a person’s natural genetic susceptibility to chronic pain disorders or personalized medicine.

Closer to clinical use today are a number of designer drugs “that go to the heart of pain,” says Dr. Harold Menchel, a dentist who runs the TMJ & Facial Pain Institute in Broward County. “There’s a lot of newer biochemical stuff coming out.”

For now, however, in the absence of physician agreement over which treatments work best, and an array of doctors who treat TMJ — from rheumatologists, oral surgeons and dentists to neurologists and ear, nose and throat specialists — Menchel says a conservative, nonsurgical approach is warranted.

“In most cases, TMJ is a self-limiting entity,” he says, meaning they go away with minimal treatment over time. Only the most severe cases, about 5 percent, require surgical bite correction, Menchel said

“We shouldn’t do anything permanent,” Menchel stressed. “You treat the pain discomfort and restore function as best you can and as simply as you can — that’s the gold standard.”

-- Cure Your TMJ Now --

Doctors face variety of factors in treating TMJ

A self-described fan of bubblegum, Norma Pelt has paid a high price for her love of this kind of “the bubbly” over the years.

Along with dizzy spells and a constant pain in her jaw, she said, repetitive chewing triggered powerful headaches, especially at night.

“It’s been very painful,” she said, describing her condition, which began 15 years ago, and was only recently diagnosed, during a flare-up, as a temporomandibular joint and muscle disorder.

The umbrella term refers to a group of conditions that cause varying degrees of pain and dysfunction in and around the temporomandibular jaw joint and the muscles that control their movement on each side of the head.

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research estimates about 10 million Americans have symptoms associated with these disorders, with 5 percent to 15 percent, like Pelt, experiencing the most common ones: pain and restricted jaw movement, often accompanied by a clicking or popping sound.

Women in their reproductive years are now considered nine times more likely to develop a TMJ disorder than men — a finding reshaping traditional assumptions about the causes lying behind these conditions, according to Dr. Christian Stohler, dean of the University of Maryland Dental School in Baltimore, Md.

“A lot has changed on the TMJ front in the last 15 years,” he says. “Today, we realize this is a highly complex disease involving many genes, hormones and a myriad of complex biologic factors.”

Although a number of existing treatments bring pain relief for most patients, Stohler says, they do not deal with the underlying disease process, a complex interplay of biologic factors that go beyond a misalignment of teeth or bite problems, once held solely responsible for these disorders.

They include genetic differences in pain perception or how an individual responds to pain, and the frequent presence of other painful conditions, such as fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis, among others, which may mask or modify the symptoms of a TMJ problem.

“Most of these cases do resolve on their own, but some people suffer for years,” Stohler said. “And the more severe the case, the greater the likelihood that TMJ will coexist with other medical problems.”

In Pelt’s case, her jaw condition is moderate, according to her dentist, Dr. Michelle Dorsey, a solo practitioner on Merritt Island, Fla., who is centering treatment around a computer-guided sensing device, made by Tekscan. It replaces the old “tap, tap” articulation papers used to measure and assess a patient’s bite and how teeth touch, or occlude.

“It tells me which tooth is hitting which tooth and with what force over time,” says Dorsey — critical information to “occlusal equilibration,” the treatment’s ultimate goal, once the joints have been stabilized and the tissue inflammation quelled.

As part of her therapy, Pelt wears a customized splint at night.

The splint doesn’t just protect the teeth from being worn or cracked, Dorsey said, but it takes the pressure off the closing muscles in the mouth so they can relax and lengthen over time, allowing the joint to sit comfortably in the socket without pain.

“This is a process that takes time,” she says, with patients typically coming in for an hour once a week, possibly for many months. “It’s similar to physical therapy when you sprain your leg.”

As a dentist on the front lines, Dorsey said, she became interested in the jaw-pain disorders when she began developing her own problem, in which her teeth began to shift unexpectedly, leaving open areas of contact in her mouth.

Although she had no pain, she said, she had problems with food lodging in her teeth, which became “very annoying.”

So she decided to learn more about TMJ, studying “occlusion training” at the Dawson Academy in St. Petersburg, Fla., where she also underwent treatment, and a 25-month course at the University of Florida.

“I’ve seen about an 80 percent improvement in my own case, so far,” Dorsey says.

Pelt, too, said the subtle changes in her mouth during the past few months have begun to ease the pain, although she did not put a percentage on how much.

“I’m not waking up with headaches any more and the dizziness has gone away,” says Pelt, who works in a day care center in Rockledge. “Since coming here, I’ve been much better.”

-- Cure Your TMJ Now --

TMJ difficult to cure

A self-described fan of bubblegum, Norma Pelt has paid a high price for her love of this kind of “the bubbly” over the years.

Along with dizzy spells and a constant pain in her jaw, she said, repetitive chewing triggered powerful headaches, especially at night.

“It’s been very painful,” she said, describing her condition, which began 15 years ago, and was only recently diagnosed, during a flare-up, as a temporomandibular joint and muscle disorder.

The umbrella term refers to a group of conditions that cause varying degrees of pain and dysfunction in and around the temporomandibular jaw joint and the muscles that control their movement on each side of the head.

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research estimates about 10 million Americans have symptoms associated with these disorders, with 5 percent to 15 percent, like Pelt, experiencing the most common ones: pain and restricted jaw movement, often accompanied by a clicking or popping sound.

Women in their reproductive years are now considered nine times more likely to develop a TMJ disorder than men - a finding reshaping traditional assumptions about the causes lying behind these conditions, according to Dr. Christian Stohler, dean of the University of Maryland Dental School in Baltimore, Md.

“A lot has changed on the TMJ front in the last 15 years,” he says. “Today, we realize this is a highly complex disease involving many genes, hormones and a myriad of complex biologic factors.”
Problems pair with TMJ

Although a number of existing treatments bring pain relief for most patients, Stohler says, they do not deal with the underlying disease process, a complex interplay of biologic factors that go beyond a misalignment of teeth or bite problems, once held solely responsible for these disorders.

They include genetic differences in pain perception or how an individual responds to pain, and the frequent presence of other painful conditions, such as fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis, among others, which may mask or modify the symptoms of a TMJ problem.

“Most of these cases do resolve on their own, but some people suffer for years,” Stohler said. “And the more severe the case, the greater the likelihood that TMJ will coexist with other medical problems.”

In Pelt’s case, her jaw condition is moderate, according to her dentist, Dr. Michelle Dorsey, a solo practitioner on Merritt Island, Fla., who is centering treatment around a computer-guided sensing device, made by Tekscan. It replaces the old “tap, tap” articulation papers used to measure and assess a patient’s bite and how teeth touch, or occlude.

“It tells me which tooth is hitting which tooth and with what force over time,” says Dorsey - critical information to “occlusal equilibration,” the treatment’s ultimate goal, once the joints have been stabilized and the tissue inflammation quelled.

As part of her therapy, Pelt wears a customized splint at night.

The splint doesn’t just protect the teeth from being worn or cracked, Dorsey said, but it takes the pressure off the closing muscles in the mouth so they can relax and lengthen over time, allowing the joint to sit comfortably in the socket without pain.

“This is a process that takes time,” she says, with patients typically coming in for an hour once a week, possibly for many months. “It’s similar to physical therapy when you sprain your leg.”
Firsthand experience

As a dentist on the front lines, Dorsey says, she became interested in jaw-pain disorders when she began developing her own problem, in which her teeth began to shift unexpectedly, leaving open areas of contact in her mouth.

Although she had no pain, she said, she had problems with food lodging in her teeth, which became “very annoying.”

So she decided to learn more about TMJ, studying “occlusion training” at the Dawson Academy in St. Petersburg, Fla., where she also underwent treatment, and a 25-month course at the University of Florida.

“I’ve seen about an 80 percent improvement in my own case, so far,” Dorsey says.

Pelt, too, said the subtle changes in her mouth during the past few months have begun to ease the pain, although she did not put a percentage on how much.

“I’m not waking up with headaches anymore and the dizziness has gone away,” says Pelt, who works in a day-care center in Rockledge. “Since coming here, I’ve been much better.”

-- Cure Your TMJ Today --

Doctors study new ways to treat TMJ

A self-described fan of bubble gum, Norma Pelt has paid a high price for her love of this kind of “the bubbly” over the years.

Along with dizzy spells and a constant pain in her jaw, she said, repetitive chewing triggered powerful headaches, especially at night.

“It’s been very painful,” she said, describing her condition, which began 15 years ago, and was only recently diagnosed, during a flare-up, as a temporomandibular joint and muscle disorder.

The umbrella term refers to a group of conditions that cause varying degrees of pain and dysfunction in and around the temporomandibular jaw joint and the muscles that control their movement on each side of the head.

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research estimates about 10 million Americans have symptoms associated with these disorders, with 5 percent to 15 percent, like Pelt, experiencing the most common ones: pain and restricted jaw movement, often accompanied by a clicking or popping sound.

Women in their reproductive years are now considered nine times more likely to develop a TMJ disorder than men - a finding reshaping traditional assumptions about the causes lying behind these conditions, according to Dr. Christian Stohler, dean of the University of Maryland Dental School in Baltimore.

“A lot has changed on the TMJ front in the last 15 years,” he says. “Today, we realize this is a highly complex disease involving many genes, hormones and a myriad of complex biologic factors.”

Although a number of existing treatments bring pain relief for most patients, Stohler says, they do not deal with the underlying disease process, a complex interplay of biologic factors that go beyond a misalignment of teeth or bite problems, once held solely responsible for these disorders.

They include genetic differences in pain perception or how an individual responds to pain, and the frequent presence of other painful conditions, such as fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis, among others, which may mask or modify the symptoms of a TMJ problem.

“Most of these cases do resolve on their own, but some people suffer for years,” Stohler said. “And the more severe the case, the greater the likelihood that TMJ will coexist with other medical problems.”

In Pelt’s case, her jaw condition is moderate, according to her dentist, Dr. Michelle Dorsey, a solo practitioner on Merritt Island, who is centering treatment around a computer-guided sensing device, made by Tekscan.

“It tells me which tooth is hitting which tooth and with what force over time,” says Dorsey - critical information to “occlusal equilibration,” the treatment’s ultimate goal, once the joints have been stabilized and the tissue inflammation quelled.

As part of her therapy, Pelt wears a customized splint at night.

The splint doesn’t just protect the teeth from being worn or cracked, Dorsey said, but it takes the pressure off the closing muscles in the mouth so they can relax and lengthen over time, allowing the joint to sit comfortably in the socket without pain.

TMJ: a slow healing process

You won’t be totally pain free over night (although it’s amazing how quickly these exercises sometimes work). It will take some time to reverse the tension that has been building up in your muscles for long time (even before you noticed any symptoms).

These exercises rebuild your jaw function little by little.

The muscles around the jaw must first regain their old strength and flexibility. Then the jaw muscle will guide your jaw joints into their natural healthy position. This usually happens slowly and gradually. The fact remains, this is the only method proven effective to heal TMJ. Nothing else helps!

Extremely Effective TMJ Exercises

1)The jaw exercises are self explained. They strengthen and loosen up the jaw muscles directly, so the muscles will not push the jaw joint out of place but guide them into right position.

2)The tongue exercises, loosen up the tongue muscle. Even healthy people have too much tension in their tongue. People who suffer from TMJ are way off balance there.

3)The throat exercises strengthen the throat. The throat muscles are some of these ‘hidden’ muscles we seldom pay attention to. They’re however extremely important and if they’re stiff, you’ll suffer several symptoms in your throat.

4)The neck and shoulder muscles are directly connected to the Jaw muscles. These muscles are usually the first one to freeze when the jaw muscles get stiff. They can, however, easily be put back into regular function using powerful neck and shoulder exercises.

5)The breathing exercises will nurture and loosen up all the muscles in your head. What’s more, they’ll will also relief any emotional stress built up in your muscles. You’ll be amazed how effective they’re.

These exercises have been practiced successfully by thousands of people suffering from TMJ and it still surprises me how effective they are, considering how many causes lie behind this complex condition.

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TMJ Secondary Symptoms

The misplaced jaw causes unbalance between the left and the right jaw joints. It’s like driving a car having one wheel turn left and the other right. You can imagine the strain this puts on the wheels and the steering. Well, you know the strain it puts on You.

Nerves get squeezed. Either directly by the misplaced jaw or the tense muscles around it. The same nerves lie around the jaw as the ears. The same nerves that control the balance system. That’s why you may experience dizziness or lack or balance for example?

No muscle is an island. They’re all connected, either directly or through the nerve system. If your jaw muscles get stiff, all the other muscles around it will tense up too. You’ve probably experienced your shoulders and neck become more tense, as your TMJ has grown worse. This is only one example.

Less noticeable is the tension in all the small muscles in your head. Including your other face muscles, tongue, throat and even eyes. You may also feel like your throat is narrower now than before (you’re not crazy it’s true).

As this tension builds up little by little, you’ll begin to feel the secondary symptoms of TMJ, including:

• Voice fluctuations
• Sore throat without infection
• Swallowing difficulties
• Bloodshot eyes
• Tongue pain
• Balance problems, “vertigo”, dizziness, or disequilibrium
• Feeling of foreign object in throat
• Clogged, stuffy, “itchy” ears, feeling of fullness
• Watering of the eyes
• Plus hundreds of other secondary symptoms…

There is no way to heal your TMJ, unless you loosen up and strengthen all the muscles connected to the jaw and the jaw muscles.

What we do know about TMJ

What we know for a fact about TMJ is, the jaw joints are always misplaced in some way. It doesn’t necessarily have to be complete misplacement (although sometimes it is). Small wrong misplacement can be enough. And the symptoms can be both nerve racking and painful:

• Clicking, popping jaw joints
• Grating sounds
• Jaw locking opened or closed
• Extreme pain in cheek muscles
• Uncontrollable jaw or tongue movements
• Clenching or grinding at night
• Discomfort or pain to any of these areas
• Limited opening
• Inability to open the jaw smoothly or evenly
• Jaw deviates to one side when opening
• Inability to “find bite” with teeth
• Frequent, migraine type headaches

Another thing we know for a fact is, the jaw muscles are always very tense. It varies how painful they’re or if they’re torn but they’re always too tense. These weak, tense jaw muscles will push your jaw further out of position and make the problem worse.

This is similar to back problems. Most people who suffer from back problems have weak, tense muscles. The back problem may have started by using bad position when working, by minor injury, or something else that didn’t seem very serious at the time.

To avoid the mild pain, the muscles in the back get tense. It jut happens. This is a function nature gave us to deal with pain. The real problem begins when the tension in the back muscles push the spine (even just a little bit) out of place. What should only have been minor problem if the person had exercised and strengthen the back muscles, is now chronic, serious condition.

The same thing happens with TMJ. What might have started out as minor problem (maybe you got hit in the jaw or had short period of intense stress) is now becoming chronic problem, because the jaw muscles now push your jaw out of place.

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Why do TMJ experts fail you?

TMJ is one of the most complex conditions you’ll ever find. Every TMJ patient has different original causes for his or her condition. And not only one cause or accident. There are probably several contributing factors causing your pain. Both physical and emotional.

Overwhelming feelings like stress, grief, or intense anger are often basic triggers of TMJ. Injuries, like car accidents or sport injuries are another common triggers.

You may not even have noticed at all when your condition began to develop. Maybe you bumped into something but didn’t give it a second thought. Few days later you began to experience pain. Most often, there is no way to know the original trigger.

There is no reliable cure for TMJ

Your doctor is probably doing all he can. He’s most likely given you strong pain relief pills and maybe some muscle relaxation medicines. But there is not much more he can do. All these medicines fail. Even if they reduce the pain a little for a while in the beginning, they’ll stop working little by little as your body gets immune to them. Your dentists may try his best to help you by making a dental implant. These implants are mostly meant to save your teeth from grinding down. It is not a permanent cure and usually doesn’t relief the pain, although it may be well worth it to save your teeth.

TMJ Natural Treatment Testimonials

All these people tried our unique, yet simple exercises. Here is what they have to say…

“Thank you very much for responding to me. I have done all the exercises for the past 2 nights and my jaws have not hurt at all when I wake up in the morning. Thank you so much. I will e-mail you from time to time to let you know how I am doing.”
Alie Vanhoy - Dallas, TX

“After the first couple of days I could feel a noticeable change. The clicking, popping, and tension were 90% gone. Each day things continued to improve.”
Mary Stuart - Freehold, NJ

“Just to let you know that my condition is improving each day since I started your program. The pain is diminishing each day and hopefully it will be completely gone in the near future.”
Thomas Young - Orlando, FL

“After reviewing the information about your program and understanding the concept behind it, I realized just how amazing and effective it really is. It totally cured me in less than two weeks. I’d highly recommend your program to anybody who suffers from TMJ.”
Ann Smith - San Diego, CA

“Thank you for your email and I am so glad that I am able to put the exercises on CD. This way I can do the exercises as I drive down the road. Thank you again!”
Vivian Franklin - Detroit, MI

“I wanted to let you know that during the time I was having trouble with my TMJ, I did several of your exercises for my neck and later, when I took a bite of something I noticed my mouth opened easily. I looked in the mirror and my mouth opened all the way!! Your exercises helped my TMJ and I haven’t had any trouble since! Thanks.”
Beverly March - Columbus, OH

“After three days of two exercises each day, I can now open my mouth wider, there is no longer the constant pain, and the pain I have when opening my mouth widely has been reduced by 80%.”
Kyle Gilmore - Boston, MA

“I have suffered with migraine headaches for the past 46 years. There is not a conventional medical treatment that I have not tried at least once. I have not had one migraine since I started the treatment. I wish that I had learned of this procedure years ago.”
Krista Patterson - Chicago, IL

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A Natural Treatment To TMJ

Our program works because it is directly aimed at loosening up and strengthening your “weaker muscles,” which are causing you pain - instead of cutting them (like in surgery), or pushing them aside (like those incredibly uncomfortable devices they make you wear in your mouth) which, besides being uncomfortable and ineffective, can even be dangerous! We don’t have to mention to you that no surgery is without risk, but in reality, the biggest risk of surgery is undergoing it and not curing a darn thing!

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In just 3 minutes a day, it teaches you:

• How to strengthen and loosen up the tongue - this is more important than you may think!
• The 3 single most powerful exercises to open up a narrow throat
• How to quickly find out if you have an airway block in your nose, and 2 exercises to quickly start curing it. (If your sinuses are blocked, this is extremely important).
• The single most important thing you must know about a stiff jaw that’s causing your TMJ, and how to loosen it up.
• How to break up the tension line between your shoulders and your jaw. Each muscle group multiplies your TMJ, but I’m going to teach you exactly to how deal with them all!
• How to use powerful breathing exercise to quickly remove the head pain you’re suffering, even while the jaw is still locked up!

The reason why this works is because it goes right to the source of the problem: tension in the face muscles. Nobody knows exactly why it happens, but TMJ is caused by most of the muscles in the head (including the throat, tongue, jaw and the shoulders) to stiffen up. This causes the pain and dysfunctions in this area.

But strengthening and relaxing the jaw alone won’t cure your TMJ. The worst problem of TMJ is that all the muscles in the head work together to dislocate the jaw joint. Our program finally solves that by working on relaxing and strengthening every muscle in your head, from the inside out. This program first explains your TMJ problem and then gives you a simple, step-by-step program that is aimed specifically at YOUR causes for TMJ.

Here are just a few things you will discover in our program:

• The most important and most little known breathing exercise that changes the way you breathe every day which removes tension that tenses your muscles and causes TMJ pain.
• An easy way to fake yawning over and over again - that completely opens up the throat and relieves tension in your face.
• What you can do with a soda bottle cap and a newspaper - that completely opens up the jaw in just 2 minutes. (This is also used by singing pros – you’ll be amazed at how this feels!)
• An unexpected but startling 15 minute exercise that could release mental tension that is cramping up your neck muscles and ends your pain for days every time you use it.
• The 3 single most awkward looking (but extremely powerful!) exercises to strengthen the tongue that could cure the majority of TMJ even if you don’t exercise anything else.

These are just the tip of the iceberg and are part of a complete, step-by-step guide to stop your TMJ with a total of 24 exercises you can use. You don’t have to use them all. In fact, you can pick out the exercises that fit YOU the best and you feel work the best for YOU.

We’ve also included the exercises on audio, so you can download them and burn them to a CD and use the exercise program wherever you are. If you easily forget these easy “chores,” this is an amazing way to make sure you get results.

The guide is completely illustrated so the exercises become crystal-clear. It literally takes you by the hand, step-by-step to make sure you do the exercises correctly. And if you do, we promise you could have results the very first day, and cure your TMJ permanently in just 2 to 4 weeks!

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Alternative Treatment To TMJ

We are going to give you a simple exercise that opens up your throat and deals with one of the most common symptoms of TMJ: tense jaw muscles. The exercise you’re going to do shows you immediately how incredibly simple, how incredibly easy, how incredibly effective it is to start loosening up and strengthening these muscles.

Simply close your mouth and act like you are chewing gum. Chew like this for a minute or so at a time. To do the exercise right make sure your molars on both sides move apart a little, and then touch lightly again. Also notice that your lips are supposed to be closed the whole time.

This exercise is pretty easy on your jaw because you are not actually chewing anything, but you might still feel a little bit sore in the beginning. Just take it easy - maybe chew for only a few seconds in the beginning and then increase the time you exercise. You can make an “mmm” sound as you chew. This will open the throat better. Making an “mmm” sound is not necessary, it will just give the exercise extra boost.

You’ve Just Proven One of the 19 Powerful Relief TMJ Pain Techniques in our Program!

Having a stiff tongue, throat, or jaw are the main underlying causes for TMJ head pain. After that, most complaints come from the neck and the shoulders. Together, these are the 5 most common symptoms of TMJ and we’ve developed 24 brief and startling exercises that quickly cure them at the root.

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TMJ Causes

The cause of some TMJ disorders can be traced to trauma from a severe blow to the jaw, degeneration of the joint, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or other forms of inflammation.

The causes of many cases of TMJ disorders, however, aren’t always clear. Some experts believe that responses to stress or anxiety may be a primary or contributing causal factor.

If you frequently clench your jaw when you’re stressed, irritated or concentrating, the muscles of the TMJ are kept in a contracted position — not unlike the discomfort you would probably feel if you flexed your biceps all day. Similarly, you may respond to tension or anxiety by grinding your teeth (bruxism). You may even clench your jaw or grind your teeth in your sleep without realizing it.

Other habits that overwork the jaw muscles, such as chewing on a pen or chewing gum, may exacerbate the pain of TMJ disorders.

Poor posture of the head, neck and shoulders — such as pushing your head forward or slouching while working at a computer — may put strain on the muscular and skeletal systems that are closely related to the jaw muscles and joints.

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TMJ Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorder vary in their presentation and can be very complex. Due to the different anatomic structures involved, it is easy to group the symptoms accordingly into three categories. The anatomic structures affected in TMD are the muscles, the temporomandibular joints, and the teeth.

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Muscles

Disorders of the muscles of the temporomandibular joint are the most common complaints by TMD patients. The two major observations concerning the muscles are pain and dysfunction. In TMD, the muscle pain is described as a “deep pain” and does not seem to be simply from overuse and fatigue. Instead, it is believed that this pain is a result by mechanisms from the central nervous system.

In these cases, muscle pain can sometimes be associated with trigger points in muscle tissue. The trigger points are attributed to deep, constant pain and to causing the pain to be referred to other parts of the body. For example, the trapezius muscle refers pain more commonly to the ear, temple, and angle of the jaw, while the occipital belly of the occipitofrontalis muscle refers pain to behind the eye. Trigger points residing in the shoulder muscles can also cause muscle disorders of the temporomandibular joint.

Trigger points are also involved with associated migraines in TMD, even though migraines themselves are not fully an aspect of TMD. When pain of the temporomandibular joint precedes migraines, then treatment of the TMD may reduce the number of migraines, but TMD treatment is not a “cure” for migraines. Other kinds of headaches can be an expression of the pain produced by trigger points.

The dysfunction involved is usually a restriction on mandibular movement upon opening of the mouth. In some cases, it is possible to continue opening the mouth if done slowly, but the pain may stay present or intensify. Additionally, the dysfunction of the muscles may cause the teeth to occlude with each other incorrectly. This condition is called an acute malocclusion and is the result of TMD, not the cause.

Temporomandibular joints

Disorders of the temporomandibular joints are usually the most noted observation upon examination of TMD patient because most signs are readily detected by the clinician, not necessarily the patient. The two major observations concerning the joints are pain and dysfunction. In a healthy joint, the surfaces in contact with one another do not have any receptors to transmit the feeling of pain.

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The pain therefore must originate from one of the surrounding soft tissues: the discal ligaments, the capsular ligaments, and the retrodiscal tissue. When receptors from one of these areas are triggered, the pain causes a reflex to limit the mandible’s movement. Furthermore, inflammation of the joints can cause constant pain, even without movement of the jaw.

Due to close proximity of the ear to the temporomandibular joint, TMJ pain can be expressed as ear pain. The pain may be referred in around half of all patients and experienced as otalgia (earache). Conversely, TMD is an important possible cause of secondary otalgia.

Treatment of TMD may then significantly reduce symptoms of otalgia and tinnitus, as well as atypical facial pain. Despite some of these findings, there are some researchers who question whether TMD therapy can reduce symptoms in the ear, and currently a debate is ongoing to settle the controversy.

The dysfunction involved is most often in regards to the relationship between the condyle of the mandible and the disc. The sounds produced by this dysfunction is usually described as a “click” or a “pop” when a single sound is heard. When there are multiple, rough sounds, it is described as “crepitation” or “crepitus”.

Teeth

Disorders of the teeth can also be present in TMD patients. Tooth mobility can be caused by destruction of the supporting bone and by heavy forces being placed on teeth. Movement of the teeth affects how they contact one another when the mouth closes, and the overall relationship between the teeth, muscles, and joints can be altered. The heavy forces on the teeth have been associated with the presence of mandibular tori in TMD patients.

Pulpitis, inflammation of the dental pulp, is another symptom that may result. It is usually caused by heavy forces on the teeth and can cause pain. Lastly, tooth wear is the most common sign associated with a dysfunction of the teeth, but it is not strongly associated with TMD symptoms. Tooth wear can be a result of bruxism or by interfering with the movement of the mandible during function, referred to as the “functional envelope of motion.” Depending on the cause, the treatment for tooth wear differs.

What is the TMJ?

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a diarthrodial joint that connects the mandible (lower jaw) to the temporal bone at the side of a skull. As a modified hinge joint, not only does the TMJ enable the jaw to open and close, it also enables the jaw to move forward and backward, as well as laterally.

This is a ginglymo-arthrodial joint; the parts entering into its formation on either side are: the anterior part of the mandibular fossa of the temporal bone and the articular tubercle above; and the condyle of the mandible below.

Classification of disorders involving the temporomandibular joint involve six categories:

• Disorders can be described as functional disturbances, which is also called temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD), myofacial pain dysfunction syndrome (MPDS), TMJ pain dysfunction syndrome, or mandibular dysfunction. This disorder is marked by an acute or chronic inflammation of the temporomandibular joint.
• Disorders of the temporomandibular joint can manifest as organic disease entities. These include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and infectious arthritis.
• There can be ankylosis (”fusion”) of various structures of the joint. Subcategories of ankylosis include fibrous and bony ankylosis.
• Trauma to the temporomandibular joint can result in fractures or non-fractures.
• Disorders can result from the condylar head of the mandible being trapped anterior to its correct location and thus are referred to as dislocations. A dislocation may be chronic or acute.
• Disorders of the temporomandibular joint may include tumors, though this occurs very rarely. Tumors may express in the form of osteomas, ostochondromas, soft tissue invasions, or metastasis from a different tumor in the body.

--- Stop TMJ Now ---

A Natural Method To Permanently Eliminate TMJ

If you’re at the end of your wits with your jaw (and head) pain, then discover how this foolproof system relaxes your face muscles with simple yet very powerful, step-by-step 3 minute exercises… permanently curing your TMJ as soon as today!

The reason why this works is because it goes right to the source of the problem: tension in the face muscles.

You see, nobody know exactly why it happens, but TMJ is caused by most of the muscles in the head (including the throat, tongue, jaw and the shoulders) to stiffen up. This causes the pain and dysfunctions in this area.

--- Find out more about TMJ Solution ---

But strengthening and relaxing the jaw alone won’t cure your TMJ. You see, the worst problem of TMJ is that all the muscles in the head work together to dislocate the jaw joint.

This program finally solves that by working on relaxing and strengthening every muscle in your head, from the inside out.

In just 3 minutes a day, it teaches you:

• How to strengthen and loosen up the tongue…this is more important than you may think!
• The 3 single most powerful exercises to open up a narrow throat
• How to quickly find out if you have an airway block in your nose, and 2 exercises to quickly start curing it. (If your sinuses are blocked, this is extremely important).
• The single most important thing you must know about a stiff jaw that’s causing your TMJ, and how to loosen it up.
• How to break up the tension line between your shoulders and your jaw. Each muscle group multiplies your TMJ, but I’m going to teach you exactly to how deal with them all!
• How to use powerful breathing exercise to quickly remove the head pain you’re suffering…even while the jaw is still locked up!

Find out more about TMJ Solution.

Are TMJ Symptoms Reversible Without TMJ Surgery?

Do you think you have TMJ and are looking for a dentist or therapist to help with TMJ relief?

First let’s discuss some of the symptoms so that you are clear about what to watch for and take care of -

TMJ Symptoms:

Your jaw hurts especially when talking, yawning or chewing

You can’t open your mouth wide. It may get so bad you can’t open more than two inches.

You also feel pain in your neck, shoulders or ears. Teeth Grinding Jaw Clicking

Does that sound like you?

It is the muscles that control your jaws that are the problem. One set of muscles pulls in one direction to open your mouth and another set of muscle pull in another way to close your mouth. If your muscles are stressed in certain ways, tired or overworked, they won’t open or close your jaw properly.

So what to do about it? You could see someone such as a dentist or a physical therapist and they can assist you. Or read on and I will give you another suggestion.

Some things that may be suggested:

A dentist may tell you that you need a mouthguard to realign your jaw.

You may be told to consciously relax your shoulders, face and jaw muscles to ease TMJ symptoms.

Sleep on your back or side, as sleeping face down pushes your face to the side, causing pressure on the jaw.

Surgery may be suggested. Be sure to try looking at other means to correct your problem first.

Some diet tips:

Eliminate Caffeine, or seriously cut back on it. Those who drink caffeine tend to clench their jaw more.

Don’t chew large pieces of hard or brittle food.

Eat plenty of vegetables, especially dark green vegetables. They contain Calcium and Magnesium, which help with healthy muscles, ligaments and tendons.

You may want to eat soft foods for a few days. If you TMJ is particularly bad, you could make vegetable soup with a variety of vegetables and a small amount of meat and get by for a few days to rest your jaw, as this will rest your jaw from vigorous chewing.

Can the situation be serious? Yes it can. The temporomandibular joint can become inflamed and swollen. If it gets bad enough it may lock your jaw open or shut. The muscles and ligaments around this joint could lose their elasticity and balance with other muscles, leading to your lower jaw pulling in, which will cause a receding jaw.

It is important to take care of your TMJ at the first sign of problems. I was told I would need surgery. Learn how I got rid of my TMJ through physical therapy that I could do myself. You can learn this too.

Find out more about TMJ Solution.