Struggling with a temporomandibular disorder can leave you with intense pain and discomfort in and around your jaw joint. It’s crucial to seek professional help and treatment for this ailment. But, if you are suddenly met with pain, some exercises to stretch out or relax the joint may do the trick to get some quick comfort.
Give a few of these simple exercises a try to help get some TMJ relief:
Relaxed Jaw Exercise
For this exercise, you want to rest your tongue gently at the top of your mouth behind your teeth. You then want to allow your teeth to separate and your mouth to open while relaxing your jaw muscles.
Goldfish Exercise
Start by placing your tongue to the top of your mouth. Then, put one finger by ear where your TMJ is located and your middle or pointer finger on your other hand on your chin. Open your mouth, so your lower jaw opens halfway and then closes, to feel mild resistance. You can also do this exercise by opening your mouth completely, but only if you don’t feel pain while doing so.
Chin Tucks
Hold your shoulders back and lift your chest up. Then, lower your chin to make what’s often referred to as a “double chin,” holding this position for three seconds, and then repeat.
Side to Side Jaw Exercise
Place an object about a quarter-inch in thickness, such as stacked tongue depressors, between your teeth. Once comfortable in place, slowly start moving your jaw left and right. As you get used to the feel of this exercise, increase the thickness of the object and continue the side-to-side movements.
Open Wide
To do this exercise, you want to open your mouth as wide as possible without feeling discomfort or pain. Next, place slight pressure with your hand to one side of your jaw, causing a slight sideways movement. Hold this position for about 10 seconds and repeat on the other side of your jaw.
TMJ Treatment in Suffolk County, NY
Dr. Scott Simonetti, a TMJ disorder specialist, is here to help diagnose and put an end to your pain and discomfort caused by a TMJ disorder. Visit our website or give us a call at (631) 277-4848 to learn more about our POD® night guard treatment and how we can help you.