TMJ may not be widely discussed, but it is an important joint in your body. TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint and without it you wouldn’t be able to open or close your mouth. Not only does it help with the opening and closing movement in your mouth, it also allows you to move your jaw backwards, forwards and side-to-side. If you have pain in your jaw or near your ears, something may have gone wrong with the TMJ. Here are exercises to help with TMJ.
Strengthen Your Jaw Muscles:
If you are actively experiencing pain from TMJ, exercising those muscles may sound like an awful idea. If the pain has subsided or gone away, it’s beneficial to strengthen those muscles so the pain doesn’t occur again. These following exercises involve opening and closing your mouth and placing resistance on your chin.
Resisted Opening Exercise: Put one of your thumbs under your chin. Gently push down against your chin as you slowly open your mouth. Keep it open for a few seconds before you slowly close your mouth.
Resisted Closing Exercise: Keep your thumb under your chin and place your index finger (pointer finger) from that same hand on place between your chin and lower lip. Push gently as you close your mouth.
Stretch Your Jaw and Neck:
Gently stretching your jaw without hurting it can help stop the TMJ from returning. A common exercise includes pressing the tip of your tongue to the top of your mouth while slowly opening your mouth as much as you can without hurting yourself.
Slowly open your mouth as wide as you can while looking up with your eyes. Hold your mouth open for a few seconds and then slowly close it.
Start with a closed mouth. Move your jaw to the left side and look to your right with your eyes. Do not turn your head or neck. Hold this for a few seconds then move back to normal position. Try this while also moving your jaw to the right and looking left.
Relax Your Mind, Neck, Jaw and More:
Deep breathing exercises that reduce anxiety can also relieve TMJ pain. It is recommended to perform deep breathing exercises to relieve tension in the jaw muscles. Learning how to reduce the stress and anxiety in your life can help relieve any TMJ-related pain and discomfort.
Check out this blog on deep breathing exercises.
6 Deep Breathing Exercises to Reduce Anxiety
If you are looking for more information on TMJ, check out our following blogs and services.
Treatment Options for TMJ Disorder Problems
5 Things You didn’t Know About TMJ
How Your Teeth Could Be Causing Your Headaches
Daxon Dentistry Is Your Answer for TMJ
At Daxon Dentistry, we are passionate about ensuring our patients’ overall health and smile. We offer a wide range of services from basic check ups to complete dentistry procedures. If you have any questions about oral hygiene in the St. Petersburg, FL area, don’t hesitate to call us.