If you are experiencing pain of discomfort around the jaw area or if your
Dentist has diagnosed you with TMD otherwise known as temporomandibular
joint dysfunction, massage can be a really beneficial was of helping you.
Whats a TMD?
It’s pain in your jaw joint and in the muscles that control jaw movement. The D
stands for disorder or dysfunction of the TMJ. Causes of TMJ pain and
dysfunction include stress, whiplash, having a dominant chewing side, gum
chewing, dentures or braces, also you may experience the symptoms if you
have other health conditions.
I can help with many of the symptoms you may be experiencing as well as
improving the movement of your jaw. Techniques used can include, with
consent intra-oral work, this is inside your mouth with surgical gloves. Treating
the muscles of the neck, shoulder, head and jaws not only helps with pain,
relieving tension, and discomfort in the jaw and surrounding areas but can help
you if you experience any of the following:
- Headaches/migraines
- Chronic pain/tenderness in muscles around the ear, neck, face, upper back and shoulders
- Bruxism (teeth grinding)
- Jaws that get stuck or lock in the open- or closed position (Trismus)
- Earaches or loss of hearing (without infection)
- Ringing of the ears (tinnitus)
- Twitching of the face or eye muscles
- Vision problems and sensitivity to light.
- Dizziness
- Difficulty swallowing/speaking.
The exact cause of a person’s TMJ disorder is often difficult to determine and
your pain may be due to a combination of factors. Some people who have jaw
pain also tend to clench or grind their teeth (bruxism), although many people
habitually clench or grind their teeth and never develop TMJ disorders.
TMJ dysfunction affects everyone differently. For some, it’s a temporary issue
that goes away in a week or two. For others, it’s a chronic condition that
negatively impacts quality of life.
What and where is the TMJ
The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) acts like a sliding hinge, connecting your
lower jaw (mandible) to the temporal (temples) bone of the skull. You have
one joint on each side of your jaw, these are connected to each other by the
jawbone, they’re positioned in front of each ear.
The TMJ enables us to move our mouths including whilst talking and eating. It’s
responsible for all sorts of facial expressions and is very strong for its size. The
two temporomandibular joints can differ in size, shape, and even in their
function. The teeth have an impact too, they have a specific way they must fit
together and the tooth position gets priority over the joint position. This
means that the TMJ is forced by the muscles to move so that the teeth will fit
together properly. This can potentially cause a misalignment within the joint
capsule.
You can’t always control factors that cause TMJ dysfunction. But certain habits
can make TMD worse, including overworking your jaw by chewing on pens,
pencils or excessively chewing gum. Overworking your jaw Daytime teeth
clenching or grinding is also a contributing factor. Head forward posture can
also place excess pressure on your neck, shoulder and facial muscles
contributing to the discomfort. Please contact me If you’d like to know more
on how I can help and if you wish to be nerdy and look closer at the anatomy
https://teachmeanatomy.info/head/joints/temporomandibular/
Feel free to contact me to find out how my treatments can help you email or call 07739155807
