The temporomandibular joints (TMJs), one on each side of your head just in front of your ears, connect your lower jaw to your skull. The abbreviation “TMJ” refers to the joint but is often used to refer to any disorders or symptoms of this area. These include popping or clicking sounds in the jaw, inability to fully open the mouth, jaw pain, headaches, earaches, toothaches, and other types of facial pain.
Daily stress can cause you to clench your jaw and/or grind your teeth both during the day and at night while you sleep. Clenching means clamping the top and bottom teeth together, especially the back teeth. The stressful force of clenching causes pressure on the muscles, tissues, and other structures around the jaw. Grinding is sliding the teeth over each other, usually in a sideways, back-and-forth movement. This can wear down teeth and lead to jaw pain and other problems.
Other factors that can cause or aggravate jaw pain are poor posture, inability to relax, poor diet, lack of sleep, poor orthodontia, whiplash injuries, arthritis, fractures, dislocations, and structural problems since birth.
Physical and/or emotional stresses can result in contracted muscles and pinched nerves in your jaw, head, and neck, which can then refer pain to other areas—earaches, headaches, toothaches, even arm and hand pain.
My own experience with jaw pain from clenching many years ago led me first to the depths of despair and then eventually to recovery through acupuncture (see The Story of the Badger and My Jaw Pain). That recovery in turn made me a believer in the power of Chinese medicine, and in the years since, as an acupuncturist myself, I’ve successfully treated many people for jaw pain and TMJ-related symptoms. Acupuncture is effective in alleviating pain, creating a peaceful, relaxed feeling, interrupting a habit of tight, clenched muscles, and restoring normal movement to the jaw, neck, and head.
Because of my long background in massage therapy, I often use hands-on techniques in cases of jaw pain in addition to insertion of needles. Gentle head, neck, and facial massage helps release tight, locked muscles and “re-frames” the holding pattern, or habit, that has been established by those clenched muscles. Jaw pain tends to respond quickly to acupuncture when the problem is primarily muscular. If there is misalignment of the bite, joint deterioration, or other structural abnormalities, a longer treatment may be required. But no matter what the cause, relief from pain is one situation in which acupuncture shines.
During each session we talk about steps that can be taken at home to relieve symptoms as well, including self-massage, good posture, moist heat applications, frequent breaks from computer work or driving, avoiding hard or chewy foods, drinking plenty of water, getting enough sleep, and learning relaxation techniques to reduce stress and muscle tension in the neck, back, and face.
The good news is that most cases can be successfully treated. Jaw pain can be cyclical and may return in the future, but this is rare when treated with acupuncture because it resolves the origin of the problem rather than simply relieving symptoms. The combination of acupuncture and massage that I do is a highly effective treatment for this condition . . . and it feels great!