What to do for Jaw Pain?!

Today I am all full of information. Maybe it is the spirit of St. Patrick's Day...who knows. I had 2 patients come to me in the past few days with Jaw Pain. Interestingly both are right handed and both had right side pain. One patient had an accident many years ago and the Jaw has Locked open at times ever since. This happened while he was in my chair. The thing to do was and is: remain calm, massage the side of the jaw muscles. Right around the area of the bull's eye in the photo above. After a little time of gentle (GENTLE) effort it closed. Another patient had a stressful week at work and it has been hurting. Her entire masseter muscle was tense to the touch and almost rock hard. With a little massaging we broke the spasm it has been fine since. Stress causes tension, tension and constant clenching of the muscle can result in "Little Charlie Horses" in the joint and masseter muscles of the jaw. A warm towel will help to bring blood to the area and warmth to RELAX that muscle. As some of my prior posts have said, rest (in the form of sleep, muscle rest, etc) is so important.
Hopefully everyone will enjoy. The DAY today.

TMJ Appliance part II

I have worn my night guard (created special to keep my jaw in the proper resting position) for two nights now. I noticed my muscles more at rest on morning one. For the second morning I realize that my jaw sits more forward with the new appliance. Due to my missing lateral incisors my top jaw is smaller than the bottom. This should be opposite in fact. My bottom jaw is then constantly held to far backward. This produces muscle stress which builds over time. It seems that this new appliance allows my bottom jaw to rest in a more forward position and my muscles are resting. In reference to my post yesterday, rest is good for the muscles of the face as well!

TMJ appliance

As the Hair Club president was also a client; so I must also tend to dental issues.
I am genetically missing a tooth. A lateral incisor to be exact. As a result my orthodontist did the best he could with a compromised situation. My jaw as you could imagine is not perfectly lined up. I wear a night guard and this helps greatly. It relieves the clicking and popping. The guard buffers improper pressures and helps to relax the muscles. I have taken a course on such problems and learned to take specific measurements and realign the jaw. Today I received my new "Digitally Corrected" night guard. By placing the jaw in a corrected position (allowing my muscles to relax) I should help relieve muscle tension and jaw stiffness. I will wear it tonight and give feedback as to what I am feeling.