TMJ Exercises: Simple Exercises to Fix TMJ at Home

It is incredibly frustrating isn’t it? Jaw problems and TMD can be very hard to treat, very painful and it sometimes feels like it may never go away.

But why is it proving so hard to treat?

There are many answers to this question and they will change depending on the individual, but TMD can be caused by so many different problems.

First Find Causes Then Find Proper Treatment:

Alot of the time the pain comes from the muscles and this can be managed and even completely solved by a dental orthotic that your dentist should be able to sort out for you. So I would encourage you to see your dentist if pain persists.

If however, you’d like to try some TMJ exercises to see if they’ll help with your jaw pain then read on!

What do TMJ Exercises actually do?

One of the most effective ways fix your TMJ effectively is with TMJ exercises. These work by relaxing and strengthening your jaw muscles to fix your jaw alignment and alleviate pain.

Exercises for TMJ are simple and easy to do, but they are not an overnight miracle cure. You might be one of those rare people who feel huge improvements after literally one day, but stick with it for a week or two and you will definitely see results.

• Working directly on the jaw muscles strengthens and loosens them up. Healthy jaw muscles guide the jaw joints into right position instead of misplacing them.

• The tongue is a strong muscle. Many people have lot of tension in this muscle for some reason. It’s very important to release the tension in the tongue, using simple tongue exercises. Remember all muscles are connected. Tension in tongue means tension in the jaw.

• The throat exercises strengthen the throat. The throat muscles are some of these ‘hidden’ muscles we seldom pay attention to. They’re however extremely important and if they’re stiff, you’ll suffer several symptoms in your throat.

• The neck and shoulder muscle exercises are very important to remove tension you may have in your shoulders and neck. These muscles are directly connected to the jaw muscle and quickly tense up as soon as there is any tension in your jaw.

• All muscles need oxygen to function properly. Stiff muscles, reduce the amount of oxygen they can process. Using specially designed breathing exercises, you can bring these muscles back to life, so they may begin to function properly again.

These exercises take under 10 minutes a day to complete and for best results you should do them in front of the mirror to make sure you’re doing them right.

The Temperomandibular Joint (Image from clarian.org)

Do TMJ Exercises Work For Everybody?

As I said before TMJ exercises aren’t a magic bullet solution. What works for some people may not work for others. You have to remember that you are basically giving the muscles and tendons in your jaw a work out and strengthening these muscles takes a bit of time.

So, exercises for TMJ will definitely have positive effects on your jaw, but the extent of the healing effects will be determined by how much you do them and the severity of your problem.

But if you have the chance to stop your jaw pain, even if there’s a chance it might not work, why not give it a try? (Especially when these exercises  have such low risk of further damage.)

How Long Do TMJ Exercises Take To Work?

This is of course an impossible to answer and it will change depending on the person and their condition. But, of the people who have downloaded our exercises, about 73% said they felt improvement within 3 days.

Of course the pain isn’t completely gone, but even taking the edge of just a bit can make a huge difference to your overall quality of life. To completely get rid of your TMJ problems, you’ll need to be consistent with your exercises and be an expert on your own jaw.

TMJ Exercises You Can Do Right Now:

You can start with the exercises below. They will take about 10-15 minutes to complete and are the best way to start treating your jaw. Good luck!