Exercises For TMJ | New York TMJ & Orofacial Pain

Jaw Exercises For TMJ

If you have TMJ symptoms, there’s a good chance you’ve been suffering for a long time. You may have severe pain in your jaw or face every day. Or, perhaps your jaw sticks open in the mornings, or you have trouble eating certain foods. Maybe you have headaches that can’t be explained; or a persistent toothache that so far is undiagnosable.

You are not alone. At New York TMJ & Orofacial Pain, we see people like you in our offices every day. And we have a wide range of treatment methods at our disposal to help you get better. For many of our patients, jaw exercises for TMJ are very effective for pain reduction and healing.

Why Do Jaw Exercises For TMJ Work?

When your jaw muscles are tense or in spasm, it’s often the result of teeth clenching or grinding. Jaw exercises that stretch the muscles will encourage your muscles to loosen up.

Stretching exercises for TMJ also can help to repair your jaw joints by increasing their range of motion allowing them to heal.

If your painful jaw muscles are making your life difficult, we can help. At New York TMJ & Orofacial Pain, our staff is led by board-certified Orofacial Pain specialists who have been focused on jaw problems for over three decades. We have three convenient offices in the New York City metro area: Manhattan, Westchester County, and Long Island.

To make an appointment, call (888) 560-6674. If you can’t call, complete this quick form , and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

3 Exercises For TMJ You Can Try At Home

If you want to try some jaw exercises at home, here are three that our patients find very helpful:

Exercise 1: This exercise for TMJ can release tension in the muscles that enable you to open and close your jaw. It can be performed up to six times per day.

Place your tongue as far back as possible on the roof of your mouth. Now, try to open your mouth, keeping your tongue in this position (the range of motion will be very limited).
While your tongue remains in place, position your thumb under your chin and attempt to open your mouth against the resistance of your thumb.
Maintain the resistance for three seconds before releasing. Repeat this six times.

Exercise 2: Here’s another exercise for TMJ that many patients find helpful. It can be done up to six times per day:

Blow air into your cheek on one side, then hold it for six seconds.
Switch to the other side and do the same thing.

Exercise 3: This tongue exercise can loosen up your tight jaw muscles, too. This exercise can be done up to six times per day, as well.

With your lips sealed, move your tongue in a full circle six times to the right, then six times to the left.
Then take the same six cleansing belly breaths described above and repeat the tongue movements twice.

If The At-Home Exercises For TMJ Don’t Work

If you are suffering and the at-home jaw exercises for TMJ above don’t work – do them for a week before deciding – it’s time to see a specialist.

Make an appointment by calling (888) 560-6674 or, if you can’t call, complete this quick form , and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.