Southern Tagalog TMJ-Craniodontics Center

Do you notice teeth grinding?

Head and neck pain are some of the most debilitating conditions, they aren't just normal.

After seeing many patients suffering from teeth grinding, I noticed a pattern in how they were using the muscles of the face.

Nearly all teeth grinders tend to use their chewing muscles (pictured) to posture the mouth at rest, INSTEAD of their inner tongue muscles.

It's a problem because these two big muscles are very strong, that's because they are designed for chewing. But you shouldn't be using them too much.

Teeth grinders often have jaw pain, or temporomandibuler dysfunction (TMD).

Symptoms of TMD can include:
• Jaw pain
• Muscle spasms
• Headaches
• Ear aches
• Difficulty opening the mouth

The masseter is the primary facial muscle used for chewing solids food, which attaches to the lower jawbone and cheekbone. If you clench your teeth and feel along your jaw, you will feel a bump raise itself from the side of your face.

If you use your masseter muscle and ‘clench’ the jaw at resting posture it may leave you more vulnerable to clenching.

The problem is using the wrong muscles for jaw posture. The masseter and temporalis muscle are controlled by the trigeminal nerve or (V).

The muscles you should use are from your XII cranial nerve or hypoglossal nerve. These control the tongue.

So, is your clenching issues to do with low tongue posture:

Constant pressure on the teeth can cause teeth to shift, become crooked, create a bad bite, and even result in habitual teeth grinding (which can create a whole host of problems on its own).

Those who rest their tongues on the bottom of the mouth may suffer from more neck pain, jaw pain, and bad body posture overall.

How to start using correct tongue posture?

• Smile – Here's a way you can find your ideal tongue position is to smile really wide (we’re talking about really cheesy smile), raise your eyebrows, and try to swallow without unclenching your teeth. You should feel your tongue rise to the roof of your mouth into its ideal resting position.

It's your goal to bring the tongue up to this rest position, and you will find the jaw muscles relax.

Do you suffer from jaw pain or headaches?

TMJ Anterior Disc Displacement TMJ or TMD pain can be caused when the disc separating the heads of the lower jaw from the skull slip too far forward. To learn more, visit: www.MolenOrthodo...

Take care of your teeth

When you lose your teeth you also lose the bone that supported your teeth.

Prevention is better than cure...

Preventive Dentistry (none extraction). For your dental needs visit Smile Unlimited