I have often wondered if suppressed anger and the resulting clenching of my jaws was a factor that led to my initial TMJ symptoms years ago. I was the youngest child in my family, very shy and got angry very easily. However, I rarely expressed myself when I was angry. And I often felt myself “clenching my teeth” and thinking about the people that made me angry, almost never expressing my anger verbally or emotionally to other people.

It is a question that is difficult to answer, even scientifically. How would someone measure a concept such as “repressed anger” and relate it to an amount of “jaw clenching.” I am not quite sure.

And from a treatment standpoint diagnosing anger as a cause would not help reverse symptoms. I believe that once someone has spent years, or even decades, clenching one’s jaw and teeth, their pattern would become habitual and chronic. Helping someone to process anger or stop getting angry would not reverse the sensory-motor pattern. For that, one would need something like Feldenkrais sessions or some other treatment.

Peace!

Ryan

Related TMJ Links

CBD Oil for TMJ Pain??

Surgery and “Disk Removal” for TMJ?

Treating TMJ: “Less Is Best”

I have decided to share several transcripts from my Feldenkrais-based TMJ Pain-Relief program. I like to give written transcripts to just about everything that I sell. I think it helps speed learning and retention. And I know that not everyone who buys my sessions is a native speaker of English.

You can read the session transcript below. Or download the transcript to your computer:

Download the transcript as a PDF: Feldenkrais TMJ Transcript: Session #1: Primary Movements of the Jaw (PDF).
Download the transcript as Docx: Feldenkrais TMJ Transcript: Session #1: Primary Movements of the Jaw (Word Doc).

Peace! – Ryan

Welcome to Eliminate TMJ Pain NOW with Feldenkrais, Session #1: Primary Movements of the Jaw

In this session, you will learn some of the most important movement patterns for letting go of your TMJ pain and increasing the ease and comfort of the movements of your jaw. And as the muscles and joints of your jaw are interconnected and related to muscles in your neck, spine, face and other parts of yourself, you will find a pronounced effect on those areas, as well as a parasympathetic response that helps to increase your comfort and relaxation in general. You can find this response in nearly all sessions of this series if you choose to.

For this session, you will need a flat space to lie on your back. You may lie with your legs flat on the floor or have them bent so that your feet are flat on the floor. If for some reason you cannot lie on the floor, you can also do this session lying on a bed or while sitting in a chair. But please – if possible, do this session lying down the first few times. It will tend to give you much greater benefit.
Are you ready to begin? Please lie on your back, if that’s comfortable for you. Have your arms and legs uncrossed. You may have your legs flat on the floor or you may want to bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the floor. Again, whatever is the most comfortable for you. It is your comfort that is important here. Have your arms on the floor at your sides.

Close your eyes and take a moment to notice your contact with the floor. You are closing your eyes, so that you can relax and notice what is happening now and the changes that will occur in this session.

First, just notice the weight of yourself on the floor. Notice your breathing. And take your attention from the very bottom of yourself – your toes and feet and heels, up to your calves, your thighs, your pelvis, your lower back, middle and upper back, your neck, your head, your jaw.

That’s nice. Notice which parts of yourself are easy to contact, easy to notice, easy to feel. And are there some areas that seem fuzzy or less easy to contact?

(Pause)

Or not so much? Just notice. Don’t try to change anything. Just notice.

Good. Now please take your attention to the area of your face around your jaw. Feel the sensations around that area. Your lower jaw, your upper, above your jaw, below your jaw, to the right and to the left of your jaws, your lips. Are your lips relaxed or are you tightening them somehow? And notice your tongue inside your mouth. Is it loose and relaxed or are you unconsciously pressing it against your teeth? Let your tongue relax.

Now, notice if you are clenching your teeth. Are your upper and lower teeth pressing against each other, or is there some space between them? Don’t try to change it, just notice, it will change on it’s own as you do these sessions.

And begin to make a very small movement of opening and closing your mouth. A small movement of opening and closing your mouth. Do less than you know that you can do. Less. Open your mouth, close it, and then stop for a brief second. And then repeat.

And notice as you do this movement – really notice – how smooth the movement is – where it feels more smooth or less smooth. Where it feels jerky or rough. Go slow. The movements could be as small as a thought…really…

Good.

Keep opening and closing your mouth, very gently. Stopping for a moment after each movement. Remember to keep breathing.

And as you keep doing the movement notice how you can make it easier and simpler. Where can you let go of effort and let go of tension? In order to make the movements smoother, find ways to relax and let go of effort as you continue to slowly open and close your mouth. Do that in whatever way that you do.
As you continue to open and close your mouth gently, do you notice any movements in your head? Does your head move, ever so slightly as, as you open and close your mouth?

If you can’t tell, think of the area where your skull contacts the floor. And as you notice your head contacting the floor, feel if it moves as you open and close your mouth. What do you notice? If your head is moving it means that you using the muscles in your neck. But you don’t need to use the muscles in your neck to open your mouth.

So, see if you can stop using your neck muscles as you continue to open and close your mouth. You may need to make the movement of your mouth smaller. Got that? Open and close your mouth without moving your head.

(Pause)

Now let’s try the opposite of that – tilt your head back as you open your mouth.
Tilt your head back as you open your mouth. And then as you close your mouth, let your head return to its normal position.
Again, as you open your mouth, tilt your head back. As you close your mouth bring your head back to its normal position. Do that a few times, see how you can make it easier and simpler. Breathe as you do this. Take a moment and notice the rest of yourself as you do this. Notice the weight of your feet and legs, the weight of your arms, the weight of your spine from top to bottom.

Stop for a moment. Please stop. And wait until you are ready to breathe out. And as you breathe out open your mouth and tilt your head back. Then as you breathe in, close your mouth and bring your head back down. Very nice. Does doing the movement with your breath make it easier? Or perhaps not.
Whatever you feel or believe is fine.

Let go of thinking about the breath. Let go. And the next time that you open your mouth, imagine that you are starting the movement with your head. Imagine that you are starting the movement of opening your mouth, by moving the head. And that moving the head down initiates the movement of closing your mouth.
Does that make sense? Think that moving your head up and down causes the movement of your mouth opening and closing. And, as usual, relax as you do this, breath as you do this. Relax the tongue in your mouth.
Stop for a moment after each cycle. Go slow. You are not exercising or stretching, so don’t do the movement like a robot. Do the movement like a child who is exploring and learning. Do it for your own comfort and your own learning. Good. Very, very nice.

And can you return for just a moment to the very first movement that we did – just open and close your mouth without moving your head. How does that movement seem? Is it easier? Simpler? Smoother? Bigger?

Rest. Good. Please stop everything and take a rest. Lower your legs if you have had them bent. Or if your legs have been straight the entire time, you can bend them for a bit. Whatever you do, just find a way to stop completely and rest and be with yourself and your experience.

As you rest, notice your contact with the floor. Do parts of your self seem different now? Are parts of your self more in contact with the floor? Or perhaps less?

Now let’s try some more variations. Begin to very gently move your lower jaw a little to the right and then bring it back to the middle. Your lower jaw a little to the right and then back to the middle.

Do that several times, stopping each time that you come back to the middle. Right and then back. Only move your jaw a comfortable amount. Noticing as you move the jaw what you can do to make the movement easier and simpler.

Let me ask you a question – how do you know that your jaw is actually moving to the right? Do you feel it in your imagination? Do you see it in your mind’s eye? Let’s also add another source of information. Take one of your fingers and lay it across your chin. And then once that finger is on your chin, feel your chin as it move right and back to the middle. Do that a few times, noticing how your jaw moves to the right, how far, how easily. Move very slowly so you can notice subtle movements in your jaw. For example, notice whether your jaw moves in a direct line to the right or if it curves somehow. Notice if your mouth opens a little as you move to the right. Just notice.

Rest. Good. And please stop and please rest.

As you rest, notice your contact with the floor. Notice the weight of your head on the floor. Are you sinking into the floor more? And since we did a movement only on one side, notice the difference in sensation on the right side of your jaw and the left…and the left side of your face and the right, left cheek and right cheek. If you feel any differences do they extend elsewhere? For example, notice the weight of your left hand and right hand, left leg and right leg.

Now let’s do the other side. Move your lower jaw a little to the left and then back to the middle. Do a small movement. Don’t be ambitious. Left and back to the middle. Stay in contact with your jaw and yourself as you move. That’s nice.
And again, place one of your fingers along the length of your chin so that you can follow the movement of the lower jaw as it moves to the left and back to the middle. Notice the length of the movement, the ease of the movement.
Of course, you are breathing as you do this, you are relaxing your tongue in your mouth, there is no need to squint or make facial expressions. Only use those parts of yourself that are necessary for this simple movement, allow everything else to rest. Good.

Rest. Please stop and please rest. Take a complete rest of yourself.
Let’s do some more movements. Open your mouth a comfortable amount. And with your mouth still open, move your lower jaw to the right and then back to the middle. Your mouth is open as you move your lower jaw to the right and then back to the middle.
Do that several times. Stop for a brief moment after each movement so that each movement is distinct. You place one finger on your chin if you would like to get a clearer sense of how your jaw is moving to the right.

And with your mouth still open, move your lower jaw to the left and then back to the middle. You are moving your lower jaw to the left and then back to the middle. Do that a few more times focusing on ease and comfort. The less you do the more you learn. If you strain or stretch your brain can’t focus on making the movement easier and simpler.

Now, can you go back and forth – to the left and then back to the middle, then continuing on to the right and then back to the middle and left again – back and forth.

Does the movement seem different on one side as opposed to the other? The human body is never completely symmetrical; there are always subtle and not so subtle differences between the sides. Do you notice something similar here? Does one side seem easier and the other more challenging? Or perhaps they seem equal and you don’t notice anything in particular. That’s fine too.

Good. Please stop and please rest.
And as you rest take some time to notice your contact with the floor.

Now open your mouth again very slightly and, this time, bring your jaw a little bit forward and then back. Only your jaw – forward and back. Don’t lift your head. Move only your jaw forward. On your back, forward means towards the ceiling above you. If you are sitting – forward would be toward the wall in front of you.
Forward and back to your resting or neutral position. Like you did before, you can put a finger on your chin so that you can feel it moving forward.

Stop after each movement.

Breath. Relax your face. Only go a comfortable amount. Do not strain. Do not stretch.
Notice whether your jaw moves forward and back in a straight line. Or if it veers a little to the right or left.

The next time that you move your jaw forward, notice whether your head tilts back a little. If it does so you are using your neck muscles. See if you can do the movement without your neck muscles. Can you isolate the movement of your jaw from the movement of your head? Why would you want to do that? Because many TMJ symptoms arise because of poor self-use. They arise because your muscles are doing too much work and are involved in too much effort. The more you let that go, the better your functioning. The more your symptoms melt away.

Please stop and please rest. As you rest notice your contact with the floor, is anything changing in your contact with the floor? If parts of you feel heavier and more in contact with the floor that’s usually a sign that your muscles have relaxed and let go. The more they can do that, the more flexible they become.

Notice also, your jaw, upper and lower, your lips, and your face. What is happening in those areas? Do you feel something shifting, easing, and letting go? Or not yet?

Now open your mouth again, and bring your lower jaw forward a small distance – just a small comfortable amount where you can leave it for a moment. And stay in that position and move your jaw a small distance to the right, and then back to the middle. Do that several times.
To the right and then back to the middle. Rest whenever you want to.

And then go back to the movement. That is, bring your lower jaw forward a small distance and then move it a small distance to the right and back to the middle.

Rest. Good. Please stop and rest for just a moment. Just a quick rest.

And again, open your mouth a comfortable amount, bring your jaw forward a comfortable amount. Is that comfortable? Keep it there and this time slowly move your jaw to the left and then back to the middle. To the left and then back to the middle.

Do this several times, each time noticing how you can make the movement easier and simpler. Each time finding a way to make the movement more pleasant. Then stop, rest and then go back to the movement.
Open your mouth gently, bring your lower jaw forward a little, keep it there and move your jaw very gently to the left and back to the middle.

And now let’s combine the two movements. Move the jaw in both directions. Open your mouth – only as far as is easy – move your lower jaw forward – only as far as is easy. And slowly move your chin to the left and to the right. Moving side to side in a gentle, easy manner. Keeping your mouth open as you do so, and your jaw slightly forward.

Stop. Bring your mouth back to a neutral position. And then repeat.
Opening your mouth, moving it forward and then left and right, finding how to make it a simple, clear movement that is easy and comfortable to do. You may want put a finger on your jaw so that you can clearly feel the movement.

Rest. Good. Please stop and please rest. Notice where your attention is drawn to as you rest. What do you notice?

And go back to the movement you did at the beginning – just open your mouth a tiny amount and move your jaw left and right. Does that movement seem easier now? Is it simpler?
Stop. Please stop. And then do the movement that you did at the very beginning. Just open and close your mouth. Is this easier and simpler? What do you notice?

Just do that once or twice and then stop.

And one last time, before you come to a sitting position and notice your changes in that relationship to gravity, just notice the sensations in your face and in your tongue and jaw and in your neck and shoulders, your legs and arms, and anywhere else you notice something different.
Then roll to one side and sit up. While you sit, take a few seconds to feel whatever sense of changes that you have right now in your mouth and jaw and related areas. Breathe. Just sit and get a sense of your own comfort. Can you gently open your mouth and then close it? Can you breathe as you do that?

And then come to standing. And in standing notice the comfort of your jaw and face.

End note: You can repeat any of the lessons from this series anytime that you want to. You can try doing them in different positions, for example, while sitting in a chair or on the floor. You can repeat the sessions and do only a portion of one if you choose. You may also want to experiment with when you do a session. For example, you can do one right before bed. If you have gotten pain symptoms at a certain time – say in the afternoon, try doing the session before then, so the symptoms never occur. You can actually make it so that your nervous system simply forgets to have any pain. Use these sessions in the way that is the best for you.

I was not expecting to make this post about CBD oil and TMJ pain. And I will say right away that I am not an expert on the topic nor am I making any recommendations. But I wanted to say that I put some CBD oil on my jaw, neck, and face and it gave me a deep relaxing feeling that lasted for about 24 hours.

I only put the oil on the right side of my face. And I only did so as an afterthought after using it to massage my girlfriend’s shoulder and back. It was actually her CDB oil. I was quite surprised during the night and the next day when I felt a clear difference on the right side of my jaw and face. The area was more relaxed and…hard to put into words. I had more pleasant sensations there.

I only did it that one time, so that’s all I can say about it for now. I would be interested to know if people have used CDD oil to get ride of TMJ pain.

Peace!

Ryan

I got slightly sick at my stomach when a client told me that she was taking her 15-year-old daughter in to get a second surgery for her TMJ pain. I was a young and new Feldenkrais practitioner and was excited that we were *finally* making progress with her daughter with the individual Feldenkrais sessions that we were doing.

Her pain was going away step-by-step. And she seemed happier and was even sleeping better.

But for reasons. I still do not understand, her mother was scheduling another surgery.

The research on multiple surgeries for TMJ pain is quite clear: they rarely work and can create life-long pain.

According to the National Institute of Health:

Persons undergoing multiple surgeries on the jaw joint generally have a poor outlook for normal, pain-free joint function.

The same can be said for many back pain surgeries such as spinal fusion surgeries. According to the Harvard Men’s Health Watch, a website affiliated with the Harvard Medical School,

“Based on the evidence, the indications for fusion are few and far between, but that doesn’t stop surgeons from doing them or patients from getting them.”

I am not against surgery nor the medical profession, having benefitted tremendously from not one, but two life-changing surgeries (one by a periodontist and another by a urologist). And I have neither the experience nor credentials to go against a doctor’s orders (nor would I do so).

But the over-prescription of surgery and drugs for chronic pain is not only heart-breaking but also offensive when considering that most organizations such as The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and many others that state that most patients do not need aggressive types of treatment and often won’t even benefit from them. And some are left with long-term pain – not from the original issue but from the multiple surgeries!!

Enough talk about problems. Let’s talk about solutions!

Feldenkrais sessions can give you the feedback you need to help your muscles to relax and your body re-organize and move easier so that pain simply does not need to occur…or if it does the symptoms are much reduced.

If you want to explore gentle, non-invasive ways to get rid of pain and to do so without expensive and painful treatments, check out my Easy Feldenkrais pain relief series. It is on sale for a bit longer:

https://ryannagy.samcart.com/products/pain-relief-v1/

Peace,

Ryan

Related Articles About TMJ Pain And Surgery

Surgery and “Disk Removal” for TMJ?

TMJ Pain And Surgery: The Mayo Clinic Gets it Wrong

TMJ Surgery Alternatives: Are There Better Alternatives to TMJ Relief Than Surgery?

TMJ and Dentists: Are Dental Devices a Cure for TMJ?

September 1st, 2010 was the day I released Volume 1 of my Eliminate TMJ Pain Now series. Since then, it has reached nearly 1500 people all over the world and people are still buying it and using it to get rid of jaw pain…

But 9 years later, the time has come to expand and deepen it….. for more complete pain relief and self-development…

Please let me introduce Volume 2 of my Feldenkrais TMJ series. It contains 7 sessions, most under 35-minutes. Carefully designed gently reduce and eliminate jaw pain while also improving the functioning over other parts of your body…especially your eyes, neck, and spine.

Feldenkrais Eliminate TMJ Pain Volume TWO

Seven complete sessions, several very rare. All can help you reduce and eliminate pain in your jaw, neck, and spine….

1. Pelvis and Jaw Connections (35 minutes)

Some highly unique and transformative variations that are not in any other Feldenkrais session. This session can have a dramatic positive effect on you. Integrating the movements of your lower body and pelvis into your jaw functioning can deeply relax you and help your TMJ to relax and move smoother and easier.

2. Eyes, Jaw and Knees (34 minutes)

This is very gentle – but also a very powerful session. having to do with the eyes, jaw, and knees (a strange, but useful combination!). Good for falling asleep, relaxing and getting rid of neck and jaw pain. Brand new! Enjoy…..

3. The Jaw (33 minutes)

This session created some amazing changes in my lower back and breathing…even though the “action” seems to be in the movements of the jaw and head. I think it can do the same for you. I hope you enjoy it! it is about 3e minutes and is done while lying down and sitting on the floor.

4. Hip, Shoulder, Jaw (46 minutes)

I chose to record this session for you because it is both gentle and effective. And it has a tendency to make folks fall asleep…which is a good sign that it can help certain parts of body and mind relax and let go of pain. I look forward to you doing it and sending me an email to tell me how it helped you reduce and eliminate stress in pain in your body.

5. Head, Pelvis, Tongue (38 Minutes)

This session may be reverberating through your system days after you do it. I hope you enjoy it. Though movements are relatively simple, they can have a profound impact on relieving stress throughout your head, neck, and jaw.

Special Bonus Sessions

In addition to the bonuses below, transcripts for all sessions are included at no additional cost.

I want to offer you two free bonus sessions (one extremely rare) to help you on your journey to a pain-free mouth, jaw, and spine.

6. Mouth and Head Cavity: Very Gentle and Effective (47 minutes)

This is one of those long, trancy sessions. And one that is incredibly rare. With a few exceptions, it is done in your imagination. And lying down. As much of this session happens in your “thinking” and your “moving imagination” everyone should be able to do it. It is very gentle (and effective). So…take you time…all the time you need to really enjoy and benefit from this session…

7. Eyes, Jaw, Back (35 minutes)

This session is also included in my Eliminate Back Pain Now series and it is a new favorite of many people. It is an integration of multiple functional patterns that can relax (somewhat paradoxically) your lower back, jaw, and neck.

Only $49

Yes, still here and still helping people reduce and eliminate TMJ symptoms. Here is a video that I recorded a few days ago that you can use to see how my Feldenkrais TMJ “exercises” work:

Every so often, I get questions from people about TMJ and surgery, be it a disk removal or grinding of the teeth or what have you. I am not a medical doctor and I cannot give medical advice. But what I can do is review the research on TMJ surgery, consult with experts, and make a recommendation – almost always – that if your doctor or dentist is recommending surgery – get a second or even a third opinion. Research institutions recommend getting the most conservative and reversible treatment available (i.e. not surgery):

“Because more studies are needed on the safety and effectiveness of most treatments for jaw joint and muscle disorders, experts strongly recommend using the most conservative, reversible treatments possible. Conservative treatments do not invade the tissues of the face, jaw, or joint, or involve surgery. Reversible treatments do not cause permanent changes in the structure or position of the jaw or teeth. Even when TMJ disorders have become persistent, most patients still do not need aggressive types of treatment.”

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that leads the federal research effort on temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders (TMJ) and is a good resource for more information:
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/oralhealth/Topics/TMJ/TMJDisorders.htm

And, of course, I can recommend my gentle, safe and effective Feldenkrais-based sensory-motor sessions for relieving and eliminating TMJ pain: http://feldenkraistmj.com/

I have not been updating the blog too much these days, but just wanted to let you know that I (Ryan Nagy) am still here and the TMJ series is still going strong.

I also want to relay to a very strange experience that I had last year but that I am only now writing about. I started to get TMJ symptoms again, though the symptoms were very mild, just a bit of tightness and pain in the jaw. I did my TMJ series and the tightness went away.

But it came back just a few days later.

I was also having some issues with fatigue. I would get drop dead tired around 6 or 7 pm and could hardly work or go out. I decided to go to a nutritionist thinking that my jaw symptoms and fatigue might be related. The nutritionist did not see a connection between my symptoms, but she did make some simple dietary suggestions. She noticed that I was eating lots of carb and few fresh vegetables and recommended that I limit my carbs and also increase my vegetable intake.

That actually made a big difference…but only for a few weeks. I went right back to getting deeply tired in the early evening. At this point, I noticed that it wasn’t that my jaws and muscles were hurting as much as it was my gums were very tender. So I went to a dentist.

Guess what? I had advanced stage gingivitis. For some reason, my gums were not bleeding very much as they normally do during gingivitis and for this reason I did not notice the condition. After a good teeth-cleaning from the dentist and also removing the damaged portions of my gums, I noticed a HUGE improvement in my energy level. Apparently, my body had spent so much energy fighting the gum infection that it made me tired by the end of the day. And the jaw tightness and pain disappeared completely.

I am not exactly sure why the gingivitis made my jaw and muscles hurt. Perhaps I was clenching my teeth or perhaps the stress of fighting off the infection made the muscles tighten…or…I do not know. But I am happy to report that I have had no more TMJ systems. And of course, my health has improved.

I share this with you as a reminder to me and to you that we are complex beings and need to look at TMJ and health and life in general from many different angles.

Be well!

Ryan

I’m in the process of pulling together my pdf’s and research articles on TMJ in preparation for writing a book on the subject of “curing” TMJ. I put the word cure in quotes as very often TMJ does not seem to be a disease as much as a process. People often have processes of clenching their jaws and overusing their muscles that lead to painful symptoms. When you get rid of those painful habits, very often the pain simply melts away. Is that a cure? Or is it simply using the power of your brain to change your body?

Anyway, according to a survey by Robert B. Goldstein, Ph.D. 87% of TMJ sufferers see a medical doctor for help. However, 67% of people also see a so-called “alternative” practitioner, meaning some people see both a doctor and some type of other practitioner.

What type of alternative practitioners do people see? According to Goldstein, the people in his survey used the following types of practitioner:

Chiropractor
TMJ Dentist
Massage Therapist
Physical or Occupational Therapist
Acupuncturist
Other Alternative Practitioner
Nutritionist
Podiatrist
Spiritual Healer
Naturopath

This makes me wonder. In terms of writing a book to educate people on non-intrusive and effective ways to heal TMJ, where should I focus my effort? Should I write a book for the public and reach out directly to TMJ sufferers? Or should I write a book that reaches directly to the providers of TMJ care? It’s an interesting question as I wonder whether or not surgeons, dentists or doctors would be willing to try a simple and direct approach. Undoubtedly some will. But what about those who would feel threatened by a simple solution? For example, if you livelihood depended on doing expensive TMJ surgeries or selling TMJ devices…would you be open to an approach that did not require those? I’m not accusing doctors or dentists of anything, I am just wondering about basic human psychology. If a simple process, a sensory-motor re-education process like that found in my TMJ series can cure TMJ pain would it actually be adopted by medical professionals?

I noticed that quite a few people are searching for “TMJ Clicking” or “TMJ Clicking Sounds” on google. I have also noticed that there are people giving potentially misleading advice on this topic. Some medical professionals have written that clicking sounds are a “symptom of TMJ and that clicking sounds may lead to pain if “left untreated.” Well, I will say as always, that I am not a doctor” nor medical profesional and cannot give advice in that regard. But it could be prudent to note that the National Institute of Health (NIH) has stated emphantically:

“There is no scientific proof that clicking sounds in the jaw joint lead to serious problems. In fact, jaw clicking is common in the general population. Jaw noises alone, without pain or limited jaw movement, do not indicate a TMJ disorder and do not warrant treatment.

So, what should you do if you have clicking sounds in your Jaw or TMJ? Consult your doctor or dentist to be sure. But remember that many people have clicking sounds in their jaw and they do not have pain. Be conservative in your approach to TMJ and get a second opinion (and perhaps even a third) if someone wants to operate or give you a dental device or any other expensive, invasive treatment.

cheers! And good luck – Ryan

My apologies. I noticed that this blog post has very similar content to the one that I wrote below! I have no explanation other than it has been many months since I wrote the prior blog post. And, I suppose this idea of “clicking sounds” and their supposed relationship to TMJ is highly annoying to me.