TMJ and Jaw Release
Is jaw tension affecting your everyday life?
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Your jaw aches or feels tight much of the time.
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You clench your jaw or grind your teeth — sometimes without realising you're doing it.
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Your jaw clicks, crunches, locks or doesn't seem to move smoothly.
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You can't open your mouth as widely or comfortably as you used to.
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Eating can be uncomfortable, or you find yourself chewing mainly on one side.
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Tension through your jaw seems to travel into your face, neck or shoulders.
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Your dentist has noticed signs of clenching or grinding.
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You're worried about being able to keep your mouth open comfortably during dental treatment.
You may notice:
You don't need to know whether your TMJ is causing the problem.
You may not even know what the TMJ is. If you're experiencing jaw pain, tightness, clenching, grinding or restricted movement, this is where we can start.
So, what is happening with
your jaw?
Your temporomandibular joints (TMJs) are the small joints located just in front of your ears that connect your lower jaw to your skull. They allow your jaw to open, close and move from side to side when you talk, chew and yawn.
But the joint itself is only part of the picture.
The muscles and fascia throughout your jaw and face can become tight and restricted. When this happens, movement through the jaw may become uncomfortable, uneven or limited. You may notice clicking or crunching, clenching, facial tension, headaches, or tension extending into your neck and shoulders.
TMJ & Jaw Release and dental treatment
For people who already experience jaw pain, tightness or restricted movement, keeping the mouth open during longer dental appointments can sometimes be difficult.
TMJ & Jaw Release may be considered before planned dental work where jaw tension or restricted movement is already a concern.
Some people also seek treatment following longer or more involved dental procedures if their jaw feels particularly tight, uncomfortable or restricted afterwards.
TMJ & Jaw Release does not replace dental assessment or treatment. If you have new, unexplained or significant jaw or dental pain, appropriate dental or medical assessment may be recommended.
At the beginning of your appointment, we'll look at how your jaw is actually moving.
We may look at:
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how comfortably and widely you can open your mouth
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whether your jaw opens and closes smoothly or moves from side to side
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how the joints on each side are moving
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whether one side appears to move differently from the other
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where you are experiencing pain, tightness or restriction.
Treatment begins outside the mouth
How TMJ & Jaw Release works
Treatment begins with hands-on work around the face and jaw, helping to loosen tight muscles and fascia that may be contributing to pain, tension or restricted movement.
There isn't one set sequence of techniques used for every person. Treatment will depend on what is found when looking at how your jaw is moving, where tension or restriction appears to be, and how your body responds as the treatment progresses.
Work may include the area directly around the TMJ itself, the muscles of the face and jaw, and the surrounding fascia, helping the area to relax and move more freely.
As the muscles begin to release, the movement of your jaw can be checked again to see where restriction remains.
Your treatment doesn't begin with intra-oral work.
There is time for you to settle into the appointment, become familiar with the treatment and allow the muscles around your face and jaw to begin to relax first.
Working inside
the mouth
Intra-oral work involves the practitioner wearing gloves and working gently inside the mouth to access muscles that can't be reached as effectively from the outside.
This part of the treatment generally takes around 10–15 minutes and is usually introduced after the external work, once there has been time for the muscles around your face and jaw to begin to relax.
Before any intra-oral work begins, your practitioner will explain what is going to happen and check that you're comfortable to continue.
Because talking isn't particularly easy while someone is working inside your mouth, you'll also have a simple way to communicate. Your practitioner will check in with you, and you can use a thumbs up or thumbs down to let them know how you're going.
You remain in control throughout the treatment. If at any point you want the intra-oral work to stop, you can signal or gently move the practitioner's hand away and they will stop.
Your comfort matters
Intra-oral work doesn't need to be included in every appointment.
Depending on your level of comfort, how your jaw is moving and what is happening on the day, you and your practitioner may decide to continue working externally instead
It can always be reconsidered as treatment progresses.
What may you notice during or after treatment?
Everyone responds differently, and the changes experienced will depend on what is contributing to the jaw tension or restriction.
As treatment progresses, you may notice:
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your mouth opening more comfortably or more widely
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both sides of your jaw moving more evenly together
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smoother movement when opening and closing your mouth
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clicking or crunching reducing
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less zigzag or uneven movement through the jaw
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your teeth feeling as though they sit together more comfortably
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less tightness or tension through the jaw and face
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less of an urge to clench your jaw
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an overall feeling of relaxation through the face and jaw
Your jaw movement will be regularly reassessed during the appointment.
This allows changes in movement, comfort and restriction to be observed as treatment progresses. You may also be able to see or feel these changes yourself when you open and close your mouth.
How often might you need treatment?
There isn't one treatment schedule that applies to everyone.
Some people come for TMJ & Jaw Release to address a particular period of jaw pain, tension or restricted movement and may only return occasionally if the problem begins to build again.
Others choose to return once or twice a year, while people with more persistent jaw restriction may find that more regular treatment helps them maintain comfortable movement and everyday function.
How often you return will depend on what is happening with your jaw, how it responds to treatment and what feels useful for you.
Ready to see what is happening with your jaw?
You don't need to know whether the problem is coming from your TMJ, the surrounding muscles or fascia before you book.
Your appointment begins by looking at how your jaw is moving, where you are experiencing pain, tension
or restriction, and what may be contributing to the problem.
TMJ & Jaw Release
55 minute appointment | $250
29 Jetty Road
Brighton, South Australia 5048
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