TMJ Blog

TMJ Disorders: Do You Chew On One Side Of Your Mouth?

Chewing food on one side of your mouth is called habitual chewing side syndrome. One-sided chewing can be detrimental to your health leading to jaw problems including TMJ pain, TMJ headaches and TMJ ear pain. TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint. You have two of them on each side of our face. The TMJs connect the skull to the jawbone and are necessary for chewing, along with the surrounding muscles in the lower face. 

NATURAL TMJ PAIN RELIEF REMEDIES

Non-invasive and natural self-care practices are important for long term TMJ pain relief and stress reduction. Stress is a major cause of bruxism--teeth grinding and clenching—often occurring during sleep when one is unaware of these behaviors.  Waking up with jaw pain, neck pain and TMJ headaches are signs of bruxism and TMJ disorders, often attributed to emotional stress. Incorporating stress-reduction activities into your schedule will help diminish the effects of difficulties in daily life and improve negative emotions that may be the underlying cause of jaw problems.

How Does TJz Balm Help with TMJ? 

Mouth guards: What You Need To Know

For those who suffer with night-time Bruxism-teeth grinding and clenching-mouthguards are the gold standard for protecting teeth from being worn away as a consequence of teeth grinding. But did you know that mouthguards do not resolve the root cause of the problem and can actually promote teeth grinding and jaw clenching?  

Teeth Grinding At Night?

Chronic teeth grinding at night is called sleep bruxism.

What is bruxism?

Bruxism is defined as repetitive jaw muscle activity characterized by clenching and/or grinding of teeth that happens involuntarily.

To brux or bruxing means to clench and/or grind your teeth.

This condition can occur during the day or while sleeping and affects adults and children.

Causes of Bruxism

• Abnormal alignment of the jaw
• Situational anxiety
• Stress
• Intense concentration 
• Certain type of antidepressant medication

Bruxism Can Lead to Other Problems

• Temporomandibular (TMJ) disorders
• Tooth wear and restoration failure

Signs and Symptoms of Bruxism

• Chipped or cracked teeth
• Facial pain
• Sensitive teeth
• Headaches
• Tension in the face and neck
• Locking of the jaw
• Jaw pain
• Popping or clicking of the TMJ