Most of the time when someone considers a TMJ disorder, they think about the jaw joint. In many cases, our daily habits can create repeated stress on the jaw, sometimes even without us realizing it.
The difficult thing is that many of these habits are very harmless in appearance. Some are just routines that we do every day, while some are unconsciously done throughout the day.
If you have ongoing discomfort, tightness, clicking of your jaw, or tension in your face, then it may be worth looking closely at some of the more common behaviors that can exacerbate the symptoms of a TMJ disorder.
Most people think that they only clench their teeth at night while they’re sleeping, however daytime teeth clenching is just as prevalent.
Individuals can clench their teeth together for extended periods of time during the day without even realizing it.
Stress, focus, or normal work-related tasks such as typing on a computer can contribute to unintentional continuous pressure to your teeth.
The muscles of your jaw are intended to be relaxed when there’s space between your upper and lower teeth, therefore repeatedly putting pressure between your upper and lower teeth will overload your jaw joint and the surrounding musculature.
Bruxism (grinding your teeth) causes a lot of stress on the TMJ.
You may never realize you’re doing it till the symptom appears because bruxism frequently takes place while you are sleeping.
Some common signs of bruxism are:
Grinding your teeth typically leads to further aggravation of your TMJ symptoms.
Although chewing gum appears to be a relatively simple activity, your jaw muscles continue to work repetitively throughout. Continuous use of your jaw muscles during a repetitive activity can cause additional fatigue or discomfort for individuals who have pre-existing irritation or strain to the TMJ (temporomandibular joint). Rarely does chewing gum at intervals create problems for people. However, repetitive and extended periods of chewing gum can aggravate TMJ symptoms.
A lot of people have a desk job where they support their face with the side of one hand or their chin.
Although this may be a comfortable position when seated at a desk, it places more force from one side than another on that jaw and the different tissues that attach to it.
If you keep it like this for long periods of time you may develop tension in the muscles of your jaw, as well as the jaw joint. This is particularly true for people who already have TMJ dysfunction.
The unusual amount of force applied to the jaw joint from things such as fingernails, pens, pencils, ice cubes and other hard materials put stress on the joint. These habits generally include repetitively moving and exerting excessive amounts of force, both of which irritate sensitive structures in the jaw. Getting rid of these habits may decrease the strain placed on TMJ.
The way your head and neck are positioned has an impact on the functioning of your jaw.
Prolonged periods of time spent looking down at a phone or leaning forward towards your computer can change muscle balance and raise tension in the jaws, neck and face.
Although poor posture does not cause TMJ disorder, but it may contribute to flare-ups in certain individuals with TMJ disorder.
Foods that put a lot of pressure on your jaw and require a lot of chewing, can increase the stress on your already stressed jaw joint. Examples of these foods would be tough meats, hard candy, ice, crusty breads, and chewy snacks. When you are experiencing increased symptoms of TMJ, items with soft consistency may reduce the irritation and allow your jaw to function more comfortably.
The challenge with these types of habits lies in the fact that they typically don’t produce immediate discomfort. The build up of effects from these activities over time may keep you from being able to identify them.
The build up of slight muscle tension here and there, clenching your teeth frequently, and stressing your jaw can all contribute to your discomfort over time.
For many individuals, identifying and changing their habits can be an important aspect of managing TMJ symptoms.
While eliminating aggravating habits can certainly help, we must also consider that those habits may not be at the root of your TMJ dysfunction.
In many instances, there can be contributing underlying mechanical factors such as jaw alignment, bite issues, clenching patterns or joint dysfunction. Everyday habits simply add additional stress to the already overworked system.
You should investigate the underlying source of your TMJ symptoms if you have already made changes to your everyday routine. Dr. Luis will assist you in determining whether your TMJ has a mechanical problem. These problems might include clenched teeth and grinding behavior. These could be the cause of the ongoing pain in your jaw, as well as misaligned teeth and jaw.