TMJ — Clenching and Tension

[Greg Sacramento]

One of the most important steps to control TMJ is to practice anchoring your tongue to the top of your mouth. Not to push your tongue to your front teeth. This is discussed in detail in this book.

 

[Applejuice]

Thanks @Greg Sacramento recently I found out myself that putting my tongue up in sleep releases jaw tension. I'll try to sleep on my side more but I often end up on my stomach that way.

@Luke Young My TMJ originated from belly sleeping plus clenching. The jaw goes out of place when sleeping on your stomach, and if I clench then it puts pressure on it from an unnatural angle. It's hard to change sleeping positions as I often wake up on my stomach. Other pillows can keep me in place at night but it is trainable. Difficult but not impossible, just got to make sure that I'm really sleepy when going to bed.

 

[Halsy]

There's a book about the TMJ healing plan. This book is remarkable. If states if you sleep on your back with two pillows under your head, curl up on your side in the fetal position, or sleep on your stomach with your jaw pressed against the bed. Sleeping on your back can increase airways collapsing in relation to mouth guard users. Sleeping on your side is best. The book talks about certain drugs that will cause TMJ. It talks about posture and all the muscles including tongue movement that relate to why one has TMJ. The chapters on stress management is more tailored to those with tinnitus / TMJ-TMD than anything that I read on the net.

I have read hundreds of self help books and this book (author not mentioned due to spam) is so helpful. I will give the author's name in private conversation. This book is detailed with charts, graphs and pictures on why people with TMJ have tinnitus. There's no information of the net that comes close to the tips that this book provides. This book talks about how to reduce jaw, head and neck pain from temporomandibular joint disorders.

I took the liberty of contacting a couple of the distinguished myofunctional experts of orofacial pain, TMD, neck, jaw and head pain management, mentioned in this book and they had said that molded mouth guards should have a flat surface that presses against your other set of teeth. Several reasons were given. Single tooth pressure is not equalized. Another reason is that those with TMD have wearing functions and joint and jaw movements that change.

The number one product selling service online has a company that sells lab molding mouth guards that are fit like a glove on your teeth. Lab molded is best, but having a flat surface that would touch your other set of teeth is best. They have over a thousand reviews at 4.9 star average. It's easy to see that a hired group of people were involved in writing the comments.

Whilst I don't think my issues are TMJ related I still want to rule them out - still have to see an oral surgeon for an assessment. I would be interested in checking out this book you mentioned however so if you could send it along I'd me most grateful. Thanks!

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@Halsy I find your postings on tinnitus so informative as well as the input from so many others. The neuro connection to somatic tinnitus does often involve more than one element - the c spine, muscle spasms, TMJ/ clenching, dental - mouth and teeth disorders. @just1morething has provided important c spine links that connect the c spine as a root cause to somatic tinnitus. @Codaz and @Lebber have provided informative somatic thoughts.

I think that the dental connection is way under accepted as a connective cause to tinnitus. However, there are some informative articles. Yesterday @SteveO provided a W1Dental link on pocket socket infections causing tinnitus. There could be many having tinnitus from dental infections and some from metal in the mouth. Also the trigeminal nerve as you mentioned. All this can cause high pitch ringing. The book about the TMJ Healing Plan wasn't as helpful to me on the second read.

 

[Halsy]

Heh, pocket socket. Thanks for the info. Jesus, there's just so much to learn and collate so you can bring all this stuff up with specialist to rule things in and out. It can be just as tiring as the T. And the fact that there are so many paths to this damnable condition and corresponding cures. I could imagine what the Venn diagram would look like.