If you experience clicking or pain in your jaw, you may have a temporomandibular joint and muscle disorder. TMJ may be caused by grinding your teeth, clenching your teeth, getting braces or having a misaligned bite. In some cases, your doctor may recommend exercises to relax the jaw and reduce pain and stress on the joints. Consult your doctor before using exercises to reduce your jaw pain.
Yawning
Yawning may help relax the jaw and reduce pain. Opening your mouth very wide when you yawn may actually make the pain worse, however. Instead, hold your fist or hand underneath your chin to keep your mouth from opening too wide. This way, the yawn will stretch and reduce tension in the jaw rather than creating more tension and pain.
Assisted Opening
In the article "Jaw Exercises," dentist Steven R. Pohlhaus, DDS suggests doing an assisted opening exercise to release tension in the jaw. Place your pointer and middle finger on your lower front teeth. Push open your jaw by pressing on your teeth with your two fingers as you carefully and slowly open your jaw. Close your jaw again, then repeat for a total of 10 times.
Jaw Stretch
Stretch the muscles in your jaw to relax it and help reduce pain due to tension. In the article "Treatment of Temporomandibular Disorders" on the Simple Steps website, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine suggests putting your left thumb underneath your top front teeth and your right pointer and middle finger on your lower front teeth. Using your fingers but keeping your jaw muscles relaxed, carefully open your jaw.
Neck Stretch
Stretching the neck may also help release the muscles in the jaw. Dr. Pohlhaus recommends slowly lowering the neck to your right shoulder and letting it release without raising your shoulder to meet it. Hold the stretch for several seconds and feel the tension in your neck release. Repeat 10 times on the right side, then repeat on the left side for a total of 10 times.
