Treating TMJ issues: who experiences it?

Did you know that about 12 percent of Americans are experiencing TMJ disorders at any one time? This is from TMJ.org.

Also, did you know that women are 9 times more likely than men to experience severe pain and restricted jaw movement? The majority of women who have TMJ disorders are in their childbearing years — which indicates that hormones, pregnancy, labor, and delivery may play a role. 

Also, many women have full-time jobs and still do the majority of the housework and child care. If that’s not stressful, I don’t know what is! 

Some known causes, according to TMJ.org, are autoimmune diseases, injuries, infections, dental procedures/prolonged mouth opening, pre-surgery breathing tube insertion, and arthritis.

Genetic and environmental factors can increase the risk. A particular gene variant more prevalent among TMD sufferers increases sensitivity to pain. Gum chewing and sustained postures may also play a role.

How about stress, I ask? How about clenching and grinding habits and the resultant muscle tension from overuse of jaw muscles? 

The way I see it, after working on TMJ issues therapeutically as a massage therapist since 2013, in addition to the known factors listed above, these issues can also stem from:

Stress and the accompanying muscle tension

Habits like clenching and grinding the teeth and bracing the jaw 

Dopamine deficiency 

Structure, including skeletal asymmetries as well as poor waking and sleeping posture 

Medications that have jaw pain as a side effect

Family patterns that may be learned or genetic

There’s a sad lack of research and data on this topic, and I note that it’s one of many issues that affect more women than men (like migraines) that do not get much attention from the health care field. 

Imagine that migraines got as much attention from the medical field that erectile dysfunction has gotten. 


What to do if you have jaw issues? I offer a 30-minute in-person TMJ consultation to gather information and evaluate your issues. I teach clenchers an alternative to clenching as well as the above information to stop grinding.

These habits are major contributors to TMJ issues, and you can change them.

If you’re not in Austin, I can do the above as well as help you learn what to ask about when seeking TMJ relief near you. Just let me know if you need a phone or Zoom consultation.

I offer a combination TMJ Consultation plus TMJ Relief session in person in Austin, Texas. The consultation serves as an intake, so I have a better idea of what your issues are and how we’ll measure progress. Your consultation is free when combined with your first TMJ Relief session. This is a two-hour session.

To be fair, when you’ve had TMJ issues for a long time, or they are acute, you may need multiple sessions to retrain your system to retain the ease and alignment, along with doing your homework to stop clenching or grinding your teeth.

I offer a package of four TMJ Relief sessions for 10 percent off single sessions, best done a week or two apart. These sessions are 90 minutes and integrate various bodywork modalities — including work in your mouth — so that you feel great when you get off the table. They are best done over 4 to 6 weeks.

If you’re really adventurous, you can schedule a 75-minute Self-Treatment for TMJ Issues session on Zoom where we’ll do an intake and I will teach you how to work on releasing the tension patterns that cause problems, including working in your own mouth. You’ll need clean hands and short nails. It’s really not that hard! Learn more about it here.

Treating TMJ issues: reducing night grinding

A reader asked about grinding the teeth during sleep (night bruxism). Sleep labs have begun to investigate this.

They found that about 1 in 4 people with sleep apnea also grind their teeth while sleeping. When the apnea is treated, the bruxism goes away. So..if you grind, consider going to a sleep lab.

Most people do a little bit of clenching or grinding while asleep.

When is it a problem? When you wake up with jaw or facial pain, earache, headache, or experience difficulty chewing (TMJ disorder). Or perhaps your dentist sees wear and tear on your teeth. Severe bruxism can crack teeth and require expensive dental work.

Why do people grind their teeth at night more than just a little bit? Stress is the main cause and well worth examining. Reducing stress during the day is likely to result in less grinding at night — but no studies have been done on this that I know of.

However, one of the few people I know who stopped grinding their teeth in their sleep said that when they started a regular, daily meditation practice, their night bruxism gradually stopped. 

If you have personal experience, please share. We need these stories! 

Body mechanics can also play a role. Posture both while awake and asleep influences your nervous system and can produce or relieve stress and tension. Just as with athletic training, learning and practicing good posture may require special training. The Alexander Technique, the Feldenkrais Method, alignment-based hatha yoga (Iyengar and Anusara), and structural integration bodywork (i.e., Rolfing) may all be of help.

A special pillow that keeps your head and spine aligned can be helpful. The Therapeutica Sleeping Pillow comes in different sizes based on the distance from your neck to outer shoulder for side sleepers.

Probably the simplest thing you can try is changing your sleep position. If you have night grinding and sleep on your side, try sleeping on your back. It may take some getting used to but may bring you some relief.

Night bruxism may be an attempt to realign your cranial bones. Several sessions of craniosacral therapy may help.

If you have night bruxism, what has helped you?