Best Tip on How to Relieve TMJ Lockjaw

There are many ways to relieve TMJ lockjaw, but most dentists will tell you the best way to know how to relieve TMJ lockjaw is to listen to your body.

That's right! Your body is your best indicator of how your condition is doing. To experience TMJ lockjaw for the first time can be a scary and frustrating thing because you do not know what to expect, and also what to do to make the pain go away.

TMJ lockjaw happens when a person goes through a spasm and the shortening of the muscles of the jaw. You will know when you have a spasm or TMJ lockjaw if your lower jaw is able to slide from left to right, but you are not able to open your mouth. When this happens, most sufferers instinctively tense up their facial muscles to brace against the pain. This reflex has a damaging effect as it further tightens the jaw muscles causing more pain.

So, what's the best way to relieve TMJ lockjaw? Firstly, you have to relax. Relaxing your facial and body muscles is a crucial initial step as it paves the way for the consequent relieve techniques to work.

The next thing you want to do is to soothe the area with moist heat. Once you start to feel your jaw muscles start to loosen, then start doing some easy TMJ exercises to further stretch the muscles.

Before you start to stretch and loosen the jaw muscles, remember it is important to prep the jaw and help it relax using damp heat. When this is done, you are essentially directing blood flow to the sore muscles. To do this, soak a hand towel in a bowl of warm water (not too hot to the touch) and place it gently on the sore area for a few minutes.

Once you start to feel your muscles relax, then it's time to begin doing some jaw stretching exercises. Keep in mind that these exercises require a fair amount of patience as the best results come from slow and controlled movements.

Like any other medical condition, TMJ lockjaw affects sufferers in various ways, so a jaw exercise that is effective for one person may not work for someone else.

Having said that, there are some basic stretching exercises that everyone can do to begin the healing process. The following exercise is an easy technique that can be done whenever you feel your jaw starting to tense up:

1st Step: Open your mouth as wide and comfortably as you can (without feeling additional pain) and then close it slowly.

2nd Step: Open your mouth, moving the lower jaw to the left, as wide and comfortably as you can and then close it slowly.

3rd Step: Repeat the 2nd Step, but this time, move your lower jaw to the right.

Last Step: Repeat Steps 1-3 until you start to feel the pain slowly go away. It may take as little as 2 minutes, or as long as 5 minutes, so remember to be patient.

If this jaw exercise helps relieve your TMJ pain, then you can do other simple stretches to complement this exercise and enhance the healing process.

Getting TMJ relief is not as difficult as most people think it is. In fact, it can be incredibly simple and easy when you find the right set of jaw exercises that work for you. Remember, there is no need to feel stressed or tense if you have not found YOUR way to ease TMJ lockjaw. The best tip on how to relieve TMJ lockjaw is to RELAX!