It’s finally the weekend, and you are excited to go on that much-awaited lunch date with your friends you haven’t met for a while. However, while you are there, you can’t really be present because of the strain you feel on your shoulders. For most of us, you won’t notice something is wrong if you are used to it, as the way you speak, eat, and laugh about silly things will not bother you unless it stings.
You might think that it’s the stress talking; that’s why you have neck pain and a persistent headache. But when your jaw is not functioning the way it used to, the strain can quietly spread through your neck and even down to your spine. This underlying issue can be linked with the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ.
What Is a TMJ Disorder?
Temporomandibular joints are the joints that connect your lower jaw to your skull. They are located in front of your ears, and these joints are responsible for opening and closing your mouth.
When these joints give you discomfort when opening or closing your mouth or while chewing, or give your jaws clicking or popping sounds, that’s what a TMJ disorder, often called TMD, is. And while these signs are obvious, others struggle with neck stiffness, shoulder tension, and even headaches and won’t ever feel that something is off with their jaw.
How the Jaw Connects to Posture
And here is where it gets interesting, as your jaw does not work in isolation.
Your jaw is a part of a complex system of muscles and nerves that is connected with your head, neck, and upper body, so when one muscle is strained, the others compensate for that pain. And since your nerves are coordinated so well with each other, a small shift can affect how your neck muscles engage, so that, when left untreated, tensions around your shoulders and upper back can change your posture over time.
One of the most important things to understand is how your posture and jaw alignment influence each other, which is what they call the feedback loop. Because of our lifestyle, our posture gradually changes, and we get used to our habits, which over time can create persistent discomfort in our body.
Breaking this loop often requires addressing both posture and jaw alignment together, but when that happens and massages or stretches don’t work, neuromuscular dentistry might help.
What Is Neuromuscular Dentistry?
Neuromuscular dentistry examines how the jaw joints and their surrounding muscles work together to keep them relaxed and balanced. Specifically, a neuromuscular dentist assesses beyond your posture by looking into the activity of your muscles, the alignment of your jaw, and the position of your bite.
While neck pain doesn’t mean it’s a dental issue, working your jaw into a stable position may need therapy and a dental apparatus that can reduce the tension of your jaw and neck.
Some Everyday Habits That Can Make It Worse
TMJ disorders don’t appear out of nowhere. They often develop gradually, influenced by everyday habits. Some common ones are grinding your teeth at night without you knowing because of factors like work deadlines and even personal worries with the rising cost of living; others get physical impact or jaw trauma through contact sports; some because of driving or being on their laptops and phones for hours, which can place an extra strain on the joints; and finally, the most common of them all is our chewing habits.
And although none of these habits alone guarantees a TMJ disorder, a combination of these everyday habits can increase the risk of having one. So when it already feels uncomfortable, Toorak Dental Studio offers TMJ treatment in Melbourne to accommodate you immediately.
Always listen to your body.
At the end of the day, most of us just want to feel comfortable, and that is possible as long as the TMJ disorders are addressed early on.
Our bodies are connected in ways we don’t always appreciate, and while the temporomandibular joint might be small, its impact can change your whole lifestyle. Listening to your body requires you to observe what you are feeling to know if there is something you need to pay more attention to so that discussing it with the appropriate professionals won’t be the last resort.
Remember that panicking over everything that you feel is not the best way, but looking into what needs to be adjusted in terms of how you sit, how you chew, and even how you sleep is. If these things still did not improve, discussing with a professional familiar with neuromuscular principles will then be the best solution.
