clenching jaw so much

[swgrl09]

Been anxious lately and been clenching my jaw in my sleep really badly ... one side hurts so bad!!! I have tried a mouth guard before and it was too big/uncomfortable... couldn't close my mouth.

Anybody do this? Any tips? I have been icing it, but it's spreading down into my neck muscles too.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi swgrl09,

Hope you are well?

I've had this myself. I didn't know I was grinding my teeth in my sleep other than the aching until I went to my routine dentist check up and asked about it. He could see evidence of it in my back teeth.

It was more on the right side (what is it with us clenching muscles on one side only? I've done it loads with my mid section over the anxious years) It gave me loads of headaches, occasional neck pain as others say on here, etc.

My dentist told me to eat soft foods for a while and to perform this exercise a few times before bed:

1. Open mouth wide.
2. Touch tongue to roof of mouth.
3. Repeat.

It helps the jaw muscles.

Don't be surprised if you get a lot of headaches as when you clench you can feel the muscles around your temples clench too. We have a headache medication ad running over here at the moment showing the muscles responsible for most headaches and funnily enough, its the ones for clenching too.

Overall stress levels are an issue too. If you reduce them, this might go away.

You could also try Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). I'm not sure if there is a variation that includes those muscles specifically, but somebody might have come up with one as its a very old relaxation technique from back in the 1920's I recall but CBT therapists from our NHS recommend it and give handouts for it. Its for anxiety, but it helps you with understanding tensing and untensing. Perhaps you can do it and then apply the same to that area. Its dead easy to learn and only takes minutes.

For me, it went on with varying degress for 6 months in the end. I did the exercises, I avoided forking out a load of cash for a night guard (a lot of people seem to say they are rubbish) since they can cause you sleep problems and I needed that like a hole in the head! In the end, I found taking paracetamol before bedtime combined with the exercises made it go away. Perhaps my overall stress levels dropped as well but I can't recall.

[swgrl09]

Thanks for all of that information, Terry. It was a nuisance for a while but the past couple months have gotten much worse. I will try those mouth exercises ... I had been stretching my jaw open, but didn't know about the tongue thing too. I was doing the opening in the car driving home, probably looked so funny to others!!

I am familiar with progressive muscle relaxation and have tried with facial muscles, but not with the jaw specifically. I will have to look into that.

Right now I am trying to ice my neck and sometimes my jaw, which seems to help better for me than hot compresses, stretch, and taking ibuprofen ... but I worry about taking too much ibuprofen. Acetaminophen doesn't seem to cut it for me with this pain. I also do stretches where I move my ear towards my shoulder and that targets some of the nearby muscles too. How frustrating!

I agree with you though about the mouth guard ... I can't afford to not sleep. But just last night had a dream about my husband dying in a plane crash so guess I still clenched right through that.

Thank you again for that really thoughtful reply. You give wonderful suggestions on here.

[Carnation]

Hi Swgrl.
I get this too. and the exercise Terry mentions does help, but so does this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrXpuEsHHiA
I couldn't believe it when I tried this, I started yawning and felt the relief straight away. I hope the Link works.

[swgrl09]

Oh, that was great, Carnation! Thank you! I just followed the exercise and I do feel like some of the tension has eased. I will remember that one.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I didn't know anti inflammatories worked for this but if ibuprofen works then you could consider all the natural solutions too eg turmeric, Montmorency cherry, etc.

I found it was much worse upon waking which is how I thought I might be grinding hence asking my dentist.

I mentioned this in one of the walk-in groups I used to attend and the coordinator said he had it too. He tried a nightguard for a couple of nights and decided it wasn't for him. In the end, he said he got into the habit of falling asleep with his little finger in the corner of his mouth and bizarrely, it worked!

I wonder whether taking the paracetamol meant my jaw muscles were more relaxed. No idea on that one, I just know it wouldn't go until I added that to the exercises although it was reducing from the exercises alone.

[swgrl09]

Thats true, I should try some natural anti-inflammatories. I used to use Arnica cream a lot and should see if I can find some in the pharmacy again. That used to be actually surprisingly helpful in the past.

I do it at night and also throughout the work day I catch myself clenching my jaw. It will be after some time so I have no idea I have even been doing it, then stop and stretch it out.

My chiropractor I used to see used to stretch my muscles by tugging gently on my ears as well (outward from the middle of the ear lobe) so I do that as well. All this tugging on my face, I will be pretty wrinkly and stretched out one day lol

[MyNameIsTerry]

My chiropractor I used to see used to stretch my muscles by tugging gently on my ears as well (outward from the middle of the ear lobe) so I do that as well. All this tugging on my face, I will be pretty wrinkly and stretched out one day lol

If I didn't know you were married, I would think that all sounds a bit rude

What about "trigger point" massage? If its muscular, that might help and its pretty easy. I've got a book about this which I bought for my mum when she was having a lot of back trouble (turned out to be statins given by her GP and more damage was done from a deep tissue massage given by the physiotherapist. Now she needs a walking stick to cover anything over short distances to lean on!) so I can have a look if there is anything if you want? The book tells you which muscles and trigger points can be massaged so from the description, there willl probably be something that can be found via Google to save me typing the whole page out.

[swgrl09]

Not a bad idea, I will do a google search so you don't have to type the whole page! Thanks, Terry. Got my yearly physical today, so I'll ask the MD too if she has advice. The arnica has helped a little but when I wake up in the morning it is definitely worse.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Let me have a look for you and then I can tell you which trigger points they might be. It will make it easier for you.