A deviation is an unwanted shifting of the jaw to one side. When many TMJ patients open their mouths, their jaws deviate to one side. Almost always the jaw shifts towards the jaw joint that is damaged. Over time the good side of the mouth becomes overused and develops problems. This TMJ exercise is used to help reeducate the jaw to open correctly. It must be done in front of a mirror so that you can actually see your jaw open and close.

          Stand in front of a mirror ( a bathroom mirror will do ) and be sure the room is very well lighted. First take some time to watch what is happening to your jaw. Slowly open and close your mouth while keeping your head straight. Notice that your jaw is opening to one side.

          Now try and open your mouth straight. This will take some effort because the weak muscles on the bad side will not want to function correctly when you ask them. Open and close correctly for ten openings and take a rest. Repeat another ten openings again and take a rest. Finally repeat ten more. This is called three sets of ten. Do three sets of ten three or four times each day.

          If you are having problems noticing your jaw shifting, place a piece of tape, or a colored dot on your chin. These dots can be purchased at Office Depot and come in packs of 100 or more. They are normally used to mark files. You can also hold a piece of dental floss in front of your face and mouth. Open and close while keeping the floss perfectly vertical. An abnormal jaw will go to one side of the floss. That is what this TMJ exercise is attempting to correct.

          Much of the TMJ pain that most patients have comes from muscle pain. The primary purpose of our TMJ program is to reduce muscle problems but a motivated patient can do more. TMJ exercises can be done to help reduce your TMJ pain.

          TMJ muscle pain often occurs when a jaw muscle can not clean out its waste or receive its food to renew itself. This happens when a muscle tightens and stays tight. The tightness cuts off the blood vessels going into and out of the muscle. One way to loosen and relax a muscle is to uses TMJ exercises to gently stretch it.

          Stretching can be done by slowly opening your mouth as wide and you comfortably can and then slowly closing. Then slowly opening to the left side as wide as you comfortably can and then slowly closing. Then slowly opening to the right side as wide as you comfortably can and then slowly closing. Repeat these movements until your muscles feel better. You can do this stretching exercise while driving, watching TV, before bed, at work, and during a lot of other times.

          The next step is to assist your jaw in doing these stretches by using your hand to gently go a bit further than just by opening your mouth yourself. Do not use a lot of force! Do each of the stretching movements as previously described above but use your hand to open a little bit more than you could only with your mouth. If this causes a lot of pain, don't do it.

          You can increase the blood flow to your muscles by placing moist hot towels on the sides of your face while you do this exercise. Run a sink with hot water until it fills up about half way. Adjust the hot water so that you can touch it with your hands and it doesn't burn. Place two hand towels in the hot water and then wring the two towels out. Quickly fold the towels up neatly and place one on each side of your face. Do your stretching exercise until the towels become cold. You can continue to reheat the towels and repeat the exercise until your muscles feel better.

          If you are having TMJ problems and would like to consult with our TMJ dentist,Dr. Mark Padolsky, please call and make an appointment at 404-874-7428.