TMJ Can Be Caused By Stress-Induced Grinding & Clenching
The answer is “yes.” Stress can definitely contribute to TMJ, or even be a direct cause of TMJ. This is because stress is thought to be a big factor that contributes to grinding and clenching, also known as “bruxism.”
Stress may subconsciously contribute to us clenching more frequently than usual, which creates more pressure within the jaw (or temporomandibular joints). Over time, this can lead to poor control of the muscles responsible for opening and closing the mouth.
TMJ pain may be a physical symptom of both depression and anxiety. Accompanying mental health conditions may lead to increased activity in the jaw muscles which in turn causes jaw muscle inflammation and pain.
If you experience jaw pain, you should know about its link to emotions. Poor vagal tone is linked to things like clenching and grinding. When we have overstimulation of the trigeminal nerve from the masseter muscle, one of our main jaw muscles, we are in sympathetic nervous system (flight/flight) overdrive.
Because your brain is connected to your spinal cord, and TMD or TMJ Disorder can damage your spine, causing issues with the brain sending and receiving messages. TMD or TMJ Disorder, in other terms, creates a barrier between the information your brain wishes to send and receive.
Hold the tip of the chin in the right hand with the thumb resting under the chin and the index finger wrapped around the front. Softly push the right hand against the jaw. Slowly start to open the jaw while continuing to push against the chin. Hold the position for a few seconds, then slowly close the mouth.
Supplementation — Magnesium is the holy grail of supplements for TMJD. I use one called Triple Calm Magnesium, a blend of three magnesiums (taurate, glycinate, malate). It's critical for relieving muscle spasms, tightness and stress. And it improves sleep.
While watching yourself in a mirror, gently open and close your mouth, dropping your jaw straight up and down. Repeat for a few minutes each morning and night. Look for small improvements in the jaw's range of motion as you practice this exercise from day to day.
Psychological Factors That Contribute to TMJ
Stress is a major contributor to TMJ risk. People who are highly stressed and tend to carry that stress in their jaw muscles can experience muscle pain, damage their teeth, and stress or damage the jaw joints, causing TMJ to progress.
Antidepressants or Anti-Anxiety Medications
Tricyclic antidepressants can relieve TMJ pain for some people. You may benefit from these drugs even if you aren't suffering from depression. In other cases, stress can contribute to TMD symptoms, and anti-anxiety medications can be used to treat this issue.
TMJ symptoms last anywhere from a couple of days to a few weeks. Some TMJ disorders can last months or years.
Intra oral massage work simply means that the muscles being targeted for treatment are accessed by the therapist inside the patient's mouth. The therapist wears a medical exam glove and slowly and gently treats the targeted muscle with light pressure. This treatment is in no way painful or aggressive.
According to research, taking magnesium supplementation is really helpful to get relief from TMJ pain. Keep in mind that magnesium has the ability to relax the muscles. As reported, most Americans have low magnesium levels, so taking magnesium supplementation can make a huge difference in that case.
Use a hot or cold compress
Ice helps reduce swelling and pain, while heat can increase blood flow and relax your jaw muscles. Apply a hot or cold compress to your jaw for 15 to 20 minutes at a time using a light layer between the compress and your skin.
Place 2 to 3 fingers on the muscles below your cheek bones. If you clench your teeth, you should feel the muscles tighten under those fingers. Press into the muscles and hold that pressure for 6 to 10 seconds. Keep your jaw relaxed and repeat in another tender or tight area of your cheek.
Having TMJ problems can make you feel stressed, out of sorts, and anxious, which can lead to experiencing these symptoms. If your anxiety is making you clench your jaw or grind your teeth, you may inadvertently be worsening the TMJ symptoms, at the same time as you wear down your teeth.
Aching, tired feeling in your facial muscles. Pain or tenderness in your face, jaw joint area, neck and shoulders, and in or around the ear when you chew, speak, or open your mouth wide. Clicking, popping, or grating sounds in the jaw joint when you open or close your mouth — or when chewing.
Even a slight imbalance in your TMJ (jaw joints) can leave you suffering from headaches, nausea, dizziness, poor body posture, premature wearing of your teeth, decreased strength and flexibility, compromised breathing airways, muscles soreness and tenderness and many more symptoms.
MRI could also detect the early signs of TMJ dysfunction, like thickening of anterior or posterior band, rupture of retrodiscal tissue, changes in shape of the disc, joint effusion [46]. Images can be obtained in all planes (sagittal, axial, coronal).
When TMJ affects the eyes, the symptoms can include pressure that builds behind the eye sockets. Some people may also experience blurry vision. TMJ often causes tension headaches, which can contribute to blurry vision and pressure behind the eyes. Sufferers can also have pain around their eyes due to TMJ.
Take time to slow down and be alone, get out into nature, make art, listen to music while you cook your favorite dinner, meditate to cleanse your mind and relax your body, take a bubble bath or a nap to restore.