Do you have Jaw Pain?

Dr Kylie Sergentanis

• Do you grind or clench your teeth?
• Do you have pain with eating, especially biting a big apple?
• Does your jaw lock or click when talking and eating?
• Do you suffer from headaches that just don’t seem to budge?

You could be suffering from Tempero-Mandibular Joint (TMJ) dysfunction.  The good news is, your Osteopath could help!

TMJ pain can be caused by a number of things including:

• Degenerative changes (usually in older people)
• An acute trauma such as a hit/knock (ie: during sport)
• Commonly from dental procedures – such as wisdom teeth removal. The jaw is kept open often in quite extreme positions (particularly if you are unconscious), which can lead to injury of the soft tissues that surround the joint. 

Osteopathic treatment aims to balance and restore correct muscular tension surrounding the TMJ and also adjacent structures such as head, neck and upper back.   This can be by hands on treatment as well as take home exercises and management tools to prevent a recurrence of symptoms.