Bruxism Exercises

There are exercises you can do to relax the jaw and reduce teeth grinding that leads to jaw pain and headaches. But not all dentists agree patients should do exercises. The cause of teeth grinding, known medically as bruxism, also remains up for debate. Remedies include medications, appliances and stress reduction to ease problems with the temporomandibular joint, known as TMJ. "It's still something a lot of dentists are reluctant to treat," said dentist Neil Gottehrer.

Do You Grind?

• First a patient needs to determine if they grind their teeth, Gottehrer said People should look in a mirror see if the teeth look worn down or if any fillings are cracked. Then the patient can put their finger next to their ear where the joint is and see if that is tender when opening and closing the jaw. People can then try over-the-counter guards, as long as it does not alter the bite. Gottehrer recommended against athletic guards.

  Teeth grinding is based at the part of the brain stem similar to breathing, making it a primal reaction, but the cause remains unknown, dentist Gerald J. Murphy said. Patients also may have sleep-related breathing disorders such as sleep apnea and should be tested for that as well, he said.

Exercises

• In addition to appliances, Gottehrer suggests his patients do two isometric exercises every night before bed. People who grind their teeth during the day may do them more often to relax the muscles. "This is really critical because the bite plate alone does not do all the work," he said. Comparing it to sports, he said an athlete can wear a knee brace but will also have to condition to regain or sharpen muscle tone.

  Place an open hand against the chest. Bend the head down and cup the hand around the chin. Slowly press against the hand with as little motion of the head as possible, he said. The movement stretches the masseter muscle, allowing it to relax, Gottehrer said.

  The second exercise works the muscle used to close the jaw. Open the mouth about width of the finger and curl the tongue back against the roof of the mouth. Then make a clucking sound about 10 times without the jaw moving.

Other Recommendations

• Appliances fitted to the teeth keep minimize the damage. Muscle relaxers or sleep medications may be prescribed in the short term, and patients may also need counseling or stress management, Murphy said.

  Dentists A. Richard Goldman and Murphy do not recommend exercises for the jaw, saying the movement could cause more damage. Goldman, director of the Institute for the Treatment and Study of Headaches and Facial Pain, said patients should sleep on their back or in a recliner, which makes it more difficult to close the mouth.

  While he said most home remedies do not work, he said patients may try them as long as the remedy, such as putting cotton between the teeth and then inhaling, will not cause more problems. Patients also need to monitor if they increase or decrease grinding or hear more popping or clicking in the jaw while trying a remedy.