I have pain in my jaw, part of which seems to be because I compulsively flex the muscles in my face and form suction in my mouth.

If I consciously try not to do it, my muscles are still tense. I catch myself doing it and try to relax, about 100 times per day or so.

I also compulsively frown when I'm in public, and feeling nervous. I try to force a smile and manage something sort of like John McCain trying to smile. I think the frown response, might be related to the compulsive face flexing thing, and it's physically hurting now.

I'm going to try doing face exercises, but I wonder if anyone has ideas. I saw a doctor and they didn't know what to tell me. I wonder where the border is between a bad habit and an obsessive/compulsive disorder.

Pain in the jaw joint might be caused by TMJ disorder.. in my case it was manifested by bruxism, clicking and finally a slipped miniscus disk.

Do your teeth ever touch when not chewing (clenching)? Various stressors can cause the muscles to tense up and put pressure on the joint or knot them up anywhere from the shoulders to your temples.. symptoms vary a lot.

You're doing good that you are so aware.. the habit you described is probably a strain on the joint.. something one might also do while sleeping.. been there

I like Dr. Stoll for TMJ info.. he has a simple trick to test the theory and ease the pain.. [www.askwaltstollmd.com]

Thanks. The doctor did actually say she thought it was TMJ, but forgot to give me any information after I was sent to the nurse.

As far as I can tell, I don't clench my teeth. I just keep my jaw/face muscles clenched and can't relax them. So, I'm not sure if the eraser trick will help. I also plan to see a dentist.

I think its just a tick. You must be stressed/bored? I get weird little things like that too. Actually, I've done exactly what you are talking about. I would just try to stop, do something else. Bounce your leg etc. Good luck!!

Are you aware of where your tongue is when you are doing this?

I have had major TMJ issues all my life and have ground my teeth down quite a bit which required teeth adjustments. Grinding at night can cause pain during the day...do you grind?

If you are clenching at night it will also tighten these muscles that you are trying to relax during the day. A nightguard is very helpful in this situation. It relieves some of the tension in the joint and also helps prevent any future cracking of the teeth...this is if you grind.

I have found that I use my tongue to put pressure on my front teeth and once I became aware of it I can catch myself doing it...and this relieves some of the pressure in the joint if you can relax your tongue and facial muscles.

It sounds like you are becoming aware of this issue and now what you need to do is figure out if it is tension in your life, tension in your body which can be helped through exercise, or a physical cause such as tooth decay causing pain which you are trying to prevent by clenching. It can be caused by so many things and it is good that you are now aware of it. Now it's time to investigate and get in touch with what your body is telling you.

I wish you the best of luck.
Take care and be well
PLA

liponeer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have pain in my jaw, part of which seems to be
> because I compulsively flex the muscles in my face
> and form suction in my mouth.
>
> If I consciously try not to do it, my muscles are
> still tense. I catch myself doing it and try to
> relax, about 100 times per day or so.
>
> I also compulsively frown when I'm in public, and
> feeling nervous. I try to force a smile and manage
> something sort of like John McCain trying to
> smile. I think the frown response, might be
> related to the compulsive face flexing thing, and
> it's physically hurting now.
>
> I'm going to try doing face exercises, but I
> wonder if anyone has ideas. I saw a doctor and
> they didn't know what to tell me. I wonder where
> the border is between a bad habit and an
> obsessive/compulsive disorder.


Liponeer,

Have you tried using a mouth guard to control your teeth clenching? Outside of teeth grinding/bruxism, teeth clenching is also caused by stress and anixety. Many people face this unfortunate issue, but there are solutions. I personally had an issue with teeth clenching, therefore I went out searching for a mouth guard recommended by my dentist. I googled different mouth guard companies and I purchased one from TotalGard. I am free of pain and living a happy life!

-- CJ



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/30/2009 06:30PM by dentaladvisor2009.

please check out the possibility of mercury in your body...I also had the tight jaw thing and discovered I had high levels of mercury which was causing the tight jaw...even though I had no mercury fillings! Call International Health 1-800-974-1879 and ask for the TOTAL BODY DETOX CD by DR.Sherril Sellman on the effects of mercury. I used the Results RNA Zeolite and my tight jaw is GONE after suffering many years!!