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The Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) is the most used joint in the body. You use it to eat, speak, swallow, and express emotion. When it malfunctions, the impact is constant.
TMJ dysfunction (TMD) presents in many ways. It can be a loud click or pop when you open your mouth. It can be a locking sensation where you cannot open or close fully. It can be a dull ache in the face and ear. Often, it presents as severe tension headaches in the temples or neck pain that won’t go away.
Many people suffer in silence, or wear night guards that protect their teeth but don’t stop the grinding (Bruxism). At Breakthrough Pain & Performance, we view the jaw as a Neurological Window. It is innervated by the Trigeminal Nerve, which has massive connections to the stress centres of the brain and the balance system. Treating the jaw often resolves widespread issues including neck pain, headaches, and even dizziness.
Why do you grind your teeth? It is rarely because your teeth are misaligned. It is usually a Central Nervous System output.
The jaw muscles (Masseter and Temporalis) are the first muscles to tense up when the brain perceives stress or threat. This is a primitive survival reflex. Grinding your teeth (Bruxism) is a way for the brain to discharge stress.
Most bruxism happens at night. It is a sign that your nervous system is not switching off. You are sleeping in a state of “fight or flight.” Wearing a mouthguard protects the enamel, but you are still clenching against the plastic with hundreds of pounds of force. This exhausts the muscles and compresses the joint.
We treat the cause of the clenching. We use P-DTR and autonomic regulation to lower the brain’s threat level. By shifting the nervous system into a parasympathetic (rest and digest) state before bed, we can reduce the drive to clench, allowing the jaw to rest.
Inside the TMJ, there is a small disc of cartilage that acts as a cushion. It should move with the jaw bone (condyle) when you open your mouth.
In many people, this disc slips forward. When you open your mouth, the bone has to jump over the back of the disc to get into the correct position. This jump creates the “Click.”
Why does the disc slip? It is attached to a muscle called the Lateral Pterygoid. If this muscle is in spasm (due to stress or neck dysfunction), it pulls the disc forward out of place.
We treat the Lateral Pterygoid. We use intra-oral (inside the mouth) or extra-oral reflex techniques to release the spasm. Once the muscle relaxes, the disc can often slide back into its neutral position, stopping the click and restoring smooth movement.
The jaw and the neck are mechanically and neurologically coupled. You cannot swallow or open your mouth without your neck muscles contracting to stabilise the head.
If you have a forward head posture (“Tech Neck”), the tension in the muscles under the chin (Hyoids) increases. This pulls the jaw backwards and downwards. To keep your mouth closed, your jaw closing muscles have to overwork constantly.
This tug-of-war creates massive compression in the TMJ. Treating the jaw without fixing the neck posture is a losing battle. We treat both. We correct the head position to take the tension off the Hyoids. This allows the jaw to “float” in a neutral resting position without muscular effort.
Where is your tongue right now? It should be resting on the roof of your mouth. This supports the upper jaw and keeps the airway open.
If your tongue rests on the floor of the mouth, or if you are a mouth breather, your jaw mechanics change. Mouth breathing requires the jaw to hang open. This changes the resting length of the muscles and leads to dysfunction.
We assess Tongue Posture and airway health. We teach you correct tongue positioning (Mewing mechanics) and nasal breathing. This internal support stabilises the jaw and neck from the inside out.
We see many patients who think they have an ear infection. They have deep ear pain, fullness, or tinnitus (ringing). Their GP says the ear is healthy.
This is often Referred Pain from the TMJ. The back of the TMJ is extremely close to the ear canal. Inflammation in the joint can press on the ear structures. Furthermore, the muscles of the jaw and the tiny muscles inside the ear (Tensor Tympani) share a nerve supply. Tension in the jaw can cause the ear muscles to spasm, creating ringing or a muffled sensation.
We treat the jaw to fix the ear. By reducing the inflammation and muscle tension in the TMJ, the ear symptoms often resolve.
1. The Release: We use gentle techniques to release the Masseter, Temporalis, and Pterygoid muscles.
2. The Mechanics: We restore the correct gliding motion of the joint to stop the clicking.
3. The Neck: We fix the upper cervical spine to stop it referring pain to the face.
4. The Habit: We give you “resting position” drills to stop you clenching during the day.
This clinic is for you if:
We provide a scientific solution to jaw pain.
