TMJ therapy for a painful, clicking jaw.

• Clenching and grinding (bruxism). Daytime clenching under stress and night-time grinding keep the jaw muscles switched on for hours, which leaves them sore and tired.
• Stress and habit. Many people hold the jaw tight without noticing, resting the teeth together when they should be slightly apart.
• Neck and posture. A head-forward desk or phone posture changes the resting position of the jaw and loads the muscles that connect the two.
• After dental work. Long dental appointments or wisdom-teeth removal can leave the jaw stiff and sore for a while as the muscles recover.
• After a car crash. Whiplash can strain the jaw and neck at the same time, so jaw pain sometimes shows up in the days after a collision.
• The joint and disc. A small disc inside the joint can move differently, which produces clicking, catching or, less often, locking.

• Rest the jaw in neutral. Keep your lips together but your teeth slightly apart, with the tongue resting behind your top teeth. This is the jaw's real resting position, not teeth touching.
• Soften your food for a while. Smaller bites and softer meals give the muscles a break. Avoid gum, hard crusts and chewy foods during a flare.
• Warmth for tight muscles. A warm compress on the cheek muscles for 10 to 15 minutes can ease tightness. Use cold instead if the joint feels sharp or swollen.
• Gentle opening, no clicking. Slowly open and close within a comfortable, pain-free and click-free range a few times. The goal is smooth, small movement, not stretching into pain.
• Notice the daytime clench. Set a phone reminder to check your jaw through the day. If your teeth are together, let the jaw drop and the shoulders soften.

This is general information, not a treatment plan. Stop any movement that increases your pain, and see a regulated clinician if your jaw locks, will not open or close, or the pain is getting worse. The right exercises for you depend on what your assessment finds.

• Physiotherapy. Assesses and treats the joint, the muscles and the neck. Uses hands-on release, joint mobilization, exercise and habit retraining to reduce pain and improve how the jaw moves.
• Registered massage therapy (RMT). Works on the tight chewing and neck muscles, including inside-the-mouth muscle release where trained. A good partner to physiotherapy for muscle-driven jaw pain.
• Dentist. Looks after the teeth and bite and is the only professional who makes and fits a night guard for grinding. The right choice when a tooth, bite or night-grinding problem is the main driver.
• A night guard and physio together. A night guard protects the teeth from night grinding but does not treat the muscles or joint. Pairing it with physiotherapy addresses both sides of the problem.

A night guard on its own does not fix jaw pain, which is a common myth. It protects the teeth from grinding, but the muscle and joint work still needs to happen. When your jaw problem is clearly dental, we will tell you and coordinate with your dentist.

• Extended health insurance. Most plans cover physiotherapy, massage therapy and chiropractic, each from its own pot. We direct-bill most insurers up to your plan limit, and you pay any balance on the day.
• ICBC (after a car crash). If your jaw pain follows a collision, it is treated within ICBC's pre-approved physiotherapy, with no referral needed. Bring your claim number and we bill ICBC directly.
• MSP. MSP helps only with a limited number of physiotherapy visits for people on its supplementary benefits (lower-income households). It is not a general physiotherapy benefit.
• WorkSafeBC. If your injury is work-related and the claim is accepted, physiotherapy is covered at no direct cost to you.