Hello my wonderful TMJoiners! I’m Priya Mistry the TMJ doc and today I’m going to
talk to you about how to unlock the locked jaw - specifically the jaw locking closed
- not open! These are two VERY different conditions, not to be confused with one another! If you've
ever gotten your jaw locked closed or stuck, you know that this is typically a very painful
condition during which you can barely open your mouth more than 1-2 finger widths! It
is also a condition that many healthcare practitioners do NOT know how to treat successfully. If
you watch this video until the end, you will know exactly how I treat the jaw locking closed
at my office with a pretty high success rate! I’ll also be going through a few things
that you
can try at home. That being said, keep in mind that this is a VERY difficult condition
to treat successfully so any home remedies that I can supply will likely not unlock the
jaw permanently, and you should definitely seek professional help.
So with that Intro out of the way, if you’re looking for more information on TMJ Disorders
for yourself or for a loved one, then this is the YouTube channel for you. Be sure to
it that Subscribe button as I post a new informational video every single Friday for those that are
suffering from TMJ Disorders or for people who are just kind of looking for more information!
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a general dentist with a practice in beautiful
Vancouver,
Washington, which is just 10 miles north of Portland,
Oregon. Here at my practice we are dedicated
to taking care of patients with TMJ disorders - so headaches, jaw joint noises, jaw locking,
etc. That's what we do here. If you want to hang out with me on my
other social media platforms, please be sure to check them out. The links are in the description
box below. I like to post tips, trivia, tidbits, just general information on TMJ Disorders.
I'm particularly active on Instagram, so be sure to check me out there!
Alright! So let’s get right into it! To understand the jaw locking closed - this condition
in general - it's important to have at least a basic understanding of the anatomy of the
jaw joint. Within
the jaw joint, there are two bony components. There's the bony
knob that the mandible terminates on - that's called the condyle. There's also the temporal
bone - a skull bone.
In between the bony components of the joints sits a little disc of cartilaginous tissue
similar to the meniscus in our knees. This disc is called
the articular disc and the articular disc is sort of the
key to this condition, to the jaw locking closed. When that articular disc comes in
and out of alignment, it will click and pop and snick and make noises. Click, pop, click,
pop. When it comes completely out of alignment, that is when the jaw locks closed. So the
disc is actually displaced. It is dislocated. The fancy name for this
condition is: an internal derangement of the
articular disc within the temporomandibular joint. Another way this is referred to in
medical terminology is: the articular
disc is displaced without reduction. For more information on this specific condition, please
be sure to check out
my videos “Jaw Locked Closed” parts 1 and 2 which I have linked above.
When the articular disc becomes dislocated or displaced
[and the jaw is locked closed], the muscles
of the head, neck, and jaw actually go into spasm and dysfunction and when this happens,
there's a lot of pain. Headaches, neck pain
jaw pain, ear pain, pain with chewing, specific tooth pain,
and more! Additionally, the jaw cannot open
more than 1 or 2 finger widths. I’ve had patients come see me whose jaw locked two
days ago or that same day AND patients who came to see me whose jaw locked a year ago,
2 years ago .
I treat ALL of my patients with with orthotics, myofascial release, and osteopathic manual
jaw manipulation. For the orthotics, we measure where the muscles
are the most relaxed and where the joints are aligned
and we build orthotics to hold the jaw in that position. And when we do that, good things
tend to happen. We see pain levels go down and the joints start to stabilize. Unlocking
the jaw is not a quick procedure; it is slow. It can take 4-6 months for things to unlock
and then stabilize in that unlocked position. So going back to how I treat. Once the orthotics
are fitted,
we then follow that up with frequent and consistent visits during which we do myofascial release,
osteopathic manual jaw manipulation, and we check the orthotics at each visit.
Myofascial release is a technique that can help loosen up restrictive and tight
tissue and fascia. For more information on this, please watch my video “What
is Myofascial Release” which I’ve linked above. When done correctly, myofascial release
can help loosen up tight and restrictive fascia and tissue that is in close proximity
to the articular disc, giving it a chance
to get back into proper alignment. Osteopathic manual
jaw manipulation is very technique-sensitive
and it is a subtle jaw manipulation that was actually taught to me by my wonderful mentor,
Dr. Arthur Parker. This jaw manipulation is a MUST when it comes to my patients who are
clicking or popping or whose jaws are locked closed. So doing the myofascial release,
the jaw manipulation, and checking the orthotics frequently and consistently for these patients
is very important! The orthotic cannot change, but every individual can change. And as the
muscles loosen up, as the articular discs get back in alignment, the orthotics must
be checked frequently and adjusted to keep up with the body's changes.
Typically a patient is in treatment
for 4-6 months when the jaw is locked closed. It can definitely take longer, especially
if the patient has been locked for longer than 6 months previous to the patient starting
treatment with us. And of course, we do NOT have
a 100 percent success rate. We have a 90% success rate which is pretty darn good
considering how difficult this condition is to treat.
If you’re watching this video because your jaw
is locked, there are some things that you can try at home. you can try to release some
muscles
My videos “Releasing the Masseter”
and “Releasing the Lateral Pterygoid” have helped
many people who are in pain and who have a
restricted range of motion. I’ve linked them both above so please be sure to check
them out and try them out at home. Additionally,
you can try the 6x6 exercise. For this, you bring your teeth edge-to-edge,
as if you’re
biting off a thread. From that position, go ahead and open as wide as you can. Don't force
anything or hurt yourself, but open wide and then back to that edge to edge position. And
you that 6 times, 6 timer per day - hence the name the 6x6.
So what the 6x6 does is it actually brings the jaw forward. And when you bring the jaw
forward, you're bringing it to where the articular disc displaced. When it displaces, it typically
goes too far forward and in so you're bringing your jaw to meet that displaced disc and encouraging
it to remold to get back into alignment. Again, these muscle releases, these exercises likely
WON’T get you fully unlocked and if they do, you
likely won't stay unlocked. So not to be a Debbie Downer, but I hope they do help with
pain and to improve your range of motion somewhat. So again, please seek professional help if
you're going through this.
So that’s really it my friends. I hope you like what you saw and if you did, click
“Like” below, Subscribe to my channel, do all the things! As always, questions and
comments are welcome. I try to get back to everybody!
And remember, my friends, you can never have TMI about
TMJ! Thank you!