The Do’s & Don’t Whilst in Pain

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Top Tips - whilst in pain please avoid:

  • Yawning if it hurts to do so. (yawning is good, just do it gently! You usually yawn when tired in general, have tired/tight facial/jaw muscles and to lubricate the eyes.)

  • Opening your mouth wide

  • Testing to see if it still clicks, locks

  • If your jaw locks up, try not to open your mouth up to that point

  • Avoid forcing your jaw to unlock – if your jaw locks on one side, often lying on one side will help it unlock – find out which side works for you

  • Sleeping on your stomach - (this sleeping position will mean constant therapy for your neck and jaw!)

  • Working long hours

  • Talking a lot

  • Chew gum (very bad for jaws in general), do not chew a pencil - this is very old fashioned advise that does NOT help.


Top Tips - to help manage pain:

  • Good sleep habits - go to bed at the same time and wake at the same time

  • Get more oxygen!! - better sleeping leads to healing and less clenching. Feel unrefreshed after a nights sleep? Sleep with your mouth open? All signs of an oxygen debt, Maybe you need a sleep study? or need to see an ENT?

  • Hourly breaks from your desk at work

  • Eating soft food which is cut up into small parts

  • Keep your work hours a day to 8hrs or less, especially if in front of a computer

  • Regular exercise – cardio 30-60 min x3/week, stretching classes x2-3/week

  • Meditation / relaxation time before going to bed to reduce grinding - The simplest exercise is seeing your ideas for the day written on a piece of paper which is scrunched up and thrown into a bin. That bin then recedes to the back of your head/brain for safe storage and recall. Keep doing that exercise until all the thoughts are written down and ‘binned’ or until you fall asleep!!


Leigh's Business Coaches/Mentors have suggested:

  • Write down all your chores for tomorrow so your brain doesn’t have to remember them that night

  • Sync your diary and phone diary with all appointments / to do lists / reminders

  • Mondays – spend some time planning your week – write it down

  • Each morning – plan your day, write down your chores / ideas in your diary (maybe on your our email calendar)

  • Analyse your life – do you need more balance

  • Don’t make other peoples issues your issues, you can help but don’t own those issues.

Splint Treatment at the same time as physio is essential if its needed:

  • No sleeping disturbance = see a Specialised Dentist or Oral-facial medicine doctor for an occlusion splint (night guard) if no sleeping problems.

  • Occlusion Splints - are much better as a lower jaw appliance, they come as either a decompressive splint, or neutral splint

  • The acrylic splints take longer to mould, however they are more comfortable and sit lower in the mouth.

  • Proxy splints are cheaper/quicker to mould, however they are bulkier and affect the tongue position in the mouth, which we know will then affect sleeping (ie. oxygen uptake or degree of bruxism)



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