The Do’s & Don’t Whilst in Pain
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)