We are not dentists or dental surgeons. We are occupational therapists who specialize in helping people with jaw pain, otherwise known as temporomandibular disorder (TMD). Many people with TMD dread dental appointments because they can cause symptom flare-ups. Lengthy dental procedures can spark anxiety and leave people with or without TMD feeling sore for days. We can help.
Preparing for a Dental Procedure
Just as you might prepare to play a game of softball or any other occasional activity, you should consider doing a little preparation for the dentist. Your jaw is a set of joints you may not often use to its fullest capacity. During a dental procedure, you may have to keep your mouth open for long periods. This may challenge muscles and joints that have not been used for a very long time! Imagine playing softball and running bases if you haven’t done that in years. You may be pretty sore afterward, especially if you don’t prepare.
Dental Anxiety
Additionally, if you are prone to anxiety before and during your appointment, you are not alone. Dental anxiety has been reported as high as 75% or 1 in 3 adults in adults (Hill, et al., 2009 & Muneer, et al., 2022). There are steps you can take before an appointment to combat anxiety and the toll it can take on your body, just like stretching before a game.
What can you do to prepare for a dental appointment?
Stretching
In today’s world, we don’t often use our jaws in a way that asks us to “open wide” on a regular basis. We predominantly eat bite-sized foods that are easy to chew. For example, opening wide to take a huge bite of an apple isn’t a daily occurrence for most of us. This is a classic case of “use it or lose it.” If our jaw isn’t used to taking large bites of especially crunchy foods, it could lose that ability over the years. Stretching over the days leading up to your appointment can result in less jaw, face, and neck pain during and after your appointment.
In the video below, we share some gentle but effective stretches for the jaw. You may notice we take a very different and gentle approach to stretching these tissues. Gentleness is key. Over-stretching or pushing through pain is counterproductive.
Breathing
Learning and practicing diaphragmatic breathing (DB) is a well-researched and effective practice for calming anxiety. Diaphragmatic, or belly breathing, turns on our body’s natural calming mechanisms. Practicing DB before and during your appointment can help you feel less exhausted after your procedure. If you are unsure how to do DB or why it is so important, check out the video below.
Awareness and Body Scan for Reducing Stress Holding
Learn to notice your stress-holding patterns. During your appointment, you may be provided with music or a television to watch while the work is completed. This is, of course, meant to help you pass the time. This can be very helpful for passing time but may distract you from your tension-holding habits. Periodically scan your body from your head to your toes and notice what you may be holding tight. It may be your shoulders, hands, hips, feet, or anywhere in your body. Notice and let it go. You may need to do this several times during your procedure.
Why is this important? When we hold tension in our bodies, we not only fatigue the muscles but also prevent fluids such as blood and lymph from flowing. This will make us feel tired, achy, and maybe even sore after the appointment.
Manage the Stress
Learning a simple mantra, meditation, or stress management technique can help you manage the stress building in your body before and during your procedure. There are many resources for meditation and mantras. A mantra is as simple as a word or phrase you can repeat to yourself to help distract your mind, stay in the present moment, and keep yourself calm. Most of our stress comes from the fear of what might happen and not what actually is happening. A phrase such as “I’m relaxed and calm” may be a great place to start.
You are welcome to listen to our healthy TMJ meditation.
After Your Procedure
Rest
Pre-planning rest time after your procedure is important. If possible, plan to return home and allow yourself time for a nap or rest before returning to work, school or other activities.
Stretch
Do very gentle stretching of the jaw to keep the tissues limber and the blood flowing in the area. This will promote healing. Stretching the neck and shoulders can also help keep the blood flowing in the area.
Shoulder Stretches
Self-Treat
Do some gentle self-massage or myofascial release to the jaw and neck.
Neck Stretches
Warmth or Cold?
Cold may help numb the pain but will also slow the healing process. Use cold if your pain is intolerable and you need relief. Use warmth to promote fluid flow and tissue relaxation. Warmth supports the natural inflammation and healing cycle.
Still experiencing pain?
If you continue to experience pain in your tissues after your appointment, you may want to learn more techniques to help your muscles and fascia recover. We specialize in helping people with all types of pain, including jaw, face, and neck pain, using a technique called myofascial release. In addition to applying the technique to our clients, we also teach them how to apply it to themselves.
If you are in the Omaha area, we are conveniently located off Interstate 80 at the 42nd St exit. 4060 Vinton St, STE 200, Omaha, NE 68105
Not in the Omaha area? We have a class for the public that will teach you about TMD and how to self-treat. You’ll learn:
- Where the pain is coming from and the possible causes.
- How to treat your own pain without medications.
- How to rehabilitate your jaw and get back to the foods and activities you enjoy.
- How to prevent flare-ups.
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References
Hill, K., Chadwick, B., Freeman, R. et al. Adult Dental Health Survey 2009: relationships between dental attendance patterns, oral health behaviour and the current barriers to dental care. Br Dent J 214, 25–32 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2012.1176
Muneer, M. U., Ismail, F., Munir, N., Shakoor, A., Das, G., Ahmed, A. R., & Ahmed, M. A. (2022). Dental Anxiety and Influencing Factors in Adults. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 10(12), 2352. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10122352