Remedial Jaw Exercises

Reflex Opening Exercises

This exercise is designed to produce a reflex relaxation of the jaw muscles so temporarily decreasing the load transmitted to the jaw joint.

Place the hand under the point of the chin and open the mouth until the teeth are just apart.
Maintain firm opening pressure against hand resistance and hold the position for a period of 30 – 40 seconds or until the jaw opening muscles feel tired. When this point is reached, remove the hand from under the chin and swallow quickly in order to relax the jaw.

Immediately following this, place a finger of each hand just in front of the ear to support the jaw joint and allow the jaw to open smoothly and widely, avoiding any swing to the right or left. Remove fingers from each side and close the mouth to complete the exercise.

This manoeuvre should be repeated 5 – 6 times at a sitting and the series repeated two or three times a day, depending on the severity of the symptoms. It is useful to carry out the exercise at periods when the jaw is particularly painful, for example, after meals.