07/25/2025
Did you know that your hormones can impact your TMJ pain and function?
❌ The Myth: Most people think TMJ disorders are purely mechanical joint problems that require invasive treatments or expensive appliances.
✅ The Reality: TMJ dysfunction is often a symptom of deeper orofacial muscle imbalances and breathing patterns!
What’s really happening with TMJ: Your jaw pain might actually stem from:
• Poor tongue posture creating muscle compensation patterns
• Chronic mouth breathing changing your jaw position
• Incorrect swallowing patterns causing daily muscle tension
• Sleep breathing issues leading to nighttime clenching
• Forward head posture from compromised airways
The traditional approach: Treat the joint, mask the symptoms.
The myofunctional approach: Address the root cause, retrain the system.
Here’s what many don’t realize: Your TMJ symptoms could improve significantly by simply retraining how you breathe, where your tongue rests, and how you swallow. When these foundational patterns work properly, your jaw often finds its natural, pain-free alignment.
This doesn’t mean surgery and night guards are never needed - but they shouldn’t be the ONLY options considered. Many people find lasting relief by addressing the muscle dysfunction and breathing patterns that created the problem in the first place.
