Intraoral Massage to Help Reduce Pain

INTRAORAL MASSAGE TO REDUCE TMJ PAIN
Hi everyone, I’m Amanda and this is Lindsay at Today’s Headache and Facial Pain Institute.
Today we are going to show you a simple at home intraoral massage that you can do to help reduce TMJ pain.
This type of massage is called Myofascial Release
You will target 2 muscles inside your mouth that can cause severe jaw pain, ear pain, tinnitus headaches and even tooth pain. These muscles are called the Masseter muscle and the Lateral Pterygoid muscle.
The Masseter muscle can often be very tight and sore with muscle knots- these knots can cause headaches, ear pain, tinnitus, and tooth pain.
Before we start with the massage you should wash your hands with soap and water.
To massage your Masseter muscle, you are going to open your mouth and grasp the muscles of the cheek inside your mouth. Try not to open too wide causing pain.
If you are massaging your right cheek, you will use your left hand and for your left cheek you will use your right hand.
You will want to gently massage the masseter muscle feeling around for any sore spots. It is not uncommon for these muscles to be sore to the touch, but the more you massage the tenderness will go away.
You will want to massage each masseter for 1 minute.
The Lateral Pterygoid muscle can also cause jaw pain, ear pain, tinnitus and sometimes cause you to not be able to open your mouth.
This time you will use your right hand for the right side and your left hand for your left side.
Take your index finger of your right hand, place it in your mouth and move it along the outside of your molars on the right side.
You will find a hollow area behind your last molar. Apply gentle pressure in this area until the pain starts to subside.
Next you will want to do this same massage on the left side of your mouth.
You should do both massages daily. Set aside 5 min a day to perform these massages. You can even do these massages in the shower.
If you are experiencing jaw pain, headaches, or ear pain you should AVOID overuse of your jaw muscles:
• Eat soft goods
• Cut food into small pieces
• Do not chew gum
You can also apply warm moist heat to the tender side of your face. If the pain came on quick apply ice first, then heat.
Your Doctor, Dentist or Physical Therapist can show you exercises and stretches to do at home as well.
If you experience TMJ problems, it is always recommended to see a TMJ specialist.
We hope this massage helps! Don’t forget to like and subscribe to our You Tube channel.