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These are things I have seen and patterns I have observed. TMJ (Temporal Mandibular Joint) is known for causing clicking jaw noises, but very few know that it is frequently seen with chronic neck and shoulder pain. Few people know that TMJ massage has helped peoples symptoms of Bells Palsy, phantom tooth pain, facial twitches, and tinnitus decrease or go away. Few know that symptoms of migraines have left people after TMJ massage. I have not seen the tinnitus leave but I have seen the rest of these symptoms leave or significantly decrease with TMJ massage.
I am adding this in 11/2018. The rest of this website has been written covering 6 years of experience. I was at the Science of Massage website. I had spent several thousand dollars on my mouth over the last year and was still having toothe pain. The normal TMJ massage was helping but not resolving the problem. Some times tears would come out of my eyes from pain while I was working. A random therapist not aware of my problem said " I brush my teeth with coconut oil. If I need whitening I use charcoal." As crazy as that sounded I said thank you. I started dipping my brush in the oil and brushing. After several weeks I started feeling better. After a month I was felling better yet.
I told my 30 year old son who had been a dental assistant when he was 2oish. He said that many people were allergic to the whitener in toothpaste. Maybe that was my problem.
It has been 3 months now and I am not perfect but I am so much better. My teeth are less sensitive to cold. My mouth muscles are relaxed with out massage.
I wonder how many of the people in the past that I helped with massage had a similar problem?
This you tube video by a female chiropractor has a technique that I use and teach people to release their jaw muscles. It is easy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrkUC5GkkAY
Watch this TMJ sufferers. I would try massage first but this is exciting.
This website is by Dr. Galiffain from Italy.He published this information in 1992. He explains how sleeping positions lead to mouth muscles being out of balance and causing TMJ. He then explains how to sleep to prevent it.
This video is Steve Wilder on You Tube demonstrating Intraoral massage NMT (Neuromuscular Therapy). For all people trying to do self intraoral massage to relieve chronic neck pain , Bells Palsy, chronic head pain, ringing in the ears, this is a good place to start. Steve uses a lot of technical words. If you can get through that, I hope he will help you develop your own technique for massaging and relaxing the muscles of your mouth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-prMigMM2k
This video is a Steve Wilder demonstration on extra oral massage. This massage is massaging the mouth muscles through the face rather than putting fingers in the mouth.
I did not want to learn or do intra-oral massage. However, there was time in my life when my teeth were hurting. The pain moved around my mouth for a week until it settled in one tooth. I went to the dentist. He looked around and x rayed the tooth and called it phantom tooth pain. It was very intense pain. It felt like someone was holding an ice cube to my tooth . The pain would stop as quickly as it started.
I went back to work form the dentist's office.My employer Madison had me lay on a table. She put her finger in my mouth and pressed on a specific muscle. Tears ran down my face and onto the table. When it was over, I just said "thank you for relief". My phantom tooth pain was gone and never came back. I began in earnest my study of intra- oral massage.
I studied intra-oral massage until I had a good routine. Then I started practicing on clients. I found that people did not complain about TMJ, they had chronic neck pain, migraines or face pain. I saw decade old neck problems go away with intraoral massage and changing sleeping positions. I saw fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis pain diminish. They were not better but in less pain. I saw five years of migraines go away in one session and encouraging the client to massage her own mouth muscles. I succesfully treated Bell's Palsy.
I will share some of the better websites I have found on massageing the face and mouth muscles and you can develope your own routine. Also I have only found one person describe sleeping positions that cause mouth muscle trouble . I share that with you too. Good luck.