Most TMJ pain improves with simple self-care measures you can start at home today. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research recommends beginning with the least invasive approaches: soft foods, temperature therapy, gentle exercises, and breaking habits like clenching or gum chewing. For the majority of people, these conservative steps are enough to bring significant relief within a few weeks.
Start With Ice, Heat, and Soft Foods
Cold therapy works best for sharp or severe jaw pain. Apply a gel pack or cold pack to the side of your face for 10 to 20 minutes, repeating as needed throughout the day. The cold reduces inflammation and temporarily numbs the area. For duller, muscle-related aching, switch to moist heat instead. A warm, damp towel held against the jaw muscles for 10 to 20 minutes relaxes tightness and increases blood flow. Some people alternate between the two.
While your jaw is irritated, stick to foods that don’t require much chewing. Good options include scrambled eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, soup, smoothies, pasta, fish, mashed potatoes, bananas, and applesauce. Avoid chewy or crunchy foods like bagels, raw carrots, steak, or hard candy. This isn’t a permanent change. It takes pressure off the joint while it heals, the same way you’d rest a sore knee.
Exercises That Reduce Jaw Tension
Targeted jaw exercises can improve your range of motion, strengthen the muscles around the joint, and ease pain over time. You don’t need equipment, and most take less than five minutes. Try doing these two to three times a day.
- Relaxed jaw: Rest your tongue on the roof of your mouth behind your front teeth. Let your teeth separate and your jaw hang open naturally. Hold for a few seconds, then close gently. This trains your jaw to release tension.
- Goldfish exercise (partial opening): Place one finger on the front of your chin and another on the joint just in front of your ear. Drop your lower jaw halfway open, then close. You should feel a gentle stretch without pain. Repeat six times per set.
- Goldfish exercise (full opening): Same finger placement, but this time open your mouth fully. This builds on the partial version once it feels comfortable.
- Chin tucks: Pull your chin straight back, creating a “double chin.” Hold for three seconds and release. This improves posture and takes strain off the jaw by correcting forward head position.
- Resisted opening: Place your thumb under your chin. Slowly open your mouth while pressing gently upward with your thumb. This strengthens the muscles that control jaw opening.
- Resisted closing: Place your thumb under your chin and your index fingers on the ridge between your lower lip and chin. Push gently downward as you close your mouth. This strengthens the closing muscles.
- Side-to-side movement: Place a thin object (like a tongue depressor or stacked popsicle sticks) between your front teeth. Slowly slide your jaw left, then right. This stretches the muscles that support lateral movement.
If any exercise causes a spike in pain, stop and try a gentler version. These should produce a mild stretch, not sharp discomfort.
Habits and Posture Changes That Help
Many people with TMJ pain unknowingly clench their jaw or press their teeth together throughout the day, especially during stress or concentration. Start noticing when you do this. A useful cue: your teeth should only touch when you’re actively chewing. At rest, your lips can be closed but your teeth should be slightly apart with your tongue resting on the roof of your mouth.
Other habits to reduce: chewing gum, biting your nails, resting your chin on your hand, and opening your mouth excessively wide (like biting into a large sandwich). These all load the joint in ways that slow healing.
Sleep position matters too. Sleeping on your stomach forces your head to one side and puts sustained pressure on the jaw. Back sleeping is ideal because it keeps your head and spine in a neutral line. If you sleep on your side, use a pillow that keeps your head level with your spine rather than tilting it up or down, since an improper height increases jaw stress. A pillow between your head and shoulder can help maintain alignment. Make sure your mattress supports a straight spine as well. An old or overly soft mattress can cause misalignment that worsens pain.
Over-the-Counter Pain Relief
Short-term use of anti-inflammatory pain relievers like ibuprofen or naproxen can help manage flare-ups. These reduce both pain and the inflammation that contributes to joint stiffness. Take them as directed on the label for a few days during acute episodes rather than continuously. If over-the-counter options aren’t cutting it, a dentist or doctor may prescribe a stronger anti-inflammatory or a low-dose muscle relaxant taken at bedtime, which can ease nighttime clenching and help the jaw muscles relax during sleep.
For chronic TMJ pain that hasn’t responded to simpler measures, some providers prescribe a low-dose antidepressant. At doses much lower than those used for depression, these medications can reduce pain signaling and improve sleep quality, both of which help break the cycle of jaw tension.
Professional Treatments Worth Considering
A physical therapist who specializes in jaw disorders can use hands-on techniques to restore normal joint movement, especially if your jaw feels stiff or doesn’t open evenly. They’ll also design an exercise program tailored to whether your issue is joint stiffness, excessive joint looseness, or muscle tension, since each requires a different approach.
A dentist may recommend a night guard or stabilization splint. These are custom-fitted oral appliances worn during sleep to prevent grinding and reduce pressure on the joint. Over-the-counter versions exist but fit less precisely and can sometimes shift your bite in unhelpful ways.
Injections of botulinum toxin into the large chewing muscles on each side of the jaw have become a popular option for people whose pain is driven by muscle clenching. A typical treatment uses 20 to 30 units per side. The effect lasts roughly four to six months before the muscles gradually regain their full activity, at which point you can repeat the treatment or reassess.
What to Avoid
The NIDCR specifically warns against treatments that permanently alter your teeth or bite. This includes grinding down teeth, placing crowns to change your bite alignment, or using orthodontics to reposition teeth for the purpose of treating TMJ. These approaches lack scientific support and can make the problem worse.
Invasive procedures like surgery should be a last resort. The established criteria are straightforward: surgery is only considered when nonsurgical treatments have genuinely failed over a reasonable period of time, pain and limited function are significantly affecting your daily life, and the problem has been confirmed as originating in the joint itself rather than the surrounding muscles. If open surgery is suggested, get a second opinion from a surgeon who specializes in TMJ disorders.
Less invasive office procedures do exist. Joint lavage, where the joint space is flushed with sterile fluid, can sometimes break up adhesions and improve mobility. It’s typically done under local anesthesia. Arthroscopic surgery, which uses a tiny camera inserted through a small incision, is less invasive than open surgery and involves a shorter recovery. Both are reserved for cases where conservative treatment has failed.
Symptoms That Need Attention
Common TMJ symptoms include jaw pain, clicking or popping sounds, headaches, ear ringing, stiffness, and neck or shoulder pain. Most of these respond to the self-care strategies above. But if your jaw locks in an open or closed position, if you suddenly can’t open your mouth more than a finger’s width, or if pain is severe and worsening despite weeks of home care, see a healthcare provider. Persistent clicking paired with increasing stiffness can signal internal joint changes that benefit from earlier intervention rather than waiting.