Jaw & TMJ

Why look at the jaw and neck together?

The jaw does not simply drop open on a hinge. It rotates first, then glides forward, and a wide opening needs both sides doing that at roughly the same time. That is why the path the jaw takes on the way down, and whether it drifts to one side, tells us more than how far it opens.

Jaw movement and head and neck position can influence one another, but posture alone does not explain TMJ symptoms. We look at the jaw, neck and upper body together without assuming that one is the cause of the other.

What do people usually notice?

• A click on a wide yawn, or on the first bite of an apple
• A jaw that feels tired halfway through a meal
• Waking with the jaw already tight
• Tension building around the temples through a deadline week
• Chewing having quietly moved to one side, sometimes for years

Persistent pain, locking, or a jaw that will not open properly is worth having examined by a dentist.

Who books a jaw session?

People who clench through concentration and only notice at the end of the day. People whose dentist has mentioned wear on the teeth. Long-term one-sided chewers. And a good number who came in about the neck and mentioned the jaw afterwards.

How a jaw session runs

Assessed: jaw opening path and range, side-to-side movement, head and neck position, upper cervical mobility, breathing, and how the shoulders and mid-back sit underneath. Worked on: neck control, mid-back mobility, breathing mechanics, and awareness of where the jaw and tongue rest through a working day. Much of the useful work is unglamorous — noticing what the jaw holds while you are not using it.

These sessions run alongside dental care rather than instead of it, so it helps to know what you have been told. A first visit runs longer, to leave room for the assessment. One-to-one, in English or Korean, at Marine City in Haeundae, by appointment.