Day 189- Stop Clenching My Jaw

I was talking about going to the dentist in a previous post, and how the only problems I had was a crack in one of my teeth from clenching my jaw and grinding my teeth. So today I am going to begin working on these issues.

I have never realized how much I really clench my jaw until today. I knew I did it, but not this much. The teeth grinding is only secondary. I only grind my teeth because I'm clenching my jaw. So it's all about getting me to stop the clenching.

I know I am more likely to have issues when I'm sleeping and when I'm playing the piano/ organ, but I have noticed that I clench my jaw even when I'm I feel completely relaxed.  So it doesn't have to be any specific event or activity. This will be a very difficult one for me, and will definitely take time.

There are several things I can do to help remedy this issue. I need to be more aware of what I'm doing and under what circumstances I clench my jaw. I will wear a mouth guard, but I will need to wait until I get back to Virginia before I get one. I think I will mostly wear the mouthguard when I'm sleeping and sometimes when I am practicing (as long as there is no one else around). I need to also make sure I keep my jaw relaxed by trying to keep my teeth separated while my mouth is closed and maybe doing a little stretching with my jaw.

Taking a minor analgesic like Ibuprofen can help with any pain and help relax the muscles in my jaw. Applying heat is also a good way to help relieve any tension in the jaw; warm moist heat is best. We'll see what happens. Hopefully my jaw pain I tend to have will improve with time.