Why the TMJ is the most important joint in the body…

The TMJ (Temporomandibular joint) is a complex pair of joints that play an important role in the function of the body. It influences the shape of the face while a child is growing, the endocrine system through the pituitary gland, neurologically through the cranial nerves, and the balance of the spine and pelvis through muscle tension.

The TMJ itself can have a number of ailments from clicking, popping, and teeth grinding, plus cause headaches, neck pain, and even migraines. Something as simple as only chewing on one side of the jaw can cause a muscle imbalance that is both visible to the eye and felt in the face. Add stress or open mouth breathing to that situation and you have a recipe for disaster. One interesting part about the TMJ is that 2 sets of muscles, called the Pterygoids, connect it to a butterfly shaped bone in the middle of the skull called the Sphenoid (pronounced sfee- noyd). The Sphenoid can tilt forwards and back, side to side, and slightly rotate depending on the forces of the bones and muscles connected to it. It forms the back of the eye socket and the back top edge of the mouth, this is where the Pterygoid muscles attach. Therefore Jaw tension can cause crooked eyes (sideways tilt or one eye more forward in the socket), a sideways Jaw, ringing in the ears, and can trigger the stress response and open mouth breathing. 

Did you know mouth breathing can affect your hormones?

The mouth is designed to be closed at rest, and can only be opened by muscles or high amounts of tension on the TMJ. If you are a mouth breather- anytime you need to breathe your muscles will open the mouth, flatten out the tongue, and allow you to breathe. If this happens while you are sleeping, EVERY TIME you need to breathe you will slightly wake up to open the mouth before you fall back asleep. This is one reason why people who mouth breathe often wake up unrested, have bags under their eyes, and can develop sinus and nasal breathing restrictions. The tongue is supposed to be flat against the roof of the mouth with the mouth CLOSED anytime you are not eating or speaking. So how does this affect your stress levels and hormones?

There is a small indent in the Sphenoid bone where you will find the Pituitary gland, which is part of the endocrine system and is in charge of making 8 essential hormones for the body- Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), Growth hormone, Thyroid Stimulating hormone (TSH), Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Luteinizing Hormone (LH), Prolactin, Antidiuretic hormone, and Oxytocin. ACTH is broken down into 2 parts- Aldosterone and Cortisol, and we all know that too much Cortisol is not a good thing. But do you know why? A few things cortisol does: affects how we respond and adapt to stressors on the mind and body, influences our sleep-wake cycle, our appetite, memory function, influences our body's inflammation and immune response, the breakdown of fats in the body to create energy, insulin secretion, and much more. 

So we know that an increased stress response often triggers mouth breathing, but then constant mouth breathing can trigger a heightened stress response. How do you break the cycle?? Reprogramming the nervous system and jaw position to encourage the TMJ to stay in its proper alignment, called Centric Relation. This requires a specialized type of therapy, that we offer at the clinic! If you are interested in learning more about this therapy, take a look at our “Therapies” page of the website!