Take this moment to pause for a deep breath. Let your mind tune inward and scan your body. Are your shoulders tense? Are your stomach muscles tight? Is your jaw clenched?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’re not alone! So many people subconsciously hold stress and tension in these muscles. Of course, as a passionate oral care brand, we’re focusing on the jaw, one of the most common spots to store stress in the body.

Now, do you notice that your jaw is tense without your teeth even touching? Jaw tension is not the exact same thing as teeth grinding (bruxism). While the two might go hand in hand sometimes, it’s worth noting that you can go through your day with tense jaw muscles without ever grinding your teeth. If this is you, consider yourself (half) lucky! But if you do both, don’t worry. We’re going to cover how to relieve jaw tension and some ways to protect your teeth too...with help from hydroxyapatite toothpaste of course.

causes of jaw clenching

Stress and anxiety are the most infamous culprits when it comes to jaw clenching. You might even notice that you also clench your jaw when you’re concentrating really hard, even when you’re not stressed! Other emotions such as anger, overwhelm, and sadness can also contribute to your tight jaw.

Other variables such as medications, alcohol consumption, smoking, caffeine consumption, nutrient deficiencies, illnesses, and dehydration can also show up as causes of jaw clenching in addition to emotional variables.

The reality is: that jaw clenching is subconscious, so it’s often hard to pinpoint one single cause or eliminate that cause from your routine. One of the best things you can do is simply become more aware of your jaw tension, checking in with yourself and your body throughout the day to see if you’re holding tension and help you identify your various causes of jaw clenching.

side effects of jaw clenching

Much like teeth grinding, the side effects of jaw clenching can extend to other parts of your body. This is yet another example of how oral health can impact your overall health! Some of the side effects of jaw clenching include:

• discomfort opening your mouth: this is one of the most obvious side effects of jaw clenching. Your mouth might feel tight and sore when you try to open it wide, and you may even experience TMJ symptoms.
• tension headaches: have you noticed that when you relax your jaw, other muscles in your face and head relax too? This is because they’re all connected, which is why jaw clenching can cause headaches.
• changes in facial structure: typically, long-term jaw clenching can cause your jaw to look more pronounced/square
• ear aches and ringing: tension in your jaw muscles can lead to swelling and inflammation in surrounding areas such as your ears
• sinus pain and nasal congestion: same as above, this inflammation can also put pressure on your sinuses which can lead to pain and congestion
• interrupted sleep: the stress that causes your jaw clenching might be enough to disrupt your sleep, but people who tighten their jaw are more likely to experience other sleep issues such as snoring and sleep apnea too.

If you’re grinding your teeth as you clench your jaw, this can extend the side effects of jaw clenching to oral health complications. Teeth grinding can lead to enamel wear, sensitivity, tooth fracture, broken fillings, and more. Your dentist can identify evidence of teeth grinding, so be sure to get your teeth checked if you suspect you’re a jaw clencher/teeth grinder.

​​how to relieve jaw tension

Now that we’ve covered the causes and symptoms, let’s dive into the good stuff: how to relieve jaw tension. We’ve discussed how emotional stress plays a huge role in jaw clenching, so acknowledging and addressing this stress is an important part of the solution. We touched on the ways mindfulness can make you conscious of your (likely subconscious) jaw-clenching habits, so infusing micro-mindfulness rituals into your daily routine can provide a lot of relief. We also recommend dedicating part of your day to relaxation and emotional wellness, whether that’s going for a walk in nature, doing a guided meditation, or talking to a friend or therapist about your stress and anxiety.

Mouth taping can also help with jaw tension and bruxism at night. You could be subconsciously clenching your jaw throughout the night to prevent your mouth from opening (and drooling). When you use mouth tape, it does that work for you! It keeps your mouth closed throughout the night (in a safe way), allowing you to effortlessly breathe through your nose to breathe deeper, filter allergens, relieve jaw tension, and more.

Massage therapy can help you reduce tension in your jaw, face, head, neck, shoulders, and entire body. Massage therapy suggests that the jaw and hips are linked, and tension in the jaw can equate to tension in the pelvis and vice versa. Visiting a professional massage therapist can uncover other links like this, allowing you to address and release your jaw tension from multiple angles and areas of your body.

hydroxyapatite toothpaste

In addition to the methods listed above, it’s important to strengthen your teeth with hydroxyapatite toothpaste. As a jaw clencher, you’re more likely to be a teeth grinder...which we discussed can lead to a whole host of oral complications.

You can think of hydroxyapatite toothpaste as your number one natural, daily defense against enamel wear. If jaw clenching and teeth grinding are gradually damaging your enamel, hydroxyapatite toothpaste can give your teeth a daily dose of remineralization, correcting scratches, holes, and imperfections in your enamel that could eventually lead to sensitivity, cracks, cavities, and fractures.

The nanoparticles in our hydroxyapatite toothpaste have a unique way of penetrating your enamel and binding to the hydroxyapatite particles that already exist there. At Davids, we use a very high-quality type and grade of nano-hydroxyapatite, allowing our hydroxyapatite toothpaste to outperform various leading sensitive toothpaste. Check out our third-party lab test results for proof!

There you have it, a Davids product you can depend on daily to nurture your teeth and ease discomfort, even as a long-time jaw clencher/teeth grinder.

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