At Rebalance, we frequently see patients who complain about neck and jaw pain after a dental cleaning or procedure. This is usually caused by being in the same position with your head back and mouth open for a long period of time. This position tightens the muscles on the front of your neck and pinches the muscles in the back of the neck. Additionally, you can also get some TMJ or jaw issues from the mouth being open that long.
Prevent Neck and Jaw Pain from Dental Work
If you’re in the chair and having pain, you can always ask the dentist if you can stop for a moment. During the break you can do simple stretches such as:
- *relax your jaw
- *roll your shoulders back
- *move your head side to side
- *tuck your chin under to give a stretch to the back of your neck
- *open and close the jaw partially
- *make some of your facial muscles work a little by smile or puckering
How can physical therapy help?
A physical therapist can help you to release the tight structures around the head and neck and get you into a neutral head position, which can take some of the strain off of the back of the neck muscles. A physical therapist can also teach you exercises to reeducate those muscles and get them to fire the way they’re supposed to so theyre not so weak the next time you’re in the chair.
Experiencing neck pain after dental work? Click here to schedule a complimentary phone consultation with one of our physical therapists.
