Swallowing

Swallowing is a common and aggravating problem with tmj. I'm wondering how you hold your head and place your tongue when you swallow. It also sounds like you might be quite tense when you swallow. And this will sound silly - but are you sure it is your jaw popping and not your ears? Another thing to look at is if you are moving your jaw (sideways) or even holding your jaw out of alignment when you swallow. Are you possibly clenching or even touching your teeth when you swallow?

These are all areas to look at and see if you might need to change how you swallow. The teeth should not touch, ever, except when possibly eating. Look in a mirror and watch your chin position when swallowing. You might have to change how you swallow, and believe me, I know how hard that is. I don't know the "correct" position for the tongue, but I had to retrain myself to hold my chin down (instead of sticking up and/or out) and place my tongue in a different place. I still have problems occasionally, but it is much better.

I hope and pray that something helps.
God bless...
Carol

I just tried changing my posture and swallowing.....Not as much cracking but I almost have to force myself to swallow. Maybe because i'm not use to it. I've always had bad posture and never would have connected that to my tmj until I started reading this forum. Thank you very much for repying.....And i'll try and work on it.

does anybody have sleep disturbance with tmj, like swallowing problems then wakening up in a panic ?

Hi there....I have been in neuromuscular tmj treatment for about a year now...and in the beginning...I had horrible swallowing issues, esophageal spasms that were so bad I couldn't eat sometimes, and major muscular pain in and around the hyoid bone....From what my doctor has told me, when your mandible is positioned too far back...it will create swallowing issues, because of the lack of room for proper tongue function...and create muscular issues. Also, there is an 80% overlap in TMD cases...and sleep apnea...so that is nothing to be ignored either. In my case, I am wearing a neuromuscular lower orthodic 24/7, to reposition my jaw into a more down and forward position, eliminating the grating noises in my joints, and a great portion of the muscular dysfunction. Over time, the muscles will adapt to this proper position, and then phase 2 is usually addressing how to correct the bite to match the new jaw position. I will need expansion, because my upper and lower jaws are too narrow...and possibly functional jaw ortho. to move my teeth that have shifted. I am also addressing postural issues with A/O chiropractic, physical therapy, and craniosacral therapy to address cranial misalignments. I hope this helps.