7 Jaw Habits That Can Cause Problems

When it comes to wellness, your jaw health probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. However, experts say that many everyday issues, from headaches to ear pain, can be signs of jaw problems.

““First of all, the jaw joints are the most used joints in the body,” said Dr. Priya Mistry, a temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dentist in Washington state, who added that we even use our jaws when we sleep. “The simple act of swallowing moves our jaw,” Mistry said.

Certain habits can cause wear and tear on your jaw, leading to some of the problems mentioned above, in addition to common TMJ dysfunctions, which disrupt the joints and muscles in your jaw.

Below, experts share the habits they avoid to keep their jaws healthy.

Many people mindlessly press their hand against their jaw. You’ve probably done it while sitting at your desk or listening to a friend chat over dinner.

This is a bad habit for jaw health because it puts too much lateral pressure on the jaw, which is designed for up-and-down and front-and-back motion, Mistry said. Resting your hand on your jaw too often can lead to clicking, pain or popping of the jaw, she noted.

“Our teeth should only come together when we swallow… when we talk, our teeth should not touch, when we chew, we have food between our teeth, and then we swallow (and) our teeth should separate,” said Dr. Karyn Kahn, a dentist specializing in jaw disorders at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

“But some people find that they walk every day with their teeth touching, which puts a lot of strain on the muscles and puts excessive force on the teeth and also on the jaw,” Kahn added.

We live in stressful times: constant emails and social media notifications don’t help, forcing many people to keep their jaws clenched all day long.

Jaw clenching can cause arthritic changes in the TMJ, in addition to inflammation. Additionally, jaw clenching “requires a lot of muscle strength, and so the muscles can develop…muscle pain…which in turn can lead to headaches, ear pain, and a number of symptoms,” Kahn said.

The same goes for teeth grinding, which many people do at night, Kahn added.

Signs that you grind your teeth at night include headaches, tooth pain, and tooth sensitivity. You can also check with your dentist to see if they notice any wear or chipped teeth, which can also be signs of grinding.

Stress is a major reason many people grind and clench their teeth, Dr. Michael Lerner, an ear, nose and throat physician at Yale Medicine, told HuffPost. If you suspect this is the reason you’re engaging in the behavior, it may be a good idea to talk to a mental health professional about the stressors in your life or consider incorporating more self-care into your life, such as regular exercise, eating a nutritious diet, and spending time doing things you enjoy.

Alcohol, caffeine, and smoking can also cause teeth grinding at night, so it’s a good idea to cut back on these products to help curb the habit. Additionally, Kahn recommends wearing a nighttime mouthguard to protect your teeth from grinding. Your dentist can help you get a mouthguard that fits your mouth.

Mistry said it’s important to pay attention to your posture when sitting at a computer. Every inch of head tilt adds 10 pounds of extra pressure to the neck, which then feeds into and puts pressure on the jaw as well, she said.

When you sit in front of your computer, your ears should be aligned with your shoulders, which should be aligned with your hips. In other words, all three parts of the body should be aligned, Mistry explained.

Not only can opening bottles or packages with your teeth damage your white teeth, but the habit can also harm the health of your jaw, according to Mistry.

When you open something with your teeth, you have to move your jaw so that your teeth move in a certain way — “that’s a side-to-side movement that’s bad for the jaw and isn’t supposed to happen,” Mistry noted.

Chewing gum can also be detrimental to jaw health, Kahn says. The habit causes excessive jaw movement and can put the joint at risk of overstressing or worsening the jaw disc condition.

There’s no single definition of excessive gum chewing, Kahn says. For people with certain jaw disorders, gum chewing is never a good idea, while people with healthy jaws can usually tolerate it from time to time.

Kahn recommends talking to your dentist to determine if you can chew gum based on your jaw and dental health.

Your jaw isn’t meant to be constantly moving (which is another obstacle to gum chewing), which makes habits like mindlessly chewing pens or biting your nails problematic, Mistry said.

The jaw is already the most used joint in the body, so it shouldn’t be forced to move more by chewing pens or biting your nails. Plus, nail biting introduces dirt and bacteria into the body, Mistry noted.

Kahn said it’s important to have regular dental checkups, “which will help keep your jaw health, in general, at a relatively safe level.”

Beyond the necessary teeth cleaning and oral X-rays, these exams are also an opportunity to talk to your dentist about any jaw-related issues and report things like clicking, popping or grinding in your jaw, Kahn added.

“I would stress the need for regular dental checkups at least every six months,” Kahn said.

Not only will your teeth thank you for these regular appointments, but so will your jaw.