The Hindu Business Line : A click in your jaw?

Every morning, Manan wakes up to find his teeth clamped hard together with an accompanying throbbing head. A symptom of strong inner stress, teeth gnashing is called bruxism. If not treated earlier, it doesn't just erode the enamel, it could also lead to TMJ — temporo-mandibular joint syndrome.

Though pretty painful, TMJ simply means your teeth and jaw joint is misaligned. The common symptoms of TMJ are constant headaches, nagging toothaches, sore neck, shoulders, upper back, and a `click' in the jaw when you open or shut your mouth.

If TMJ worsens, you won't be able to open your mouth wide. And, yes, you must consult your dentist. Medical treatment and advice would probably be:

Take an aspirin to kill the pain.

After the pain subsides, dip a cloth in hot water, wring it and hold it against your jaw to relax the clenched muscles and promote blood circulation to this region.

Eat only liquid or soft foods for a week.

Stand and sit erect so that your ears are in line — not in front — with your shoulders. Neither look up nor down for long periods.

Through the day, make sure that your teeth don't touch when your mouth is closed. Dr A.S. Kaplan, a TMJ specialist from the US, suggests repeating: "Lips together, teeth apart".

To avoid teeth grinding and keep your jaw steady while sleeping, get a mouth guard, put it in hot water, then into your mouth and gently bite on it to make it fit.

Sleep only on your back to keep your jaw relaxed. Avoid sleeping on your stomach or side as it puts pressure on the jaw.

Yawn restrictedly by controlling your jaw movement with your hand.

Keep shifting your bag from one shoulder to the other to avoid the load that tenses the jaw.

Wear flats, not high heels.

Get over this habit

Dr K.R. Goljan, another American TMJ specialist, explains, "We grit and grind our teeth when we are uptight because it's a programmed response, an ingrained habit." His suggestion: break free of the habit.

Step One: Acknowledge the negative effect — "Clenching my jaw and grinding my teeth is bad for me."

Step Two: State why the problem is serious — "It hurts me badly and makes me more frustrated, angry, sad."

Step Three: Affirm your course of action — "I shall not clench my jaw and teeth anymore."

Step Four: Describe the positive effects of this new course of action — "It will make the pain go away and I will be happier."

"Use your own words to describe your habit and your feelings about it," says Dr Goljan. "Write them down on paper. Carry that paper with you until you memorise the phrases and repeat them seven times a day for seven days." It works, he assures.

A relaxed approach to work

Equally important is to develop a de-stressed and relaxed approach to work, relationships, leisure and life. Some tips:

Finish what you start. Completing a task to satisfaction relaxes.

Don't procrastinate. The tension of knowing you aren't doing what you should be doing is not worth the grind.

Distract yourself. When an unpleasant thought strikes, think of something or somebody that cheers and relaxes you.

In uncertainty, think of your past successes. For example, if you're nervous before a presentation, think of past successes. A back-up memory eases.

Think positive. If you are apprehensive about meeting your boss over Project IV, focus on how supportive she/he was on Project I rather than her/his displeasure during Project III.

Don't make play into work. You don't have to win everywhere, every time. Forget about winning a game of tennis. Don't compete. Relax. Enjoy playing.

Re-define being a perfectionist. Demanding gut-busting performance from yourself puts you on edge. Working from a sense of joy, a sense of service and giving transforms a life of stress and strain to a life of sweetness and comfort.

Learn to be secure. Dr E. Miller, an American stress expert, advises, "Have a list of affirmations ready that you can start repeating when you feel stressed. They don't have to be complicated. Just chanting `I can handle this' to yourself or `I know more about this than anyone here' will work. It pulls you away from the animal reflex to stress — the quick breathing, the clenched teeth — and toward the reasoned response, the intellect — the part of you that really can handle it."

Exercise away the clench. Dr Miller's approach is direct and simple. To unclench the teeth, "drop the jaw and roll it to relax the muscles." If that's not possible due to soreness in the region, "walk around the block to throw off the tension of a rough business meeting or family squabble. Exercise is what your muscles instinctively want to do under stress — run or fight."

Finally, if you find your boss too demanding or your colleague irritating, ask yourself: "What is it like for them to work with me?" Sometimes, a jaw-dropper like this one keeps the balance.

The writer is co-author of the book `Fitness for Life'.

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