TMJ care.
Jaw, neck, breath, all in conversation.
Manual therapy and movement for jaw pain, clicking, locking, headaches, and bruxism. We treat the jaw as part of the whole upper-quarter system, not in isolation.
The jaw is part of a bigger system.
TMJ work that ignores the cervical spine, the breath pattern, and the postural set will plateau. We treat the jaw as the visible end of a system that includes the neck, the cranial base, the breath, and sometimes the pelvic floor.
Manual therapy to the masseter, temporalis, and digastric is where most plans start. Then joint mobilization for the TMJ and the upper cervical spine. Breath retraining and tongue resting position to reduce the chronic load that drives clenching. Every plan is layered. Most patients are surprised at how much changes when the cervical spine releases.
Start with the cervical spine
Most TMJ patterns are driven from above. The upper cervical spine influences jaw resting position more than the jaw does. We assess and treat the neck before we ever touch the masseter directly.
Quiet the clench
Bruxism and daytime clenching are nervous-system events as much as muscular ones. Breath retraining, tongue rest position, and downregulation strategies often do more than direct masseter work alone.
Coordinate with your dentist
TMJ care lives at the intersection of physical therapy and dentistry. We coordinate with your dentist or orthodontist when the case calls for it, and we tell you plainly when a splint, occlusal adjustment, or referral is the right next step.
Where this work actually fits.
TMJ presentations vary widely. We see the full range, from acute jaw injuries to long-standing pain that has not responded to splints, dental work, or medication alone.
TMJ dysfunction (TMD)
Jaw pain, clicking, locking, limited opening. The most common presentation we see, and the one with the most predictable arc.
Bruxism and daytime clenching
Masseter pain, tension headaches, fatigued jaw on waking. Often paired with cervical pattern work and breath retraining.
Cervicogenic and tension headaches
Headaches driven by upper cervical and jaw tension. TMJ work is often the missing piece when neurology and medication have not fully resolved the pattern.
Pre- and post-orthodontic care
Preparing for or recovering from braces, aligners, or jaw surgery. Coordinated with your orthodontist or oral surgeon.
Post-dental-surgery recovery
Wisdom-tooth removal, jaw surgery, implant recovery. Restoring range and reducing protective guarding once the surgical site is stable.
Atypical facial pain
Facial and trigeminal-pattern pain that has not been resolved by ENT, dental, or neurology workups alone. Coordinated with the relevant specialists.
Initial evaluation
- Full evaluation paired with same-visit hands-on treatment
- Most patients feel pain relief by the end of the first visit
- Personalized treatment plan in writing
- Hands-on treatment same visit
- Take-home program emailed after
Follow-up session
- Continued manual therapy and movement work
- Program progression and review
- Same therapist, every visit
- Package rates available for courses of care
You probably want to know.
Do you do intraoral work?
Yes, with gloves, with consent, and only when it is the right tool. Many TMJ presentations resolve well with external work alone. Intraoral is for the structures that cannot be reached any other way.
Will I need a night guard?
That is between you and your dentist. We coordinate, but the splint decision is theirs. Our job is to reduce the underlying drive for clenching so the splint does less work.
Should I see you before or after orthodontics?
Both can be appropriate. Before, to set up a balanced starting place. After, to retrain a jaw that has been adjusting to new contacts. We work alongside your orthodontist either way.
Can you treat sleep apnea?
We do not diagnose or primarily treat sleep apnea, that is a physician's role. We can help with the jaw, tongue, and breath patterns that often accompany it, as part of a coordinated care plan.
Hands-on care, crafted around you.
Every plan begins with a thorough evaluation. Thirty minutes of direct one-on-one time with your dedicated therapist, within a sixty-minute visit. No rotations, no rush.