What to do about jaw pain

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Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome, a painful disorder of the jaw, affects more women than men.
Pain in face, neck; headache, often near ear
Pain, stiffness when chewing, talking; jaw locks

Causes:

Stress
Grinding, clenching teeth
Poor bite, bad dental work
Bad posture; habits such as cradling phone between shoulder, jaw
Repeated blows to jaw, chin; whiplash

Treatment:

Have dentist check bite
Learn relaxation techniques
Avoid caffeine, low blood sugar to ease teeth grinding
Use mouth guard, sleep on back
Take extra calcium, magnesium to relax jaw muscles

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Must credit Sacramento BeeSidebar to TMJ