TMJ SELF-GUIDED JAW TEST

Seen as nose to mouth grooves or the onset of sagging cheeks, JAW TENSION is the greatest cause of premature aging in the cheek and nose area. The jaw muscle is the second strongest muscle in the body and the effects of its malfunction can be surprising.

The misalignment of the Temporo Mandibular Joint (TMJ) can be the result of injury, malocclusion, improper orthodontics, stress, or inner attitudes we hold such as stubbornness or anger. Many of us are unaware of how tension can move through the body's muscle systems and concentrate in critical spots which in turn, result in symptoms of distress, imbalance, or facial asymmetry.

Perhaps your posture at work creates stress in the back muscles which builds up over time until it is drawn up between your shoulders. When you are mentally engaged, your breathing compresses, causing your neck and shoulders to become tight and tense. Eventually this tightness is deposited throughout your scalp which, in turn, stores it in the masseter (jaw muscle). The back molars then, may clamp or clench in an attempt to deal with the body's stress.

TMJ SELF-GUIDED JAW TEST

Looking in the mirror, place your fingertips just forward of the earlobe on a point called the Trifacial Nerve. With your teeth slightly apart, breathe in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Locate the facial pressure point by pressing and releasing or "pumping" the point just to the edge of tenderness. This point should feel good when you pump it however, it will be tender for many of us because we have so much unidentified tension stored in and around the jaw.

With your lips relaxed and your teeth barely apart and showing slightly, slide your lower jaw all the way to the right in exaggerated slow motion. Ideally your jaw will slide easily from side to side. First, try to feel if the jaw bone is rubbing against bone on either side. Also, notice if you can hear or feel a clicking or popping in the joint area. Repeat the movement, sliding your lower jaw in triple slow motion to the left. What did you notice as you slid your jaw first to one side and then to the other?

If the first part was a breeze, try pumping the point as you slide your jaw from side to side. You can also vary the pressure when you pump from moderate to stronger pressure to empty out built up stress which is compressed in that pressure point. What happened when you combined the pumping action with the movement?

If you passed with flying colors, continue exploring further. Place your fingers just in front of the center of your ears again with your teeth barely touching. Open and close your mouth, wiggle your lower jaw from side to side to feel where your jaw hinges with your head. You will feel the jaw hinge jut out beneath your fingers. This is where the main facial nerve, the MAIN TRUNK, is located. It is also at the head of the mandible.

Slide your lower jaw slowly all the way to the right as you inhale through your nose. Then, making a "Haah" sound, exhale through the mouth as you drop your jaw open and, very slowly, swing it down and all the way around to the left in a half-circle motion. Do this four times to the left. Slowly repeat to the right four times.

If you feel bone rubbing against bone or hear a clicking, popping or grating sound, it means that there is too much compression and tension around your jaw hinge and consequently in your jaw muscle. In other words, your Temporo Mandibular Joint is not functioning normally. Left unattended, it can distort the shape of your face, accelerate aging and even cause headaches and make it difficult to release neck and shoulder tension.

The feeling of clicking and popping can be ever so soft and will self-correct quite often just by applying StarFace techniques. If, however, the sound or the feel of clicking is loud (like when you crunch on a carrot), this is extreme and you should proceed to do the exercises with caution, perhaps consulting with a TMJ specialist in your area.

These jaw movements for the TMJ Tension Test are actually one of the sets of exercises you will learn in the section to reduce jaw tension and reshape your facial muscles with the StarFace Sculpting Makeover.

So... how did you do? The Good News here is that, by working to normalize the tension surrounding your jaw and by reeducating your muscles to work together rather than to resist each other, your facial symmetry will not only become more balanced but your complexion will start to glow and your cheeks will become relaxed and toned.