TMJD Treatment: Dr. Travis Arrington’s Perspective

Specific Chiropractic Care In Sandy, UT

What is a subluxation and why is it important jaw pain?

A subluxation is a brain-to-body communication problem—when a vertebra (especially C1 or C2) gets stuck, it scrambles the nerve signals that control the jaw muscles and joint position. That fact is the #1 hidden reason most TMJ never gets better with just night guards or Botox.

How is TMJ different if the jaw joint is misaligned or a spinal joint is misaligned?

If the actual jaw joint (TMJ) is off, you’ll get clicking and locking right at the ear; if the upper-neck subluxation is the driver, the jaw muscles stay clenched 24/7, the disc gets pulled forward, and you feel temple headaches and ear pain with no clicking at all—two totally different beasts.

How can adjustments benefit a patient with TMJ?

A precise upper-cervical adjustment clears the nerve static, the chewing muscles finally relax, the jaw slides back into its sweet spot, and most people feel their bite loosen and pain drop 50–80+%.

What makes chiropractic care superior to the conventional treatment model?

Dentists treat the teeth and joints, a PT treats the muscles, but only chiropractic fixes the brain-to-body wiring and posture that started the whole mess—so you get lasting relief instead of an expensive night guard you wear forever.

What kind of exams do you conduct to get an accurate diagnosis?

We do posture photos, upper-neck motion palpation, jaw range + muscle testing, bite analysis, and sometimes digital scans to see exactly whether it’s the joint, the neck, or both driving the pain.

Why is it important to get to the root cause of the problem?

Masking TMJ with a splint or meds is like putting a Band-Aid on a dashboard warning light—the jaw keeps grinding itself down until it locks or you need surgery; fix the root (usually the neck) and the jaw finally heals itself.

Custom Therapeutic Exercise Plan

Why are exercises important for TMJ relief?

Adjustments calm the storm, but specific jaw + neck exercises retrain the muscles so your brain stops clenching and the joint stays centered—skip them and the TMJ creeps right back.

How could our muscles cause TMJ pain?

Overworked masseter and temporalis muscles from stress-clenching or forward-head posture pull the jaw disc forward and crush the joint—the annoying clicking, headaches, and that “my face is tired” feeling all day.

What role does posture play in our overall health and in TMJ?

For every inch the head drifts forward it adds 10+ pounds of gravitational stress to the head, neck and shoulders, forcing the jaw backward and the chewing muscles into constant overtime—fix the posture and half the TMJ cases calm down on their own. It’s as amazing as it sounds. 

What are TMJ exercises designed to do?

They relax the clenching muscles, strengthen the tongue and deep neck flexors, and teach the jaw to track straight instead of sideways so the disc slides back where it belongs and stays there.

Massage Therapy and Soft Tissue Work

1. 1. Why do you include massage in your TMJ treatment?
   2. How does massage complement the adjustments?
   3. Which is better, a massage or an adjustment?

ShockWave therapy in Sandy, UT

What is ShockWave therapy?

It’s a gentle handheld device that sends quick, soothing acoustic pulses deep into tight jaw and neck muscles—like a super-charged deep-tissue massage that melts scar tissue, boosts blood flow, and wakes up healing in minutes without needles or meds.

How does it work for the jaw?

We glide it over the masseter, temporalis, and pterygoid muscles (the ones that clench 24/7 when your neck’s off)—the pulses dissolve the knots, flush inflammation, and tell your brain to stop the death-grip so the joint finally relaxes.

What are its effects on the jaw?

Most people feel their jaw loosen after one session; by 3–6 visits the clicking drops, headaches fade, and they can chew steak again without wincing—plus the adjustments hold way longer.

What is a ShockWave session like?  What does it feel like?

You sit relaxed while we run the applicator over the sore chewing muscles for 5 minutes—it feels like fast tapping – afterward your face feels lighter and you can open wider than you have in years.

Nutritional Supplementation

Why is diet so important in dealing with TMJ?

Your jaw muscles are some of the strongest in the body and run on inflammation—if you’re feeding the fire with sugar and junk, they stay swollen and clenched; clean fuel drops the swelling so healing actually happens.

What kinds of food should someone with TMJ avoid?

Hard or chewy stuff (steak, gum, bagels), big bites, ice chewing, plus all the usual inflammation bombs—sugar, soda, processed carbs, alcohol, and seed oils.

Do you recommend any supplements or foods to help decrease pain and support healing?

Yes—magnesium glycinate 400–600 mg at night to calm the clenching muscles, omega-3 fish oil (2–3 g EPA/DHA) to kill inflammation fast, and turmeric with black pepper for extra firepower. Load up on soft anti-inflammatory foods like wild salmon, avocados, berries, and bone broth—patients who do this notice their jaw chill out in days instead of weeks.

Common Symptoms of TMJD 

Jaw Pain

Why would the jaw be in pain?

Usually because the upper neck is subluxated, creating a brain-to-body communication problem that keeps the chewing muscles clenched 24/7.

Is this pain associated with any other types of pain?  If so, why?

Yes—temple headaches, earaches, neck stiffness, and even migraines, because the same nerves and muscles are all wired together.

What are the possible causes of jaw pain?

Tech-neck posture, stress clenching, old whiplash, or a stuck C1/C2 vertebra throwing the whole system into guard mode.

What is the best course of action to relieve jaw pain?

Get the upper-neck adjusted, calm the muscles with gentle ShockWave, and retrain posture—most people feel their face start to relax in  6-12 visits.

Jaw Popping and Clicking

Why does the jaw click?

The little disc inside the joint gets pulled forward by tight muscles, so it snaps back over the bone every time you open wide.

When would one hear this clicking?  Or do they just feel it?

You usually hear a loud pop or click and feel it right in front of your ear when you yawn, chew, or open big.

What is the best treatment to relieve jaw clicking?

Fix the upper-neck communication glitch with adjustments, fine tune the jaw, loosen the pulling muscles with ShockWave, and the disc slides back where it belongs—click gone.

Jaw Locking

How does the jaw lock?

The disc gets stuck in front of the joint and won’t let the jaw close (open lock) or the muscles spasm so hard it won’t open (closed lock).

What does Lockjaw feel like?

Terrifying—you can’t close or open your mouth fully and panic sets in fast.

How can a chiropractor help unlock the jaw?

We calm the muscle spasm with a quick upper-neck adjustment and gentle ShockWave, then guide the joint back into place—it will unlock when the jaw-brain connection feels safe to do so.

Jaw Clenching

Why would someone clench their jaw?

Stress plus a subluxation in the upper neck tells the brain “danger,” so the jaw muscles stay on high alert all day and night. Additionally it can be a tied to a compensated air way.

What is the result of habitual jaw clenching?

Worn teeth, sore jaw muscles, headaches every morning, and eventually the joint starts breaking dow

Are there other conditions that can arise from jaw clenching?

Yes—tinnitus, ear fullness, neck pain, and even migraines because everything is connected.

What are the best solutions to relieve this tension?

Upper-neck adjustment to clear the stress signal, ShockWave to melt the tight muscles, magnesium at night, and simple tongue-up exercises.

Difficulty Chewing

How does TMJ make it difficult to chew?

The joint is inflamed and the disc is out of place, so every bite feels like chewing on a sore, crunchy mess.

How does difficulty chewing affect a person’s life?

People stop eating their favorite foods, lose weight, avoid social meals, and just feel miserable all day.

What can you do to help improve a person’s ability to chew?

Fix the upper-neck subluxation, calm the muscles with ShockWave, and retrain the joint—patients go from soft foods only to steak nights again in weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Chiropractic in Sandy, Utah help with TMJ? 

Absolutely—Dr. Travis at White Bison Well-Being fixes most TMJ by clearing the upper-neck subluxations that keep the jaw muscles clenched 24/7.

How do you permanently fix TMJ? 

Fix the brain-to-body communication problem in the upper neck, calm the chewing muscles with ShockWave, and retrain posture—patients leave clicking and pain behind for good.

What causes TMJ to flare up? 

Stress, forward-head posture, a new subluxation, or sleeping weird—basically anything that makes your brain hit the “clench” button again.

Can chiropractors crack jaws? 

We don’t “crack” jaws—we gently adjust the upper neck and sometimes the joint itself to restore motion without the scary pop you see online.

What happens if TMJ is left untreated? 

The disc gets more damaged, teeth wear down, headaches get worse, and eventually you’re looking at injections or surgery nobody wants.

How do you get rid of TMJ fast? 

One precise upper-neck adjustment + ShockWave on the chewing muscles can drop pain 50–70 % in the first visit—fastest relief most people have ever felt.

Can you fix TMJ without surgery? 

95 % of the time, yes—fix the neck, calm the muscles, and the jaw heals itself (we’ve kept hundreds out of the OR).

Is TMJ a medical or dental problem? 

It’s a neurological/postural problem wearing a dental mask—dentists treat the joint, but the often real driver is usually the upper neck. We will refer to a dentist when necessary. 

What is a chiropractic adjustment for TMJ like in Sandy, UT? 

Super gentle—no twisting or cracking your jaw—just a light upper-neck correction (often with the Integrator) and you walk out with your face relaxed and bite looser.

Can TMJ cause neurological problems? 

Yes—chronic clenching and upper-neck subluxations can trigger headaches, dizziness, brain fog, even tinnitus because the nerves up there talk straight to your brainstem.