There is an inter-relationship between the teeth and with muscles of mastication (chewing) and muscles of the neck and the temporal-mandibular joint (TMJ). This is due to the feedback loop that occurs between each structure.

The main drivers of the jaw joint complex are the muscles. The teeth, joint, bones and even the muscles themselves are all providing feedback to the brain. This enables the brain to co-ordinate or, if you like, conducts the orchestra of anatomy to achieve its goal – mastication or chewing.

However, as humans, we like to do things that upset this amazing performance. The brunt of the issues affects the muscles. Muscles throughout the body work in teams. Simply, one group of muscles contract while another group relaxes. When this does not happen we often call it terms such “a cramp”, “stiffness”, “pain”, can’t walk properly, and even “can’t open my mouth”. The technical term is called trismus.