Shut Your Mouth

MAYBE I CAN GET SOME FOOD IN THIS WAY

My quarterly visit to my dentist was October 2
I had an issue and it was not teeth, tongue or gums
His advice

Control your yawns
Don't eat sandwiches
Take Advil
Minimize chewing
Cold compresses
Wear your mouthguard at night

Any guesses?

TMD or more popularly but incorrectly known as TMJ
here is the link with all the info
https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/temporomandibular-disorders-tmd#5

Your temporomandibular joint is a hinge that connects your jaw to the temporal bones of your skull, which are in front of each ear. It lets you move your jaw up and down and side to side, so you can talk, chew, and yawn.
Problems with your jaw and the muscles in your face that control it are known as temporomandibular disorders (TMD). But you may hear it wrongly called TMJ, after the joint.

Crack. Ouch. Bone grinding noise.
My left jaw is stuck.
A year ago, we were at our fave restaurant Crabtree's.
http://www.crabtreesrestaurant.com/
I opened my mouth to take a bite of my salad and my left jaw popped, then locked open. Oh no. I massaged it, slurped some wine and managed to slither the salad into the right corner of my mouth, After a few days, the problem subsided to bearable. I have lived with it for the past year.

MOUTH WIDE OPEN

A few weeks ago my left jaw began popping with annoying regularity. Sometimes getting stuck. The pain radiated around my neck, face, ears and jaw. And there was a sort of lumpiness under my jaw. Constant. A change for the worse. I considered following Liam's tongue out method for scooping up food and drink. My tongue is not as long or as mobile.

SCOOP WITH TONGUE

We don’t know what causes TMD. Dentists believe symptoms arise from problems with the muscles of your jaw or with the parts of the joint itself.
Injury to your jaw, the joint, or the muscles of your head and neck -- like from a heavy blow or whiplash -- can lead to TMD. Other causes include:

• Grinding or clenching your teeth, which puts a lot of pressure on the joint     yep
• Movement of the soft cushion or disc between the ball and socket of the joint yep
• Arthritis in the joint  maybe
• Stress, which can cause you to tighten facial and jaw muscles or clench the teeth yep

  I have all four.

LIAM RESTING JAW

Okay what do I do?
In addition to the advice and admonitions my dentist offered at the outset of the story
I was told my solutions were not helping
My Solutions
I was exercising my jaw all day by popping it and unsticking it. Was painful but I thought I was working it. This aligns with my belief that movement is better than non-movement in physical ailments. .
Don't Do it 
There is a risk of grinding the jaw down to bone on bone.

I was not taking Advil. I figure I must embrace this new pain to raise my pain threshold because the future holds more pain. Also combating physical affliction distracts me from my active mind with its non-stop ideas, anxiety and fears and rotating addictions.
Take it
reduces inflammation. and swelling causing the pain

See a chiropractor A friend had seen her chiropractor and he reached in and cracked her jaw, using an open fist. Was unexpected. She was shocked. It worked

Don't Do It

What else will help?

Massage

Liam and Paul illustrate in the first photo following
and
A favorite of Paul's
Keep my mouth shut

JAW MASSAGE

MOUTH SHUT. WOOF, WOOF