By Joëlle Ramseier, physiotherapist at Kineo Seefeld
Braces in your mouth, tension in your jaw
Braces or clear aligners slowly move teeth to their new position. This is intended and usually well tolerated. Even so, some people notice during treatment that their jaw hurts, clicks, tires more quickly, or that they clench more than before. Neck and head pain can also be added.
Orthodontics and physiotherapy share a common goal here: teeth, jaw joint and muscles should work well together in the end. Your orthodontist takes care of the position of the teeth. We take care of the joints, muscles and movement patterns.
When physiotherapy makes sense during orthodontic treatment
- Jaw pain or clicking during treatment that doesn't go away after a few days
- Clenching on the aligners: Many adults with aligners bite on the splints without realising, especially when concentrating or under stress. This can overload the chewing muscles.
- Restricted mouth opening or a jaw that deviates to the side when opening
- Existing CMD: If you already had jaw problems before treatment, you benefit from support so that they don't get worse.
- Before and after jaw surgery: For larger misalignments, orthodontics is sometimes combined with corrective jaw surgery. Afterwards, targeted exercises for mouth opening and chewing function are often needed.
- Neck and head pain that appears for the first time or gets worse during treatment
What is normal and what isn't?
A feeling of pressure on the teeth in the first days after the braces are fitted or adjusted, or after changing aligners, is normal. It happens because the teeth are being moved. This feeling affects mainly the teeth, not the jaw joint.
Talk to your orthodontist if:
- pain at the jaw joint in front of the ear lasts longer than one to two weeks
- your mouth suddenly won't open properly any more
- a previously quiet jaw joint starts to click noticeably
- your bite suddenly feels unfamiliar
- a bracket, wire or aligner rubs, presses or is damaged
Tongue, breathing and swallowing
For a stable result, it is not only the braces that matter, but also what your tongue, lips and breathing do every day.
- Tongue resting position: At rest, the tongue ideally lies on the roof of the mouth, with the tip behind the upper front teeth. If it sits low permanently or pushes against the teeth, this can influence the position of the teeth.
- Nasal breathing: If you breathe through your mouth a lot, you often have a low tongue position and open lips. Permanent mouth breathing should be checked by a doctor, for example because of obstructed nasal breathing.
- Swallowing pattern: When swallowing, the tongue ideally presses against the roof of the mouth, not against the teeth.
Training the tongue, lips and swallowing is the job of myofunctional therapy, which is mostly offered in speech therapy. We complement it with work on the jaw joint, chewing muscles and neck.
What you can do yourself
- Teeth apart: Except when chewing and swallowing, your teeth hardly touch. With aligners the rule is: wear the splints, but don't bite on them.
- Set reminders: A small dot on your screen reminds you to loosen your jaw and tongue.
- Controlled opening: Tongue on the roof of the mouth, open and close your mouth slowly without the jaw drifting to the side. 2 x 10 repetitions daily in front of a mirror.
- Heat: For tired chewing muscles, apply heat to your cheek and temple for 10–15 minutes.
- Adapt your chewing: In the days after an adjustment, eat softer food in small bites and chew on both sides.
How we support you during orthodontics at Kineo
We work alongside your orthodontic treatment. Planning the movement of the teeth stays with your orthodontist.
1. Assessment: what we examine in your first session
- Mouth opening and opening path: measurement in millimetres and observation of whether the lower jaw opens straight
- Jaw joint: noises such as clicking or grinding, tenderness and mobility during sideways and forward movements
- Chewing muscles: palpating the masseter and temporalis for overload and referred pain
- Tongue resting position and breathing: Where does your tongue sit at rest, how do you breathe, are your lips closed?
- Neck and posture: mobility of the upper cervical spine and strength of the deep neck flexors
- Habits: clenching, grinding, nail biting or chewing gum
2. Treatment in phases
- Phase 1, weeks 1–2: Settle things down. Soft tissue techniques on the chewing muscles, gentle joint mobilisation, resting position and everyday tips
- Phase 2, weeks 3–6: Build control. Coordination exercises for a straight mouth opening, exercises for the deep neck flexors, 2 x 10 repetitions daily
- Phase 3: Support as needed. During the rest of the orthodontic treatment, we check in at longer intervals and adapt the exercises.
- After jaw surgery: Once the oral surgery team has given the go-ahead, we start with gentle movement exercises, build up mouth opening step by step and, if needed, treat the swelling.
3. Kineo services we use
- CMD jaw therapy for the jaw joint, chewing muscles and coordination of mouth opening
- Manual therapy for the jaw joint and upper neck
- Trigger point treatment for chewing muscles overloaded by clenching
- Manual lymphatic drainage to support recovery after jaw surgery with swelling
- Digital home programme, so you can do the exercises safely between appointments
Children and teenagers
Most orthodontic treatments take place in childhood and adolescence. Jaw problems are less common at this age, but they do occur, especially in teenagers who clench a lot or are under stress. In children, tongue position, mouth breathing and swallowing are often the main focus. Here, cooperation between orthodontics, speech therapy and, where needed, physiotherapy is helpful.
From our practice
We often see adults being treated with aligners who suddenly have a tired, aching jaw in the morning. In conversation it often turns out that they chew or clench on the splints without realising during the day. As soon as they notice this and do a few simple exercises, the jaw relaxes noticeably in many cases.
Jaw physiotherapy at Kineo Seefeld
At Kineo Seefeld on Seefeldstrasse 83, Feldeggstrasse stop with trams 2 and 4, the jaw is one of our focus areas. We work according to the CRAFTA concept and look at the jaw, head and neck together. You can find more information on the Seefeld location page.
Frequently asked questions
Can braces cause jaw pain?
Pressure on the teeth after an adjustment is normal. Persistent pain at the jaw joint or in the chewing muscles is less common, but does occur, for example through clenching. In that case it is worth getting it checked.
Do I need a prescription for physiotherapy on the jaw?
With a doctor's prescription, your basic health insurance covers the cost. Kineo is recognised by all Swiss health insurers.
Do you coordinate with my orthodontist?
Yes, if you agree. Planning the movement of the teeth stays with your orthodontist. We complement it by treating the joint and muscles.
How long does an appointment last?
An appointment lasts 30 minutes. In the first session we clarify the cause and start straight away with treatment and exercises.
You might also like
- Clicking jaw joint: is it dangerous?
- Teeth grinding (bruxism): causes and physiotherapy
- The CRAFTA concept: physiotherapy for jaw, head and face
Book an appointment
Is your jaw complaining during your braces treatment? Book your appointment at Kineo Seefeld.
