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Guide · Self-help

CMD exercises at home: 8 exercises for jaw and neck, step by step.

Eight gentle exercises that relax the jaw muscles, move the jaw joint in a guided way and relieve the neck. With repetitions, a ten-minute daily plan and a note on when self-help reaches its limits.

Dr. med. dent. Bodo S. von Gadomski Dr. med. dent. Bodo S. von GadomskiDentist · Founder of the CMD-Klinik
12 min read 8 exercises · Daily plan · Limits
Contents · 9 questions
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Exercises are the part of treatment that is in your own hands. They do not work overnight but over weeks, and only if done regularly. This article is an exercise guide. General questions on self-help, massage and sleep are answered in the article Relieving CMD yourself.

Question 01 of 9

Who are the exercises suitable for?

In shortFor people with tense jaw muscles, clenching, mild jaw clicking or neck tension. They are not suitable for acute, severe pain or a locked jaw.

The exercises do not replace a diagnosis. If your symptoms are severe, new or arose after an accident, please have them examined first.

Do not exercise, have it checked instead: if your mouth suddenly will not open or close · with severe swelling or fever · after a blow to the chin or face · with increasing pain despite rest.

Question 02 of 9

What do I need to know before exercising?

In shortSlowly, without pain and regularly. Better ten minutes every day than an hour once a week.

  • Do every movement slowly and with control, without jerking.
  • A slight pull is fine, pain is not. If it hurts, make the movement smaller or stop.
  • Keep breathing calmly, do not hold your breath.
  • Practise in front of a mirror, especially at first.
  • After two to four weeks, assess whether anything has changed.
Question 03 of 9

How do I relax the jaw muscles?

In shortWith the resting position, warmth and gentle massage of the cheek and temple muscles.

1 · Resting position

several times a day · 1 minute

The most important exercise. It teaches your jaw to stay relaxed in everyday life.

  1. Close your lips loosely, teeth not touching.
  2. The tip of the tongue rests on the roof of the mouth behind the upper front teeth, the rest of the tongue loosely behind it.
  3. Breathe through your nose, let your shoulders drop.
  4. Stick a small dot on your screen or phone: every time you see it, briefly check whether your teeth are apart.

2 · Massage the cheek muscle

1–2 minutes per side · evenings

Releases the large chewing muscle between cheekbone and angle of the jaw.

  1. Bite together briefly to feel the muscle, then relax again.
  2. With two or three fingertips, make slow circles from the cheekbone towards the angle of the jaw.
  3. Only as much pressure as feels comfortable. Warmth beforehand makes it easier.

3 · Release the temple muscle

1 minute per side

Relaxes the muscle that causes the headache at the temple in many people.

  1. Place your fingertips flat on your temples, about two finger-widths above the ear.
  2. Open your mouth slightly so the muscle gives.
  3. Circle slowly, then hold the pressure while exhaling.
Question 04 of 9

How do I move the jaw joint correctly?

In shortGuided and straight: open with the tongue on the roof of the mouth and move the lower jaw sideways with control.

4 · Controlled mouth opening

10 × · twice a day

Practises a straight, calm opening and can reduce clicking.

  1. Sit in front of the mirror, tip of the tongue on the roof of the mouth behind the upper front teeth.
  2. Open your mouth slowly as far as you can without the tongue leaving the roof of the mouth.
  3. Make sure your chin stays in the middle. If it deviates, make the movement smaller.
  4. Close slowly without bringing the teeth together.

5 · Sideways movement

5 × per side

Keeps the joint mobile and trains even guidance.

  1. Open your teeth slightly, leaving a thin gap.
  2. Slowly slide your lower jaw to the right, hold briefly, back to the middle.
  3. Then to the left. Both sides equally far, no further than comfortable.
Question 05 of 9

How do I strengthen the muscles gently?

In shortWith tension without movement: the lower jaw presses lightly against your hand without moving.

6 · Holding against the hand

5 × each direction · 5 seconds

Stabilises the joint and balances the muscle sides.

  1. Place a loose fist under your chin and open your mouth a little against the light resistance. Hold for five seconds.
  2. Place your palm against the side of your chin and press lightly without the jaw moving. Both sides.
  3. Use only about a quarter of your strength.
Question 06 of 9

Which neck exercises are part of it?

In shortThe chin tuck and side neck stretch. Jaw and neck work together, so it helps to relieve both.

7 · Chin tuck

10 × · twice a day

Strengthens the deep neck muscles and aligns the head over the spine.

  1. Sit upright, look straight ahead.
  2. Push your chin straight back horizontally without tilting your head.
  3. Hold for three seconds, release.

8 · Breathing and releasing the shoulders

2 minutes · before sleep

Lowers the baseline tension that leads to clenching at night.

  1. Lie on your back or sit comfortably, one hand on your belly.
  2. Breathe in through your nose so that your belly rises.
  3. Exhale twice as long, consciously letting shoulders and jaw drop.
Question 07 of 9

What does a daily exercise plan look like?

In shortTen minutes is enough: move in the morning, check the resting position during the day, relax in the evening.

  1. Morning, 3 minutesExercises 4 and 5, then exercise 7.
  2. During the day, again and againExercise 1 every time you look at your reminder dot.
  3. Evening, 5 minutesWarmth on the cheeks, then exercises 2, 3 and 6.
  4. Before sleep, 2 minutesExercise 8.

Once a week, note on a scale of 0 to 10 how tense your jaw is in the morning. That way you can see whether the exercises are having an effect.

Question 08 of 9

What if an exercise hurts?

In shortMake the movement smaller or leave out the exercise. Pain is not a sign of progress.

If an exercise repeatedly hurts or symptoms are worse after exercising, leave it out and discuss it at your next examination. Some exercises are not suitable for certain joint findings, and only an examination can clarify this.

Question 09 of 9

When are exercises not enough?

In shortIf symptoms are unchanged after four to six weeks of regular exercise, keep coming back or are accompanied by headache, ear pressure or dizziness.

Exercises reach the muscles. The control behind them, for example an unfavourable bite position or clenching at night, they reach only to a limited extent. Then functional diagnostics is the next sensible step. In the CMD Systems Check we measure how your jaw system actually works.

Physiotherapy and manual therapy are valuable companions and often exactly the right thing. It is not about which treatment is better, but about whether the cause of your symptoms has already been found.

More questions, already answered

Sources

  • Reviews on exercise therapy and physiotherapy in TMD
  • Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD)
  • Recommendations for conservative first-line treatment of CMD

This article is for general information and does not replace an examination. Exercise slowly and without pain, and stop if it hurts.

Already exercising and it persists?

The self-test gives you an initial assessment. Or call us: +41 44 888 99 44

Start the self-test