Jaw Pain On One Side When Opening Mouth: How physical therapy can help you eat, yawn, and talk comfortably again
Jaw pain on one side when opening your mouth is often related to a combination of muscle tension, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) irritation, neck dysfunction, tongue posture, and stress rather than a single cause. Understanding these contributing factors can help you identify why symptoms develop and what strategies may provide lasting relief.
This article explains common causes of one-sided jaw pain, practical self-management techniques, and lifestyle habits that support healthier jaw movement. It also discusses how physical therapy can identify the root causes of jaw pain and create an individualized treatment plan to improve function and reduce recurring symptoms.
Physical therapy addresses the jaw as part of the entire body by evaluating movement, posture, breathing, muscle tension, and daily habits to support long-term recovery.
Jaw pain can be very disruptive to daily activities that you once took for granted. Chewing, eating, talking, laughing, and yawning can take up so much mental space when you’re constantly assessing what you can and cannot eat, suppressing yawns, and trying not to laugh or talk too much.
Jaw pain is incredibly common, however most people are not aware of treatments that actually work. Many of our clients with jaw pain have been suffering for years (or decades), have tried all kinds of oral appliances without much relief, and now have other related problems like neck pain and headaches.
Physical therapy is incredibly effective for treating jaw pain, clenching, popping, and clicking. If you have jaw pain, I’m so glad you’re here reading this blog! You’re going to learn all about why jaw pain on one side when opening mouth happens and what to do about it.
Here’s what we are going to talk about in this blog post:
Causes of jaw pain on one side when opening mouth
Easy strategies to help jaw pain
How physical therapy can help jaw pain
Causes of jaw pain on one side when opening mouth
The jaw is a joint, just like any other joint in the body. It also has muscles that move it, just like every other joint in the body. The unique thing about the jaw is that there are two joints that move one bone - there is a right and left jaw joint (also known as the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ). One side of the jaw very literally influences the other side of the jaw, versus the indirect relationship that exists between hip or shoulder joints.
There are many reasons why you may be experiencing jaw pain on one side when opening mouth. Here are some of the most common reasons:
Overworked jaw muscles
There are several very strong muscles that close the mouth and allow you to bite and chew. The primary muscles are the temporalis (located over your temples) and masseter (located on the back part of your cheeks by your jaw). If these muscles are tight, tense, or overworked, they can cause pain when put on stretch…aka when you open your mouth, especially opening it wide.
The temporalis and masseter can get tense or overworked from things like chewing gum, eating tough or hard food, clenching, grinding, and stress.
They can also get overworked from a forward head posture. This is because when your head comes forward, your mouth naturally opens. However, most people don’t sit throughout the day with their mouths open, so the jaw muscles work overtime to hold the mouth closed.
TMJ irritation
The temporomandibular joint itself, as well as the disc inside the joint, can also get irritated and cause jaw pain on one side when opening mouth. This often causes localized pain over the TMJ and can be associated with popping and clicking symptoms.
When you open and close your mouth, the TMJ moves and the disc inside the joint moves along with it. When the movement of the disc is out of sync with the joint, or even gets stuck forward, you can experience popping and clicking. Over time, the disc and its surrounding structures can get inflamed, making opening your mouth sore and painful.
Common causes of TMJ and disc irritation are similar to those that cause muscle irritation: chewing gum, eating tough or hard food, clenching, grinding, stress, and forward head posture.
Neck irritation
The neck and jaw are very intimately connected. All people with jaw problems also have neck problems. While not all people with neck problems have jaw problems, dysfunction can start in the neck then manifest in the jaw.
Tightness and tension in the muscles of the neck can directly refer pain into the jaw. We already talked about forward head posture puts the mouth in a more open position and increases use of the mouth closing muscles. Neck stiffness, pain, and tension can also trigger compensatory movements in the jaw which eventually lead to the experience of jaw pain.
Tongue weakness and posture
The tongue has a resting posture just like the rest of the body! The tongue should rest on the roof of the mouth just behind the front teeth, as if you are about to make the “n” sound and say “no” or “never”. If the tongue falls back in the mouth, pushes against the teeth, or is doing other things it doesn’t need to be doing, this can trigger jaw pain.
The tongue is also a very important muscle and has the potential for lots of strength. If the tongue is weak in any of its movements and functions, other muscles compensate. The compensatory muscles end up being the jaw muscles- temporalis, masseter, medial pterygoid, and lateral pterygoid. Over time this overworks these muscles and can be an underlying factor in the experience of jaw pain.
Stress and tension
The jaw is an extremely emotional part of the body, meaning that it holds stress and tension. This is a very common cause of grinding and clenching your teeth, either during the day or at night. When jaw muscles are tight and tense from stress, it absolutely will affect the TMJ and can cause jaw pain on one side when opening mouth.
It is important to note that night guards or oral appliances do not fix this. I’ve seen so many times where people are given an oral appliance for grinding or clenching, and it actually makes the problem worse. This is because it doesn’t address the root cause (aka poor stress processing skills) and also the appliance can trigger increased clenching and grinding because it is something new in your mouth and your body wants to check it out!
Also I’ve seen many times where a client has experienced a stressful or traumatic event, then starting clenching or grinding. They’re given an oral appliance and the problem gets worse. They never had a jaw problem- they had a stress and trauma problem that manifested in the jaw. It is very important to learn how to process stress and get professional help with trauma healing. Don’t just treat the jaw.
This is one of the reasons we are so passionate about trauma-informed care here at Empower Physio and Wellness and help our clients with somatic work to process stress and experience true healing of mind, body, and spirit.
Easy strategies to help jaw pain
There are several things you can do at home to help your jaw pain on one side when opening mouth! Here are some of our favorite strategies that we give our clients:
Self massage
You can perform self massage to the temporalis and masseter to help reduce muscle tension. Gently apply pressure to these muscles in a circular motion. You can access the temporalis by gently pressing on the temples. You can access the masseter by either gently pressing on your cheeks, or intraorally. To access the masseter intraorally, place your left thumb in your mouth and pinch the cheek with the pointer finger outside your mouth. You can gently push outwards with the thumb to get an extra stretch with the massage.
Keep your pressure as light as you need to maintain comfort with this. A bit of discomfort is okay, but don’t press so hard that it increases your symptoms.
Food modifications
Temporarily altering the foods you eat is a way to reduce load on the jaw. This would be the same as temporarily going lighter in a squat for knee pain. During times of a jaw pain flare, opt for softer foods so you don’t need as much force with each bite and chewing is easier. This will allow inflammation around the jaw to improve. As inflammation lessens, you can slowly add back in harder and chewier foods.
Also, stop chewing gum! It is not good for jaw health.
Stress awareness and processing
Becoming aware of your stress response and how you hold tension in the body is crucial. You may be aware that you hike your shoulders when stressed, but you may not be consciously aware of other tension holding patterns or habits that you do when stressed.
We created our Empowered Nervous System Recalibration Guide to help you build this awareness and process stress more optimally. Take our nervous system quiz and you’ll receive this guide for free!
Neck mobility
Getting your neck moving better can reduce tension on the jaw and also reduce referred pain from the neck up to the jaw.
One of our favorite drills for this is a neck rotation SNAG. Check out this video on how to perform it.
Optimize neck and tongue posture
Sitting with a more upright posture can really improve your jaw pain. I like to tell my clients to imagine a string on the top of their heads pulling them upward and think of “growing tall.” This will easily put you in an upright posture.
Also pay attention to your resting tongue posture during the day. As described above, the tongue should rest on the roof of the mouth just behind the front teeth, as if you are about to make the “n” sound and say “no” or “never”.
If you notice that you clench your teeth during the day, take a sunflower seed and place it between the roof of your mouth and the top of your tongue. This will cue your tongue to stay in its proper position while you focus on your work during the day.
Controlled opening drill
This is our favorite drill for helping to coordinate movement of the jaw and tongue. To perform, place the tip of your tongue in the resting posture on the roof of your mouth behind the front teeth. Keep your tongue there as you slowly open and close your mouth. Keep this in a pain-free and also popping/clicking-free range of motion. Notice how your tongue and jaw may get tired!
How physical therapy can help jaw pain
Physical therapy care is very effective for helping jaw pain! Most physical therapists who treat the jaw have gone through extra training after school.
Here at Empower Physio and Wellness, we love treating head, neck, and jaw pain. We start with a thorough assessment so we truly understand your history and experience of jaw pain. Knowing what is going on in your life outside of your jaw pain is very important in identifying the root cause of your jaw pain. This then allows us to provide the most effective treatment.
After talking about your history and lifestyle factors, we will then assess jaw and neck mobility, posture, breathing patterns, muscle tension, movement habits, and lifestyle factors.
Based on what we find in the assessment, we will implement intentional treatment options. We usually use hands-on techniques to calm down irritated tissues. This could include soft tissue work, myofascial release, dry needling, cupping, or joint mobilization. This reduces muscle guarding and tension and improves mobility of the neck and jaw.
We then focus on restoring movement. This can include tongue and jaw drills, breathing drills, and improving mobility of the neck.
Simultaneously, we are increasing body awareness and addressing relevant lifestyle habits. This can include awareness of clenching, posture optimization, food selection and chewing strategies, and stress processing skills. This is what allows you to build resilience and independence for life.
The important thing to remember is that your jaw isn't an isolated joint. It's connected to how you breathe, move, manage stress, and use your body throughout the day.
Pain is rarely the result of one thing. More often, it's the result of several factors gradually adding up over time.
Our goal isn't simply to make your jaw hurt less today. It's to help your body move more efficiently so you can eat, laugh, yawn, and enjoy everyday life without constantly thinking about your jaw.
Where to find physical therapy for jaw pain on one side when opening mouth
Have you tried strategies outlined in this blog and want more individualized support?
If you are located in or near Westerville, Ohio we can help you with physical therapy to improve your jaw pain on one side when opening mouth!
You can get started right away by learning more about our physical therapy services or getting in contact with us.
We also offer virtual coaching throughout the world to empower you with your health and get to the root of what is holding you back. You can learn more about our virtual coaching program here.
If you have additional questions, we would love to talk with you, hear your story, answer all your questions, and see how we could help.
You can call or text us at (614) 423-9731 or schedule a free discovery call. You can also learn more about Empower Physio and Wellness + our team or check out other services we offer.