Jaw and TMJ
Jaw and TMJ
Physical therapy for a jaw that clicks, tightens or tires, worked on from the outside and shared with your dentist.
The jaw joint sits next to the muscles of the face, neck and shoulders, and they pull on each other. Lien checks how your jaw opens and moves, works on the muscles around it and your neck, and teaches you what to do and what to stop doing between visits.
Is this for you
This care is for you if…
Your jaw clicks or catches
It happens when you open wide, chew or yawn, and you notice it more than you used to.
Chewing tires you
A long meal or a tough steak leaves the side of your face aching.
You wake with a tight jaw
Clenching or grinding at night leaves your jaw and temples sore by morning.
Your dentist suggested it
A night guard helps some people, and movement and manual care help others. Many people use both.
A visit
What a visit looks like
- 01
Step 1: About an hour, with Lien
The first visit is about an hour, and Lien treats every visit herself.
- 02
Step 2: An exam of jaw, neck and posture
How far your jaw opens, how it tracks, and what your neck and shoulders are doing.
- 03
Step 3: Care, then something to take home
Hands-on work around the jaw, a few easy movements and a list of habits to ease off.
Our part
What we do
Manual therapy
Work on the muscles around the jaw and neck, from outside the mouth, at a pressure you set.
Soft tissue work
Always from the outside
You can stop at any time
Movement and habits
Gentle jaw movements, and plain advice about chewing, posture and rest.
A short daily routine
Adjusted as you change
Working with your dentist
If you wear a night guard or have dental work planned, Lien writes to your dentist with your permission.
Only with your permission
A short note, not a chart
The practical part
Visits, who treats you, and paying
What decides how many visits
It depends on what we find, how long your jaw has bothered you, how much clenching is part of it and how you respond. Lien tells you what decides it and checks in as you go. We do not promise a number of visits.
Who treats you
Lien Doan, a physical therapist licensed in South Dakota, treats every visit herself. She does not hand you to an assistant.
About LienHow it is paid for
We bill many kinds of plans, or you can pay on the day. You get a written estimate before your first visit if you pay without insurance.
How fees work
When to see a doctor first
Call 911 for chest pain, trouble breathing, a sudden severe headache or pain, or new weakness or numbness. See a physician or dentist first for jaw pain with fever or swelling, a jaw that locks and will not open, or an injury to the face or jaw. Lien will tell you if she thinks you should be seen by someone else before you start.
- Chest pain, trouble breathing, a sudden severe headache or pain, new weakness or numbness, loss of bladder or bowel control, or a fall with a head injury needs emergency care now. Call 911.
Questions about this care
Do you do anything inside my mouth?
No. Lien works from the outside, on the muscles around the jaw and on your neck.
Do I still need my night guard?
That is for you and your dentist to decide. Physical therapy does not replace dental care, and Lien can write to your dentist if you want her to.
Does dry needling go near the jaw?
No. Lien does not use dry needling on the face, jaw or neck.
Ready to book a first visit?
Choose a time online, or call and talk to Sherry first.