When chewing, talking or opening your mouth feels uncomfortable, we want to help you enjoy those everyday moments again. We take time to listen, assess your jaw and any relevant neck symptoms, and practice a plan with you. You do not need a referral to get started.
One-on-one PT with Dr. Emily Warren, DPT, Cert. MDT. No referral needed. In-person care in Holladay, serving Greater Salt Lake City, and virtual coaching from anywhere.
Can PT help with jaw symptoms like mine?
If chewing, opening or talking is uncomfortable, an assessment can help you choose a useful starting point. We look at movement, muscular symptoms and relevant neck findings and connect treatment with the tasks you want back. Rehabilitation can work alongside dental or medical care; the examination helps us decide where it fits.
DPT, Cert. MDT
Your story comes first with Dr. Emily
Emily’s early work in neurological rehabilitation shaped her interest in movement, pain and what people want to get back to.
Emily asks about chewing, yawning, clenching and neck symptoms instead of assuming every jaw problem has one cause. Discussing the examination helps identify useful movement practice and when coordination with your dentist or medical clinician is appropriate.
Meet Emily and explore her approach · Request a Free Case Review to discuss how to eat, speak and move more comfortably.
What Is TMJ Dysfunction?
The temporomandibular joints are two of the most complex joints in your body. Unlike a simple hinge, the TMJ both rotates and translates (slides forward) during mouth opening — a dual-motion that requires precise coordination of the joint disc, jaw muscles (masseter, temporalis, pterygoids), ligaments, and cervical spine.
People often say “TMJ” when they mean jaw pain, but TMJ is the name of the joint. Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) include problems affecting the jaw joint, chewing muscles or both. We assess which movements and activities bring on your familiar symptoms, so the plan fits your presentation.
- Muscle-related TMD: Pain or tenderness in the chewing muscles. We ask about activities and habits such as clenching that may be part of the picture.
- Internal joint changes: Changes involving the joint disc may be associated with clicking or locking. A sound alone does not establish the diagnosis or need for treatment.
- Degenerative joint disease: Arthritic changes in the TMJ, typically in older adults or following longstanding dysfunction
- Jaw pain with neck symptoms: We examine both when they are part of your experience, without assuming every jaw problem begins in the neck.
Many patients have mixed presentations — jaw muscle tightness combined with disc displacement, for example, or TMJ symptoms that worsen with neck pain. This is why a thorough physical therapy evaluation matters.
Symptoms of TMJ Dysfunction
- Jaw pain — at rest, with chewing, or with wide mouth opening
- Clicking, popping, or crepitus (grinding sound) in the jaw joint
- Opening that is limited or becoming more difficult, especially when it interferes with eating or oral care
- Jaw locking — either open or closed
- Headaches — particularly at the temples, top of the head, or behind the eyes
- Ear pain, fullness, or tinnitus (not caused by ear pathology)
- Facial pain or pressure around the cheeks and temples
- Neck pain and stiffness (especially upper cervical)
- Tooth sensitivity or soreness (not from dental decay)
- Difficulty chewing hard or chewy foods
If these symptoms sound familiar, you can bring them to an assessment without knowing the cause. We will listen to your history, explore the movement pattern and help you choose a useful next step.
Before your jaw assessment: notice which foods or movements bring on your familiar symptoms, whether the jaw catches or locks, and whether opening is becoming more limited. Bring that pattern and any dental advice to Emily. Do not force a painful opening or repeatedly test a locked jaw. A jaw that is stuck needs prompt assessment.
What physical therapy can help you work on
We connect treatment with everyday function: comfortable chewing, useful opening, a workday with fewer interruptions or easier neck movement. Your plan may include suitable manual therapy, movement practice, education and strength or endurance work.
- Movement: practice a comfortable starting range and review the response before increasing the demand.
- Muscular symptoms: consider treatment that makes activity easier, then check whether its benefit carries over.
- Daily demands: look at chewing, clenching awareness, work and the positions you tolerate.
- Neck findings: include these when the examination shows a useful role, rather than assume every jaw problem comes from posture.
A dental appliance may support the problem it was prescribed for. PT can complement that care; it does not need to be presented as correcting a missed cause or recapturing a disc.
The jaw and neck connection
People with jaw pain may also have neck discomfort or restricted movement. When both are present, we examine them together and compare how familiar symptoms respond. That can guide treatment without assuming one area caused the other.
Our jaw-and-neck guide explains the relationship, useful assessment questions and the research supporting suitable neck rehabilitation for muscle-related TMD.
What to Expect at Mindful Movement PT
Initial Evaluation (60 minutes)
Your first 60-minute visit is dedicated one-on-one time with Dr. Emily. We listen to what happens with eating, talking, yawning and sleep, then assess comfortable opening, jaw movement and relevant muscle or neck findings. Bring information from your dentist or medical team if you have it. We explain what the examination suggests, practice a starting plan with you and agree on what to notice before follow-up.
Treatment Techniques
- Hands-on care: Suitable jaw or neck manual therapy can help with comfort and movement. We explain the options and agree on what feels appropriate for you.
- Movement practice: Learn a comfortable starting range for opening and the exercises selected from your assessment.
- Neck care when relevant: McKenzie assessment and strength or endurance work may be part of the plan when neck symptoms contribute to what you are experiencing.
- Dry needling when it fits: This is one in-person option for selected jaw-muscle symptoms. We discuss alternatives; you can begin care without needles.
- Skills for your day: We help you notice clenching, adjust activities that keep aggravating symptoms and build back toward comfortable meals and conversation.
A home plan that fits your own day
We choose a home plan around your findings and the moments when your jaw bothers you. That may include jaw mobility exercises, postural cues and changes to aggravating activities, such as chewing hard foods, resting your chin on your hand or sleeping on your stomach. We explain the purpose and listen to what changes, so you can understand the habits and movements that help you manage your own day.
How will we know treatment is helping?
We choose follow-up around your findings, goals and response rather than a standard visit count. A useful change might be more comfortable chewing, easier opening or less neck discomfort during a workday. We compare those tasks alongside symptoms and movement and ask whether the benefit lasts.
Your home plan should be manageable and make sense to you. As you improve, we progress the demands and help you build confidence managing symptoms yourself. If progress stalls, we reassess the approach and explain when another opinion would be useful.
TMJ PT vs. Dental Splints: Do You Need Both?
A splint and physical therapy have different possible roles. Ask your dentist what the appliance is meant to help, how to use it and when to review it. We can work on suitable jaw movement, muscle symptoms and daily habits alongside that care. You do not have to abandon your dental plan to explore PT, and we do not assume everyone needs both.
Dr. Emily collaborates with dentists and oral surgeons when appropriate and will communicate with your dental provider if needed.
TMJ or TMD physical therapy: what should you ask before choosing care?
People often use “TMJ” for jaw pain; the joint itself is the temporomandibular joint, while TMD describes disorders involving that system. Tell us whether the main difficulty is chewing, opening your mouth, talking or relaxing your jaw, and whether neck symptoms occur with it. Your dentist’s findings and any prior care help us understand the question.
Ask what the examination will assess, how home practice will be selected and when dental or medical coordination is appropriate. At MMPT, local jaw and neck PT is in Holladay, serving Greater Salt Lake City. A Free Case Review helps you discuss the next step.
Common Questions About TMJ Physical Therapy
My jaw clicks but does not hurt. Do I need treatment?
Tell your dentist or clinician if clicking is new or you are concerned. Pain, locking or progressively limited opening makes assessment more useful. A noise alone does not tell us that a joint is deteriorating or that a procedure is needed.
My dentist says I need jaw surgery. Should I try PT first?
Ask the clinician recommending surgery what diagnosis and findings support it and which conservative options are appropriate for your situation. We can assess suitable movement and muscular symptoms and explain where PT fits alongside your dental or medical care. We do not assume every surgical recommendation has the same reason.
What can I do while I am waiting for an assessment?
Give your jaw a break from habits that repeatedly provoke it, such as gum chewing or prolonged clenching. If chewing hurts, temporarily choose easier foods and bring that pattern to your visit. Avoid repeatedly forcing a painful opening to test it. We can help you work back toward normal meals with a plan you understand. A jaw that is stuck or opening that is becoming more limited deserves prompt assessment.
Can stress affect jaw symptoms?
Stress and sleep can influence clenching, sensitivity and how comfortable you feel during the day. We discuss these factors as part of the whole picture and help you notice useful ways to reduce repeated tension. That does not mean the pain is imagined or that stress explains every jaw problem.
How do I check payment or insurance questions?
Contact us before booking so we can explain the current payment arrangements and what documentation is available. Any out-of-network reimbursement depends on your individual plan; ask your insurer about eligibility and benefits rather than assume a particular company covers the visit.
Related Conditions & Resources
- Neck Pain Treatment
- Headache Physical Therapy
- Dry Needling
- Dry needling for TMJ: jaw-pain questions and care options
Written by Dr. Emily Warren, DPT, credentialed McKenzie therapist
Dr. Emily is the owner of Mindful Movement PT in Holladay, serving Greater Salt Lake City. She holds the Cert. MDT credential in the McKenzie Method. Learn about Dr. Emily’s credentials and clinical background or how we bring assessment, education and exercise together.
Home-exercise guidance — Google review: Amanda R.
“she broke everything down and gave me clear, realistic things to do at home.”
Let's help you enjoy everyday moments again
A meal, a conversation or a comfortable yawn can be a meaningful goal. We can listen to what your jaw is keeping you from, assess the movements involved and practice a starting plan together, with room for your questions.
In your Free Case Review, we’ll listen to what you want back, answer your questions and help you decide whether care with Mindful Movement fits. Send a request and we’ll contact you by phone or text to arrange a time.
Dedicated one-on-one PT with Dr. Emily Warren, DPT, Cert. MDT—McKenzie certified. No referral needed. Your first PT visit is 60 minutes for assessment, explanation and a starting plan practiced together. The Free Case Review is a conversation before care.
In-person care at our Holladay clinic, serving Greater Salt Lake City. Virtual coaching from anywhere.
Call/text (385) 332-4939.