
Originally Posted by
ScarletKitten
I'm sorry you're going through this. I think it's possible to overcome this with therapy and retraining your brain and redirecting your focus on something else. Most people don't think about how their jaws, teeth, or tongue relaxes. It just happens automatically. You could obsess the same thing about your breathing, how your shoulders relax, the placement of your hands, etc. You don't overly concentrate on your breathing and start second guessing yourself how often you should inhale and exhale, or how many seconds inhaling should take, etc., correct? So why should you second guess how to relax your jaw or teeth? I know this is easier said than done, because you've been obsessively thinking about this same thing for years and your neural pathways are deeply ingrained on this obsession. But naturally, you shouldn't have to second guess this just like you shouldn't have to second guess your breathing or your heartbeat.
When you sleep at night, your jaws and tongue naturally relax. Its only when you wake up that it becomes tense because you don't trust your own body for some reason. I think that may be the first step here. Learn to trust your own body and its natural ability to relax. Whatever position your jaw, teeth, or tongue is in, it's ok. It's ok whether your teeth touch or not. Either way, it's not harmful and it doesn't matter. Every mouth is different. Some people's teeth my touch in a relaxed position and some people's teeth may not touch at all. It doesn't matter. There is no wrong way or no wrong position for them to be in. They are adaptable and can move in lots of different ways, you just have to LET GO and trust your body.
Maybe try chewing gum to help ease your mind. Or get a mouth guard. I don't think there is anything physically wrong with your jaw placement, I think this is purely psychological. Your brain will rebel at first because it's so used to it obsessing over this, but it's possible to retrain your brain to LET GO and trust your natural ability to relax and be okay with whatever position it falls into.
So, daily reminder to yourself: "Whatever position my teeth, jaw, lips, or tongue is in, it's ok. I trust my body in its natural ability to relax. I trust my own jaw placement. I don't have to worry about this now. I am letting this go."
If you are still having trouble relaxing, then perhaps Cognitive Behavioral Therapy could help.
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