How does your jaw feel? Is it relaxed, or is it tight, painful, or even clenched?
Here’s another question: where is your tongue resting in your mouth right now?
At this point, you might have a question for us: “What do these things have to do with each other?”
You’ve probably heard the term “TMJ” before. It’s the abbreviation for “Temporomandibular Joint“, which is the hinge that connects the jawbone to the skull. When we have dysfunction in the jaw joint and/or jaw muscles, that’s called TMD (Temporomandibular Disorder).
Jaw pain, jaw clicking, teeth grinding, teeth clenching, locking of the jaw joint, and even unexplained neck pain and headaches can all be symptoms of TMD. Almost everyone will experience some form of TMD at some point in life.
But most folks (including trained professionals) don’t realize that jaw issues like TMD can be linked to our resting tongue posture (ie, where our tongue rests in our mouth when we’re not actively using it).
In this expert interview, OraWellness chats with Kieferfreund Founder Julia Burits and Product Manager Felix Neubauer. Kieferfreund (which is German for “jaw friend”) provides easy-to-use solutions to address the root causes of jaw and myofunctional disorders. Their goal is to empower individuals to eliminate TMD symptoms and free their inner smile. 🙂
In this video, Julia and Felix discuss:
- The correct resting tongue posture and why it’s so important.
- How our tongue position habits can impact our airways and contribute to (or prevent) issues like snoring.
- The connection between the tongue, the jaw, and our state of mind.
- How to become self-empowered to address TMD.
- Where to start if you’d like to work on correcting your tongue posture.
- And more!
Show Notes:
- 2:04 How the tongue can contribute to (or help address) jaw issues.
- 4:30 Why Julia created Kieferfreund.
- 6:34 Physical and mental problems that can be related to jaw issues.
- 11:16 The importance of relaxing both your jaw and your whole system.
- 14:59 What is TMJ, and what does it have to do with TMD?
- 18:20 Where the tongue should rest and why it’s important to strengthen the tongue muscles.
- 24:27 Habituating a proper tongue position to help prevent and/or address snoring.
- 27:28 How to get the back of the tongue up to the roof of the mouth.
- 31:59 What’s missing from the conventional jaw issue treatment plan (splints, botox injections, etc.)?
- 36:17 Breastfeeding vs. bottle feeding: impact on dental arch development, tongue placement, tongue thrusting, and myofascial functioning.
- 41:14 The first step to begin retraining yourself to keep your tongue in the ‘home’ position.
- 44:41 How long it takes for someone to create lasting changes with Kieferfreund.
- 46:21 Last gems from the Kieferfreund folks.
- 51:03 Where to learn more about Kieferfreund.
More Info About Kieferfreund:
Feel free to visit Kieferfreund’s website, Kieferfreund.com/en. If you wind up purchasing one of their systems, be sure to apply coupon code ORAWELLNESS to your cart to get a 15% discount on your order.
You’re also welcome to join their free Open Office sessions and/or their Live Meditations. And of course, feel free to follow them on social media:
- YouTube: Jaw Yoga Kieferfreund
- Facebook: @jawyoga / Jaw Yoga by Kieferfreund
- Instagram: jawyoga_kieferfreund
Wrapping Up…
We hope you gleaned some useful gems from our chat with Julia and Felix. Did it make you more aware of your tongue posture? Was your tongue already resting at the roof of your mouth? Do you notice a difference in the way your airway and jaw feel when your tongue is in the ‘home’ position at the roof of your mouth vs. when you allow it to rest in your bottom jaw? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below so we can all learn from each other.
As always, if you know anyone who could benefit from the information in this video, please help us to help others by sharing our work with your loved ones.
Helpful, Related Resources:
- How to Straighten Your Teeth Without Braces [video tutorial that explains how to get the tongue into the 'home' position]
- Intro to Mewing: How Facial Muscle Tone & Body Posture Impact Oral & Whole-Body Health [[expert interview video]]
- What Your Receding Gums Could Be Telling You… [[expert interview video that discusses teeth grinding / bruxism]]
- Smile your way to greater health and happiness [article]
- Never Underestimate the Power of Your Smile [article]
- Is Stress the Primary Cause of Gum Disease? [article]
Other Resources:
- Dr. Engelke’s closed biofunctional model that Julia mentions
Thank you for the video. My tongue already rests at the roof of my mouth, but only the front to the middle of the tongue. I have had TMD for decades, My jaw clicks and I do snore, but no pain. I tend to have a dry tongue, very uncomfortable, I think it is because I unconsciously suck on it. I thought I needed to keep my tongue on the bottom of my mouth. I will try this.
I have been dealing with TMD for a while now, and it has gotten to the point to where I was considering drastic options. I was very curious when I saw the link in my inbox and watched the video right away. I got the app; it gives me hope and I am eager to try the exercises. Thank you for sharing this video!
Aloha Christy,
Thank you for your comment!
We are thrilled to hear that this interview gives you hope! We sincerely hope that the exercises help. 🙂
Aloha!
Thank you! I have experienced amazing results just from doing the exercises on their app. I can actually bite into a hamburger again! 😄
Wow, Christy! We are so excited to hear that you’ve experienced amazing results using the exercises on the Kieferfreund app! Thank you for reaching out to let us know!
Enjoy that hamburger! 😉
Thank you and Aloha!
I have had jaw pain, clicking and poor range of motion consistently over the last year and also neck /shoulder/back/hip pain (which I had no idea was related-especially hip pain!) and am encouraged by this! A holistic dentist had mentioned to keep your tongue at the roof of your mouth but did not go into any detail about how so I have trained myself to do it thinking I was doing something good. I find, however, that my “home” position is with the tip of my tongue pressing on the very front just behind my teeth, which I can tell just tightens the jaw muscles. I’ve had so many chiropractic, massage and craniosacral appointments to try to address the pain issue but have not had relief so I’m hopeful that a new perspective will help. Thank you for this interview !
Aloha Brelly,
Thank you for your comment!
We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed this expert interview, and that a new perspective might be able to help you address your pain.
Aloha!
couldn’t get sound. Just went to dentist to get adj. on tmj mouth piece that fits on just two front teeth. they made for me years ago. telling me because of tongue I might have sleep apena. hoping you can tell me how to get sound need to hear this.
Aloha Donna,
Thank you for your comment.
We’re sorry you weren’t able to hear the sound for this expert interview!
First of all, please make sure your computer’s sound volume is at an audible level. Then, please ensure that the volume of our expert interview video is at a sufficient level. You can adjust the video’s volume to the left of the “CC” (CC/Subtitles) icon near the bottom right of the video.
Also, maybe it would be worthwhile to try watching the video in an alternate web browser in case the lack of audio is due to a setting in whatever web browser you used?
If you’re still unable to hear the video after following our suggestions, please call us at (808) 892-3274 and we’ll do our best to troubleshoot this for you. Aloha! 🙂
Thank you, my sound is good now. Loved the info presented! Question, mouth piece for TMJ after they adjusted looked in my mouth and said my tongue is falling back into throat need get sleep apenea workup. I don’t snore, no problem breathing at nite so happy to know how this will change with a proper tongue placement. wearing the splint causes me to keep my mouth open and yes I find I do seem to clench with the splint. Great info.
“The head scratcher”
Two thoughts have reduced this for me again and again:
1. Heard years ago: “It’s either one dumb mistake after another after another, or it’s a plan.”
2. Observed, then heard confirmed: “Simple answers can be good or bad. Complicated answers are always bad.”
SIMPLE:
– GOOD: I observed, in my 40’s I think, that honest people who really understand something can always explain it simply. Later I read Einstein and then C.S. Lewis advise that, paraphrased, if you cannot explain something to a 6 year old in under 5 minutes, you really don’t understand it.
– BAD: Good people who are ignorant can imagine simple/simplistic answers that are just wrong.
COMPLICATED:
– BAD: Ignorant bad people are the same as above.
– BAD: Some bad people know the simple answer, but give complicated answers… – generally to get their hands in your pocket.
Vielen danke for the great interview. It is fun to watch my friend Will working hard. You can almost smell the rubber burning.
JBS
When I do everything they say to get my tongue up, it cuts off my air supply, gags me and makes me clench my jaw! I don’t think this works for everyone. I had a narrow palate when I was younger and it was widened by a retainer. I don’t think my mouth is equipped to do this!
Aloha Becky,
Thank you for your feedback!
We’re sorry that you don’t think your mouth is equipped to follow the exercises laid out in this interview. If it were us, we’d reach out to the experts at Kieferfreund.com/en and check out the information that they provide to see if any of it can help. They may be aware of others who have run into the same roadblocks as you, and they may already know some helpful techniques or tips for addressing your specific needs.
We hope that helps! Aloha!