Jaw Muscles & Clenching Your Teeth

The head, the neck, and the jaw are closely linked, biomechanically and neurologically. Biomechanically, the jaw is attached to the head, and the head is attached to the spine. Neurologically, if you clench your teeth, research has shown that your neck muscles will also contract at the same time, and when you contract certain shoulder and neck muscles, like your trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles, research has shown that the jaw muscle contractions will also increase. This suggests that the brain sends paired commands to both jaw and neck at the same time. This probably helps to maintain jaw, neck, and head stability together.

But what happens if your neck is not working properly? And what happens to the jaw when a chiropractor adjusts someone’s spine to improve neck function? Can this also influence jaw function, as well?