TMJ (bleah)

Currently, I can’t yawn or open my mouth wide without nasty pain along the right side of my jawline. This has happened before, usually for a couple of days at a stretch, and it hasn’t been any fun previously, either.

Years ago I mentioned to my dentist that more than a few sleepover-guests had commented on my occasional habit of clicking my teeth in my sleep. (not grinding, mind you, but clicking.) I was expecting him to fit me with a night guard, but instead he looked at me seriously and said:

You know, we could cast your teeth and make you a night guard and probably charge you a good number of hundreds of dollars for it, and it wouldn't really solve your problem. If you want to fix what's going on on the front of your head (and here he gestured at my face), you need to fix what's going on **inside** your head. (here he gestured at my brain.)

Good advice, and somewhat startling to hear a medical professional actually discouraging a costly procedure; but hard to implement all the time. (And with some self-induced stress of late, particularly hard.) So no bagels for me for a couple of days (which won’t be hard, since I haven’t had a bagel in over a year), and some increased attention to the things weighing on me, and with any luck, I’ll be yawning without wincing soon.