Anyone with slacked jaw when relaxing?

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#1 Post by **cersepn** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 6:59 am

Am i the only one with this problem? My lower jaw always opens pretty widely when i'm in a relaxed position, and so will my mouth (duh)
Funnily enough, i don't breath through my mouth.
I used to though when i was much younger, but somehow or another my nose got less blocked in my teens.
I gotta say that i don't feel entirely comfortable if i have to close my jaws, is that normal? Also, is it natural to sleep with the mouth slightly open? Not referring to mouth breathing here.

Right now i'm still a class 3 edge to edge, still undecided on whether surgery or braces is gonna do the job. But this 'slacked jaw' thing had me thinking too, since braces are not going to change the position of my jaws. BTW, i'm not thinking about surgery just because of this issue, but i feel i have other problems too

#2 Post by **SnowSara** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 8:56 am

Well, having your mouth hang open is one thing, but you shouldn't have your teeth clenched shut either. In a relaxed position your teeth shouldn't be touching, your lower jaw should be loose. Whether it's a good thing or not I think it's pretty normal to sleep with your mouth slightly open, some nights I do and wake up with a dry throat

#3 Post by **TumbleDryLow** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 7:54 am

Because of allergies and a chronically stuffed-up nose, I was a mouth breather well into early adulthood. I've been told that this may be some of the reason for my narrow upper arch. My mouth, when relaxed, also wants to hang open slightly because that's the way my mouth needed to be for 25 years of my life if I wished to breath. Now that I have been properly diagnosed and treated for allergies, I'm relearning the proper lip, jaw, tongue resting position. I'm also hoping that when my overjet is corrected, I will find it more comfortable to close my lips around my front teeth.

#4 Post by **jgrrl22** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 8:02 pm

I actually have the opposite problem. Even when doing everyday things (working, watching tv, etc.) I always clench my jaw. I do this a lot in my sleep as well. I try to "remind" myself to loosen up my jaw, but I just can't seem to do it.

I asked my orthodontist about my teeth clenching, but she doesn't seem too worried about it. So I guess I shouldn't be too worried either?