Hot or cold on the face and jaw is easy to use
Hot or cold packs have had a long history of being used to address headaches or TMJ / jaw pain. It could be because it works, it is very affordable, and is easy to apply. If you get the right kind of pack you can do this hands free so you can relax or multi-task. Long gone are the bags of frozen peas!
Cold application
If you just had a trauma, have swelling to the face or joint, or feel what might turn into a sinus infection, apply cold. Trauma to the face does include a dental procedure, especially if you frequently have jaw pain. I include this in my blog post Prehab Yourself Before Oral Surgery or a Dental Procedure. If applying cold, it is commonly suggested a max time of 10 minutes for the neck or jaw area. Those muscles are not covered by thick insulating layers of fat in this area, so a short duration is enough.
Hot application
If your pain stems from muscles or stiffness, heat will be a better option. Many headaches come from trigger points in tight muscles, including those muscles that move the jaw. Heat will soften those muscles. Aim for a warm temperature that you could keep on your skin for 15 to 20 minutes.
Do not fall asleep with a hot pack, you might run the risk of burning yourself.
How does hot and cold application help?
Heat helps by improving circulation. It increases blood flow, nutrients, and oxygen to the affected area and, therefore, works to relax tight muscles. Since I teach self-massage to my clients for home maintenance I recommend them first applying heat to the muscles then doing their self-massage techniques.
Cold will limit the blood flow to an area and decrease swelling and inflammation. This can be helpful when there is an issue in the joint capsule. Cold can also distract from nerve pain. Nerves from the jaw go straight to the brain, they don’t have to pass through the spinal cord. This is one reason jaw pain is more intense than back pain.
Cool Jaw
I recommend this version of a hot or cold pack from Cool Jaw. You can warm the gel packs up in the microwave or in a pot of hot water. For cold, you can put them in the fridge or freezer depending on your preference of how cold you want it. It comes with two gel packs that slip into the fabric tube. The gel packs can be placed higher on your temple (covering the temporalis muscle), across the side of the cheek (covering the temporalis tendon, TMJ and masseter), or under the chin (for muscles that attach to the tongue, hyoid bone or inferior mandible). Then it velcros at the top of your head so can easily fit a large or small head.
Some of my massage clients also like the gentle compression it gives on their jaw to distract from their pain.
If you are holding a warm washcloth or frozen peas to your face you are contracting your neck and upper trapezius muscles. Those muscles, when tight, are known to refer headaches. The Cool Jaw wrap is a hands free application so your shoulders and neck can stay relaxed.
Due to the anatomical structure of the jaw (muscles and bones) and how the joints move you should always treat both sides, not just the side that hurts. You’ll always be heating or cooling both sides with the Cool Jaw wrap.
Safety reminder
Be aware that if you are on any medications that alter your experiences to temperature that you should use less extreme hot or cold as well as limit your time with these on your skin since you might not experience it the same.
Add in self-massage to the jaw and face
Enroll for my online course Self Help to Relieve Head, Neck & Jaw Pain at Help Head Pain. From the comfort of your home you can learn self-massage, stabilization, habits to adjust, and basic airway advice to teach you how to get relief from your headaches and jaw pain. Sign up for the free video lesson to get started.
This article does contain a link to an affiliate product.