Moving the head
- Watching in the mirror, try to touch your right ear to your right shoulder.
- Repeat in the other direction.
- Now try to turn your head so your chin is pointing to the right and then the left.
- If you have stiffness or pain, your bite may be to blame.
Limited mobility is often a sign of muscle tension that occurs with an unbalanced bite. The same applies with looking up to the ceiling or down to your toes. Stiffness in the head and neck muscles mean that you may have a chronic condition that is very much bite related.
Opening the mouth
You should be able to open more than 40 mm if you measure from the tips of the upper teeth to the tips of the lower teeth. Another way to measure this is with your fingers. If you can fit 3 or more fingers between your teeth, then this is normal. If, however you can only fit 2 fingers, your jaws mobility has been affected.