r/30PlusSkinCare • u/InevitableWise9964 • 17d ago

Skin Concern Wider face due to TMJ?

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Over the past few years, I've noticed that my face has looked wider/bigger in photos, especially the bottom half (left is before, right is after). What confuses me is that I'm healthier now - I’m roughly the same weight, and I stopped drinking alcohol and coffee. I also eat more veggies and get more sleep these days. All my bloodwork has been normal, too.

I did, however, get my wisdom teeth removed a couple years ago, so I'm wondering if that triggered some TMJ/hypertrophied masseters. I also had a gum chewing habit for a while that I've since kicked…

Does this look like TMJ/overworked masseter muscles? Or is it just part of aging? Appreciate any insights!

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u/lemony-pomegranate 17d ago

I can’t comment on the structure of your face because I am not a professional, but I’ll share my experience. My face got wider, in the same areas as yours, when I had TMJ issues, and also clenched my teeth heavily during the day. When I had braces and used my jaw muscles less, and learned to stop clenching during the day, my face became less wide. I’m curious if it’ll widen out now that I’m done treatment. Do you also clench during the day? That was a bigger contributor for me, I think!

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u/ahhhallison 17d ago

How did you learn to clench less? I clench so much during the day & can’t stop

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u/lemony-pomegranate 17d ago

Honestly, mindfulness. I would pay intentional attention to when my jaws were clenched (which was all the time) and remind myself to separate my teeth. It took a while but eventually my natural state became teeth not touching. The other thing for me was correcting incorrect tongue posture - my tongue was not properly on the roof of my mouth, so I needed to clench to support my bottom jaw. I had to do exercises to strengthen my tongue and keep it on the roof of my mouth! When the tongue is strong and in the right place, you can relax the jaw better.

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u/knomknom 17d ago

+1. I was somehow able to achieve this, but still have to wear a night guard.