Jaw Locking After Braces: Why It Happens and When to Get Assessed
Noticing that your jaw locks, clicks or pops since getting braces can be worrying, especially when you are not sure who to ask. This article looks at jaw locking after braces, what the research says about orthodontic treatment and jaw problems, who to speak to, and how physiotherapy can help with jaw movement. It also covers jaw clicking and popping with braces, which many people notice at the same time.
Jaw clicking, popping, or restricted movement during orthodontic treatment can have several possible causes, so it is worth discussing new or worsening symptoms with your orthodontist or dentist. If muscle tension or temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction is contributing to the discomfort, physiotherapy may help address jaw movement and muscle function alongside appropriate dental care. For those seeking additional support in Balmain or the wider Sydney area, Sydney TMJ Physio offers a service focused on jaw-related conditions and TMJ concerns. A tailored assessment can help determine whether physiotherapy may be useful and how it can complement your existing orthodontic care, without assuming that braces are necessarily the cause of the symptoms.
Understanding Jaw Locking After Braces
Braces are designed to move teeth, and many people who wear them are teenagers or young adults, an age group in which jaw problems are already common. Because of this, a jaw that starts to lock, click or ache during treatment can seem like an obvious result of the braces. The research is more cautious than that.
A systematic review by Fernández-González and colleagues (2015) examined the literature on orthodontic treatment and temporomandibular disorders (TMD). The authors found no evidence of a cause-and-effect relationship between orthodontic treatment and TMD, and no evidence that orthodontic treatment improves or prevents them. They also noted that TMD signs and symptoms can appear before, during or after orthodontic treatment, which makes a direct link hard to show. The authors called for more long-term studies. In short, the timing may feel significant, but it does not prove that braces are the cause. It does deserve a proper assessment.
Why does my jaw keep locking after braces?
There is no single answer, and it is not possible to say from the outside what is behind your jaw locking. A health professional will usually consider several possibilities, including jaw joint or muscle problems that were present beforehand or developed alongside treatment, habits that load the jaw and other factors that apply to you.
Jaw Joint and Muscle Factors
Jaw locking can involve the temporomandibular joint, the chewing muscles or both. Joint irritation, muscle tightness and pain-related guarding can all make the jaw feel stuck. Because these problems are common in the same age group that wears braces, they may appear during treatment without braces being the cause.
Everyday Habits That Load the Jaw
Clenching, nail biting, chewing gum, holding the mouth wide open for long periods and general tension through the jaw and neck can all add strain. A physiotherapist can help you notice which habits may be relevant to you.
Jaw Clicking and Popping With Braces
Many people notice clicking jaw after braces, or jaw popping after braces, and wonder whether it means damage. Jaw sounds are common, and a click on its own is not always a problem. It is worth getting assessed if the sound comes with pain, limited opening, catching or locking, or if it is changing. Your physiotherapist can assess how your jaw moves and advise on next steps.
Tell Your Orthodontist or Dentist
Let your orthodontist or dentist know about any jaw locking, pain or limited opening. They can review your treatment and advise how it should be considered alongside your jaw symptoms. Do not adjust, loosen or remove braces yourself, and do not stop treatment without their advice.
How do I fix my jaw locking up?
There is no quick fix, and trying to force a locked jaw open can make things worse. The most useful first step is an assessment to work out what is limiting your jaw, followed by a plan that suits you.
Why Forcing the Jaw Is Not Recommended
Pulling, wedging objects between the teeth or pushing the jaw wide can irritate sensitive joint and muscle tissues, particularly when braces are in place. Gentle, comfortable movement guided by a clinician is a safer approach.
Who Can Help
Your orthodontist or dentist can check your teeth, bite and braces. Your GP can review your general health. A jaw physiotherapist focuses on how the jaw, chewing muscles and neck move and function. Many people benefit from more than one of these professionals working together.
How Physiotherapy Can Help With Jaw Movement
Physiotherapy for jaw locking may include education about what is happening, gentle manual therapy for the jaw and neck, guided jaw exercises and advice on habits that load the jaw. Treatment is individualised, kept within a comfortable range and adjusted as your jaw responds, with a focus on long-term function and not only short-term relief.
Can a lockjaw be fixed with braces?
Braces are designed to move teeth, and they should not be expected to resolve jaw locking. In the systematic review by Fernández-González and colleagues, the authors found no evidence that orthodontic treatment improves or prevents TMD. A small number of the studies they reviewed reported reduced signs and symptoms after orthodontic treatment, but results across studies were inconsistent and none reached statistical significance.
What Orthodontics and Physiotherapy Each Do
Orthodontic care focuses on the position of the teeth and bite. Physiotherapy focuses on jaw movement, muscle and joint function and the habits that influence them. Whether orthodontic treatment has any role in your situation is a question for your orthodontist or dentist after assessment.
Questions to Ask Your Orthodontist
If your jaw is locking during treatment, these questions may help your conversation:
Could my jaw symptoms be reviewed alongside my braces treatment?
Is it worth having my jaw assessed by a physiotherapist?
Is there anything I should avoid doing while my jaw is sore?
Who should I contact if my jaw gets stuck or worse?
When to Get Assessed or Seek Urgent Care
If your jaw is stiff, limited, painful or keeps locking, or if it affects eating, speaking or daily activities, an assessment is a sensible next step. Seek urgent medical or dental care if your jaw is stuck wide open or cannot close, or if jaw problems follow an injury or come with fever, facial swelling, signs of infection, or difficulty swallowing or breathing. Sydney TMJ Physiotherapy is a physiotherapy clinic and not an emergency service.
Common Myths About Braces and Jaw Locking
Myth: Braces always cause jaw locking
Myth: If your jaw locks during treatment, braces must be the cause.
What the evidence supports: A systematic review found no evidence of a cause-and-effect relationship between orthodontic treatment and TMD, and noted that symptoms can appear before, during or after treatment.
Myth: Braces will fix a locked jaw
Myth: Straightening the teeth will unlock the jaw.
What the evidence supports: The same review found no evidence that orthodontic treatment improves or prevents TMD.
Myth: Clicking or popping always means damage
Myth: A clicking or popping jaw is a sign something is broken.
What to know: Jaw sounds are common. What matters most is whether they come with pain, limited opening, catching or locking, which a health professional can help you assess.
Myth: You should stop treatment if your jaw locks
Myth: Removing or loosening braces will settle the jaw.
What to know: Decisions about your braces belong with your orthodontist or dentist. Tell them about your symptoms rather than changing anything yourself.
Jaw-Friendly Habits While You Get Assessed
These general habits are low risk and may reduce strain on the jaw while you arrange an assessment:
Keep your lips together and teeth slightly apart when resting
Avoid wide yawning, large bites and chewing gum
Choose softer foods cut into small pieces
Notice clenching, nail biting and tension through the day
Move your jaw only within a comfortable range and never force it
Tell your orthodontist or dentist if long appointments leave your jaw sore
Jaw Physiotherapy in Balmain, Sydney
At Sydney TMJ Physiotherapy in Balmain, our physiotherapists take an individualised, goal-oriented approach to jaw pain, clicking, locking and stiffness. Care starts with a thorough assessment and may include education, manual therapy, guided jaw exercises and habit advice, with a focus on long-term function.
If your jaw has been locking, clicking or popping since getting braces, you are welcome to book an appointment so we can talk through your symptoms and options. We can work alongside your orthodontist, dentist or doctor where that helps.
📅 Book a jaw pain physiotherapy session with Sydney TMJ Physiotherapy in Balmain and get a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
References
Fernández-González, F. J., Cañigral, A., López-Caballo, J. L., Brizuela, A., Moreno-Hay, I., del Río-Highsmith, J., & Vega, J. A. (2015). Influence of orthodontic treatment on temporomandibular disorders. A systematic review. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Dentistry, 7(2), e320-e327. https://doi.org/10.4317/jced.52037 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4483345
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