Totally get what you mean about mornings feeling tighter. Your jaw muscles really do chill out overnight, which can make your bite feel off when you wake up. Sometimes patients tell me it's like their teeth had a secret party while they were sleeping... pretty accurate, lol. Usually it eases up quickly once you're moving around and talking again, but yeah, braces for an underbite can feel like a marathon rather than a sprint. Hang in there—you're not alone!
Yeah, mornings were always the worst for me too. I'd wake up feeling like my jaw had shifted overnight, and it'd take a good half hour before things felt normal again. Honestly, braces for an underbite tested my patience more than anything else I've done. But eventually, it does get better—just gotta keep reminding yourself it's temporary. Hang in there, you're definitely not alone in this marathon.
Totally get what you're describing—morning stiffness and jaw shifting sensations are pretty common with braces for underbites. Usually happens because your muscles relax overnight, allowing your jaw to settle into a slightly different position. One thing that can help is doing gentle jaw stretches or exercises right after waking up. Just slowly open and close your mouth a few times, nothing intense. It helps ease the muscles back into alignment. And yeah, patience is key...but you'll notice gradual improvements over time, promise.
I've noticed similar stiffness in the mornings too, but I wonder if it's always just muscle relaxation causing it. From what I've read, sometimes the orthodontic adjustments themselves can temporarily shift your bite alignment, which might explain that odd jaw shifting feeling. Doing gentle exercises does sound logical though—I've tried something similar and it seems to ease things a bit.
One thing I'm curious about is whether sleeping position might also play into this. Like, maybe side-sleeping or stomach-sleeping puts extra pressure on your jaw overnight? I've experimented a bit with different pillow heights and positions, but haven't really nailed down if it makes a noticeable difference yet...
Has anyone else looked into sleep posture or pillow types as a factor in morning jaw stiffness? Would be interesting to hear if adjusting those has helped anyone significantly.
"One thing I'm curious about is whether sleeping position might also play into this."
I've actually looked into this quite a bit myself. Sleeping on my side definitely seems to make my jaw feel tighter in the morning, especially if my pillow is too high or firm. Switching to a softer, flatter pillow helped somewhat, but honestly, it wasn't a total fix. Might be worth experimenting with memory foam or orthopedic pillows designed specifically for jaw alignment—could make a noticeable difference. Has anyone tried those yet?
