How to Release Jaw Tension: 4 Gentle Steps to Relax Your Jaw

A relaxed jaw rests with your teeth slightly apart, your lips gently closed, and your tongue resting on the roof of your mouth. When you are powering through meetings, staring at screens, or concentrating hard, it is easy to hold your jaw tight without realizing it until you pause and check. Check right now: if your teeth are touching, the four steps below start right there. For more on everyday jaw tension, see our jaw tension guides.

This is everyday self-care, not medical advice. Stop anything that hurts, and see When to Stop and Talk to a Dentist or Doctor About Your Jaw below. Our medical disclaimer explains the limits of what we share.

Step 1: Find Your Jaw’s Resting Position

Your jaw’s natural resting position has three parts: teeth slightly apart, lips gently closed, and your tongue resting on the roof of your mouth rather than between your teeth. HealthLink BC, a public health service in British Columbia, describes this exact same position for relaxing the jaw.

That small gap between the teeth is the part most people miss. Touching teeth are the easiest sign to spot that your jaw is holding onto tension, and leaving a little space gives it room to let go.

Give it a try right now. Close your lips without pressing them together, let your lower teeth drop away from your upper teeth until a small gap opens up, and rest your tongue gently against the roof of your mouth. Take a second to notice how your jaw feels compared to a moment ago.

Once this resting position feels familiar, the next skill is simply noticing the moments when your jaw drifts away from it.

Step 2: Catch a Clenched Jaw and Reset It

To reset a clenched jaw, notice the clench, let your teeth come apart, and bring your tongue back to the roof of your mouth. When you practice those three beats often, they turn into a quick check-in you can do at your desk, in a meeting, or on a call, with no equipment and nobody noticing.

Notice the Clench

A clenched jaw usually shows up while you are concentrating, either with your teeth touching or your jaw muscles feeling firm and tight. Long meetings, stretches of typing, and deep focus on a screen are classic moments for it. Simply noticing it is the whole job.

Let the Teeth Come Apart

Letting your teeth part while keeping your lips closed and your tongue on the roof of your mouth brings your jaw right back to its resting position. You do not need any force. Just let your lower jaw drop slightly, almost as if it were hanging loose, and leave it there.

Pick One Daily Cue to Check Your Jaw

A daily cue, like opening your laptop or joining a call, gives you a built-in reminder to check in with your jaw. Pick one or two from this list and skip the rest:

• Opening your laptop at the start of the day
• Joining a video call or meeting
• Waiting at a red light or in a line

A habit you already do every day works much better than setting a new alarm because it asks nothing extra of you. Once you have a cue in place, you can add a little gentle movement.

Step 3: Open and Close Your Jaw Slowly

Opening and closing your jaw slowly in front of a mirror helps keep the movement straight, even, and comfortable. HealthLink BC describes this same exercise: watch yourself in a mirror and gently open and close your mouth, letting your jaw move straight up and down.

Open only as far as feels easy and comfortable, and watch to make sure your jaw does not drift to one side. Keep the pace slow, and stop right away if anything hurts. Since this is a gentle movement to relax the jaw muscles, skip anything that adds resistance or asks you to bite down on an object.

When that movement feels easy, you can add a light touch with your fingertips.

Step 4: Massage Your Chewing Muscles Gently

A gentle massage for your chewing muscles (the masseter) uses light circles with two or three fingers on your cheek, right below the cheekbone and about halfway between your mouth and your ear. Cleveland Clinic points to this exact spot when covering jaw massage.

Keep the pressure light enough to feel pleasant, move slowly, and stop if anything hurts. Colgate also lists a warm, moist washcloth among its relaxation suggestions for the jaw; just keep it comfortably warm, never hot.

This is the only hands-on pressing on this page. If you would like a visual map of acupressure points for the head, jaw, and neck, Quiet Reset maps out acupressure points for the head, jaw, and neck.

Everyday Habits That Keep Jaw Tension Going

Six everyday habits keep your jaw working overtime when it does not need to, and each one has a simpler alternative. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) and HealthLink BC point out most of these, and the table below pairs each habit with an easy swap to try instead.

Habit	What to try instead	Source
Clenching the teeth together while concentrating	Return to the resting position (Step 2)	NIDCR; HealthLink BC
Chewing gum	Chew gum less often	NIDCR
Biting nails or lips	Notice it and let the teeth come apart	NIDCR; HealthLink BC
Cradling a phone between shoulder and jaw	Use the speaker or earbuds	HealthLink BC lists the habit; the alternative is our everyday suggestion
Yawning with the mouth all the way open	Drop your head toward your chest as you yawn	HealthLink BC
Singing loudly with the mouth wide open	Keep the mouth opening moderate	HealthLink BC lists the habit; the alternative is our everyday suggestion

You do not have to change all six at once. Just pick the one you recognize most in your own day and start there. And remember, if a jaw practice hurts or a symptom sticks around, that is the time to check in with a professional.

When to Stop and Talk to a Dentist or Doctor About Your Jaw

Stop any jaw practice that hurts, and talk to a dentist or doctor if you notice any of the signs listed by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). The NIDCR page, last reviewed in September 2026, outlines these signs of a possible jaw disorder:

• Pain in the chewing muscles or the jaw joint
• Pain that spreads to the face or neck
• Jaw stiffness
• Limited movement or locking of the jaw
• Painful clicking, popping or grating when you open or close your mouth
• Ringing in the ears, hearing loss or dizziness
• A change in the way the upper and lower teeth fit together

The NIDCR advises consulting a dentist or doctor if you think you may have a jaw disorder. This article shares everyday self-care and does not diagnose anything or replace professional advice.

Night Clenching, Pressure Points and Jaw-Joint Questions

Clenching at night, pressure points around the jaw, and jaw-joint questions each need more room than this page has. If a dentist or doctor has already told you the jaw joint is involved, they are the right people to ask about everyday habits for it. You can browse everything we have on the topic in our jaw tension guides.