When you wake up in the morning you should feel relaxed and refreshed, not tense or sore. Which is why if you awaken to unexplained jaw pain, it can be very confusing. But this sounds familiar, don’t despair. Here are a few common reasons you may be experiencing jaw stiffness or discomfort when you get up.

Are you having difficulty swallowing and/or enjoying food? Is your lipstick sticking to your teeth? Does your saliva feel thick or stringy, mouth feel sticky? Do you feel you have bad breath? Is your tongue groovy? Is drinking water dominating your thoughts?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have xerostomia, otherwise known as dry mouth.

When you find out that you have a TMJ disorder, you may wonder whether the easiest thing to do would be to simply ignore it. After all, the pain is something you can learn to live with, right? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. If you don’t have your TMJ disorder addressed as promptly as possible, it could lead to all kinds of problems. Here are just some of the ways that untreated TMJ disorder can have a negative impact on your quality of life.