Hi Molly.

TMJ or temporal mandibular joint issues are generally thought to occur due to bad teeth alignment. This is just simply not the case. The opening and closing of the jaw has little to do with the teeth. It is the joint and the muscles acting on the joint which includes the nerves and all of the associated tissues. So, there are no over the counter medications that can do anything but cause problems for TMJ. There are exercises that can help if one knows why there is TMJ in the first place. I have treated TMJ patients successfully by comprehensively evaluating all contributing factors and identifying the biggest offenders and starting there first. One of the biggest factors that are routinely missed is the neck. Try this for instance, bite down hard…feel the neck muscles tighten up. That’s right, the neck is involved. And you are most likely grinding your teeth as well. That is why the pencil thing may help somewhat. Although, most people have problems with grinding during the night, I don’t recommend chewing on a pencil during sleeping.
Of course I treat the TMJ joint as well. Process adjusting to normalize joint function so that opening and closing is made easier.

Remember that pencils are for writing not fixing TMJ.

Thanks,
 
Dr Bob
Expert Health and Rehabilitation
Goaskdrbob.com