Jaw protraction means sliding your lower jaw straight forward and back again. With your lips closed and your head still, you glide the jaw forward a small, comfortable distance, then let it return. The work is done by chewing muscles deep inside the cheek, mainly the lateral pterygoid. Physios and dentists sometimes include small, controlled jaw movements like this in home programs for a stiff or clicking jaw (temporomandibular disorder, or TMD).

How to do the jaw protraction

Sit or stand tall with your head level and facing forward, shoulders relaxed. The video shows the head and shoulders from the side.
Close your lips gently and let your back teeth part a little, so they do not rub as the jaw moves.
Slide your lower jaw straight forward a small, comfortable distance, without opening your mouth.
Hold for a moment, then glide the jaw slowly back to its resting position.
Repeat, keeping the movement straight rather than letting the jaw drift to one side.

What you should feel

Light work deep in the cheeks and in front of the ears. It should not hurt, catch or lock.

Common mistakes

Poking the chin and head forward instead of moving only the jaw.
Opening the mouth as the jaw slides.
Pushing the jaw as far forward as it will go.
Letting the jaw swing to one side, or clenching the teeth at the end.

How often

Many programs use 5 to 10 slow slides, once or twice a day. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Pain in your jaw, face or ear that builds with each slide, or your jaw starts to catch, click painfully or lock so it will not open fully. Stop. If it stays stuck, or the pain stops you eating or drinking, get medical advice the same day from your doctor or dentist.
Your mouth gets stuck open and will not close, or your jaw feels out of place and your teeth no longer meet as they did. Go to an emergency department straight away, supporting your jaw gently with your hand, and do not drive yourself. Call emergency services if you also find it hard to breathe.
Things look double, your vision suddenly blurs or goes, your speech slurs or becomes muddled, swallowing becomes hard, your face or lips go numb, one side of your face droops or one side of your body goes weak or numb, you suddenly become so dizzy or unsteady that you fall or cannot stand or walk, your legs suddenly give way but you do not black out (a drop attack), or you get a sudden severe headache. Stop and call emergency services, even if it goes away.
Jaw, neck, shoulder or arm pain that comes with chest pain or tightness, sweating, feeling sick, feeling light-headed or being short of breath, or that comes on when you exert yourself, feel stressed or go out in the cold and does not ease within a few minutes of rest. Call emergency services straight away, as this can be a heart attack. If it eases quickly with rest and none of these happen, get medical advice the same day, and do not exercise again until you have been checked.

From the clinic

The movement is small. In the video the jaw moves only a short way forward while the lips stay closed and the head stays still, and the voice guide simply asks you to push the jaw forward without opening your mouth. A mirror placed side-on, or a fingertip resting lightly on your chin, helps you check that only the jaw is moving. A painless click now and then is common in jaws. A click that hurts, or a jaw that catches or feels stuck forward, means stop and tell your physio or dentist.

If your jaw has ever got stuck open, check with your dentist or physio before you start. After jaw surgery or a broken jaw, check with your surgeon before you start, and follow their plan. Sliding the jaw forward moves the joint in the same direction it travels when a jaw locks open, which is why that history matters here.

Jaw pain that comes with effort and goes with rest can be a sign of angina, a heart problem, rather than TMD. New, frequent headaches with pain or tenderness at your temples or on your scalp, or, if you are 50 or over, new jaw aching that comes on as you chew or talk and eases when you stop, need medical advice the same day, as they can be signs of inflamed arteries in the head (giant cell arteritis). If your vision changes, call emergency services.

For the self-care steps that usually come before jaw exercises, see the TMJ disorder program. For a gentle opening movement, try jaw opening with the tongue on the roof of the mouth.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Jaw protraction