The broadcaster Zoe Ball has revealed she has been suffering from a jaw condition – temporo-mandibular joint disorder (or TMJ) – that gives her “awful headaches” when she wakes up. Writing on Instagram, she said “I have TMJ and wake most days with awful headaches from tension & jaw clenching.” She has since had successful treatment.

The temporo-mandibular joint is the joint connecting your lower jaw and your skull. The movement in this joint lets you open and close your mouth and chew from side to side. Dysfunction of the joint causes pain in the jaw joint and muscles controlling jaw movement.

You may find that you clench or grind your teeth, although most people who do aren't aware of it. Sometimes this can be caused by anxiety, but generally most people clench their teeth when they are concentrating on a task.

You may also wake up in the morning with a stiff jaw or tenderness when you bite together. This could be due to clenching or grinding your teeth in your sleep. Most people who grind their teeth do it while they are asleep and may not know they are doing it.

Rob says, “One figure I’ve seen is that you can clench your teeth when you sleep with up to 20 times the pressure that you exert during the day.

“If you suffer from severe headaches, or neck and shoulder pain, you may not have linked this with possible jaw problems. Or you may keep having pain or discomfort on the side of your face around your ears or jaw joints or difficulty in moving your jaw. These are all symptoms of TMJ problems. Speak to your dentist if you are experiencing these types of pain. We may be able to help you.”