What is JawBuddy?

Maybe your dentist mentioned JawBuddy, or the name came up while you were looking for something to do about a sore, tight jaw. Before you put a health app on your phone, it's fair to want to know what it is and who made it.

I'm Moritz, a physiotherapist and one of the founders. Below I answer the questions I get asked most about the app, including the ones about what it isn't meant for.

Key takeaways

JawBuddy is an app made by JawBuddy GmbH in Leipzig, Germany, for people who grind or clench their teeth or have a TMJ disorder. It guides you through a personal plan with daily exercise videos, pain tracking and reminders. In the EU it is a Class I medical device under Regulation (EU) 2017/745 (MDR, 2017).

• The app is available for iPhone and Android (App Store, 2026; Google Play, 2026).
• The exercises come from a physiotherapist and an oral and maxillofacial surgeon on the founding team.
• It works alongside professional care and does not replace a diagnosis or emergency treatment.

What does JawBuddy actually do?

The app is a digital companion for guided jaw exercises and self-management. You start by answering questions about your symptoms. From those answers you get a plan of short exercise videos for each day, and the plan adjusts as you give feedback after your sessions.

There's also a pain diary, reminders and relaxation techniques. You can follow your jaw movement with your phone's camera, and you can export your progress as a report to take to your dentist or physiotherapist.

Exercises have an established place in TMJ care, and that didn't start with us. The US National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research recommends starting with conservative, reversible treatments and lists exercises that gently stretch or strengthen the jaw muscles among them (NIDCR, 2026). You can see what those look like on our TMJ exercises page.

Who built JawBuddy?

The company behind the app is JawBuddy GmbH, based in Leipzig. Four of us started it. Leon Rauch runs the company, Benjamin Cadiz de Gracia leads the engineering, I look after the product and the exercises as a physiotherapist, and an oral and maxillofacial surgeon brings the medical view.

The idea came from Leon's own jaw. He has said he had jaw pain for years and saw how little you can do yourself between two dental appointments (Startbase, 2026). I know that gap from the clinic, where weeks can pass between sessions and home exercises quietly drop off.

Is JawBuddy a medical device?

In the EU and the European Economic Area, JawBuddy is a Class I medical device under the European Medical Device Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2017/745 (MDR, 2017). Elsewhere the app is a lifestyle product and not a medical device.

Class I is the lowest risk class in the regulation. The classification tells you about the product's purpose and safety, and it is not proof that the app relieves symptoms. A clinical trial is meant to answer that. According to the funding announcement, a multicentre randomised controlled trial with 130 patients is planned to start in December 2026 (Startbase, 2026). There are no results yet, and I'd rather you hear that from me.

How is JawBuddy funded?

On 4 November 2026, JawBuddy announced a funding round of 818,000 euros led by the healthcare platform HALBZEIT. A dentist, an oral surgeon, the regional investment company MBG Sachsen and several business angels also took part, and the total includes a business angel bonus from the Saxon development bank SAB (Startbase, 2026).

A large part of the money is set aside for the scientific study of the digital therapy (Startbase, 2026). For anyone using the app, that mainly means it keeps being developed and gets tested in a trial.

Who is it for, and who is it not for?

The app is for people with jaw tension, teeth grinding or a TMJ disorder who want guided exercises at home. You don't need a diagnosis to start. If you have severe pain, painful joint noises or a jaw that locks, see a professional first.

It also isn't a night guard. A guard protects your teeth from wear while exercises work on the muscle tension, and the two can be used together. Our roundup of the best TMJ apps describes similar apps side by side, and the night guard alternative page goes into what a guard can and can't do.

Try it: the check I start with

This is the first thing I show people in the clinic, and you can do it right now without any app.

1. Pause and notice your mouth without changing anything.
2. Check whether your teeth are touching. The NHS advises keeping your teeth apart except when you're eating (NHS TMD, 2023).
3. Let your lower jaw drop until the teeth separate, with your lips still closed.
4. Repeat the check a few times a day, for example each time you unlock your phone.

If you keep finding your teeth together, you probably clench during the day more than you realise. I go deeper on that in can you stop clenching your jaw during the day?.

When should you see a doctor?

An app is for everyday self-care and not for acute situations.

Emergency: call 999 in the UK, 911 in the US or 112 in the EU if:

• you have chest pain spreading to your arms, neck or jaw (NHS heart attack, 2026).

Urgent: ask for an urgent GP appointment or call 111 if:

• you cannot eat or drink, or your jaw is locking (NHS TMD, 2023),
• you have frequent, severe headaches, or pain or tenderness at the side of your head (NHS TMD, 2023),
• you have vision problems, such as double vision or loss of vision (NHS TMD, 2023).

For jaw symptoms that don't settle, a dentist is the usual first stop and can tell you whether exercises suit you.

You can do something for your jaw yourself

Jaw problems are common, and the weeks between appointments can be put to use. If you want to understand the condition itself, the TMJ disorder guide is a good next read. If grinding is your main concern, start with the teeth grinding page.