Sudden Jaw Pain: What It Means & How to Deal With It

Have you ever woken up one morning with intense jaw pain and wondered where it came from? Is it hard to eat even the simplest foods, like macaroni and cheese, without dealing with pain in your jaw? Raleigh Facial Pain Center is here to tell you about sudden jaw pain and how you can manage it.

Jaw Image

When patients come to us complaining about sudden jaw pain, we inform them that it is a symptom of damaged muscles and joints in their chewing system. Jaw pain can come about for a variety of different reasons, including:

  • Long open mouth dental procedures
  • Grinding-clenching
  • Excessive chewing on gum
  • Wide yawning
  • Multiple traumas

Jaw pain is normally found in women, aged 18 to 48, and it can be heartbreaking, especially because one of life’s simplest pleasures, eating, can be taken away just like that. Even sneezing, yawning and chewing can bring about excruciating pain.

LOCKED JAW   ===   RESTRICTED OPENING                                                                                                                                       1) Shock locked jaw                                                                                                                                                                2) Panic trying force close                                                                                                                                                      3) Social concern                                                                                                                                                                   4)  Difficulty to find help                                                                                                                                                         5) Difficulty in eating                                                                                                                                                               6) Talking or speaking changes

Why It Is Important to Get Your Jaw Issues Treated As Soon As Possible

In restricted opening, the longer the disc is displaced the harder it is  to recapture. In the hope of recapture of disc, you need immediate care for the displaced disc. The longer disc is displaced the harder it is to recapture.  Do not miss this point because many do ?  A restricted opening requires an emergency care for proper TMD health.

Restricted opening (RO):                                                                                                                                                                        1)  Urgent recapture                                                                                                                                                                2) Stop progressive tearing lateral ligament disc                                                                                                                  3) Initiation of chewing system orthopedics                                                                                                                          4) Recruit orthopedic team                                                                                                                                                     5) Promote healing                                                                                                                                                                 6) Reduce chance another RO

A jaw joint disc is tethered by ligaments on both sides, so when it experiences microtearing over a long period of time, without being treated, it can lead to unbearable jaw pain and even irreversible damage. Microtearing is caused by a some what hidden grinding/clenching and tension muscles.  Even traumas causes macrotearing of lateral ligament of TMD disc.

When you are experiencing frequent jaw pain or lock jaw, it is important that you get treatment as quickly as possible in order to prevent further tearing of lateral ligament of disc of jaw joint. Once ligaments stretch too far, they can become torn, in which they lose their blood supply and that can lead to permanent damage.

It is important to rely on a OROFACIAL PAIN SPECIALIST who has been board-certified and residency-trained to manage jaw joint damage. For all of this and more, contact the oral facial pain specialists at Raleigh Facial Pain Center.

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