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Jaw Pain, TMJ / TMD, or temporomandibular joint disorder, is a term used to describe a group of symptoms including headaches; facial pain; jaw pain; sore, chipped, broken, or worn teeth, clicking or popping in the jaw, and limited jaw movement.

Because TMJ is a dysfunction of the jaw joint, jaw pain is a very common symptom. A “bad bite” in which your upper and lower teeth do not come together in proper alignment also disrupts the placement of the jaw and the surrounding muscles. This imbalance in the bite-jaw-muscle relationship is what causes the pain in the jaw. Pressure and forces on the teeth can cause bone to dissolve or extra boney projections to be built up.

Jaw pain can be in the jaw muscles, the jaw joints, or both. Most of it comes from the muscles that move the lower jaw. One of the muscles, the temporalis, spreads out like a fan on the side of the head and reaches downward to grab the lower jaw. Many physicians are not familiar with the temporalis muscle and mistake the pain from this muscle for migraine. Some patients with actually have pain inside the jaw joint itself. If there is discomfort in the jaw joint itself, the joints will hurt when you press directly on them.

This problem can be devastating. You can’t smile, you can’t eat, and you can’t speak. It’s terrible. Jaw pain can start with an accident, a long dental visit, or without any good reason. Acute jaw pain is when the pain begins suddenly. Chronic jaw pain is when the pain persists and doesn’t go away.

Jaw pain causes the jaw muscles to tighten and hold the jaw in one place to protect it. Unfortunately, the jaw muscles then go into spasm, become inflamed, and cause more jaw pain. Jaw muscle exercises can be helpful because they bring blood to the tight jaw muscles. Because patients with jaw pain can’t chew easily, many jaw pain patients do not eat much. This decreases their strength and causes more pain.

Symptoms of Jaw Pain

The symptoms you may be experiencing include:

• Pain and soreness in your jaw joint and muscles of your face
• Headaches
• Noises in your jaw joint such as clicking or popping sounds
• Difficulty opening or closing your jaw
• Your jaw locking open or closed
• Difficulty chewing food
• Your teeth not feeling like they fit together properly
• Difficulty opening your mouth wide
• Ringing in your ears
• Grinding your teeth
• Awakening in the morning with soreness in your jaw or muscles of your face
• Sleep problems

Causes of Jaw pain

The following medical conditions are some of the possible causes of Jaw pain. There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor about your symptoms.

Jaw injury , Broken jaw, TMJ disorder, Jaw disorders, Jaw arthritis, Jaw alignment disorder Bruxism, Sinus infections, Toothache, Swollen jaw glands, Caffey’s disease, Dental surgery, Wisdom tooth extraction, Jaw tumor, Jaw cyst, See also oral pain, mouth pain, and dental pain, Nose infection, Paranasal sinus infection, Dental caries, Acute post-extraction osteitis, Acute maxillary sinusitis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Septic arthritis (see Joint pain), Teeth clenching, Nail biting, Teeth grinding, Herpes zoster, Migraine, Referred pain from coronary artery insufficiency.

How Common are these Causes of Jaw pain?

This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Jaw pain. Of the 46 causes of Jaw pain that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:

• 8 causes are “very common” diseases
• 3 causes are “common” diseases
• 2 causes are “uncommon” diseases
• 0 causes are “rare” diseases
• 1 causes are “very rare” diseases
• 40 causes have no prevalence information.

First Help for Jaw Pain

Placing most hot hand towels over both sides of the jaws can help. Fill up a sink with hot water and place the towels in the sink then wring them out. Be sure the water is not hot enough to burn you. After a few minutes, stretch your jaw muscles by opening and closing as wide and you can. The movement and the heat help bring nourishing blood to the jaw muscles and take away the waste products that have built up that cause jaw pain in the jaw muscles.

Gentle massage can help. Rub the muscles on the outside of your face and then place your thumb or forefinger inside the mouth and the other finger outside the mouth. Gently sweeze the muscles between your two fingers and rub the jaw muscles from inside and outside the mouth.

You can also fill your bathtub up with hot water and immerse yourself almost totally in the hot water so that your entire face is covered. This can often help the patient sleep better. Motrin and Nuprin are the best over-the-counter analgesics. However, they do not solve the problem of why your jaw muscles are hurting and only mask the signs and symptoms of TMJ.

It is important for patients with jaw pain to remember to stay healthy and eat properly. There are many causes and that’s why it is so difficult for many doctors to diagnose. One cause is a nutritional deficiency in a vitamin, like Vitamin C or Vitamin E. It can even be caused by a mineral deficiency in magnesium , calcium , or any of the other minerals required by your body.

A neuromuscular dentist can help alleviate jaw pain related to TMJ by realigning the bite. Once the jaw is back into its most relaxed position the surrounding muscles can also resume their natural function.