JAW PAIN – What are the causes, symptoms, or treatment of Jaw Pain?

Jaw pain is known for severe pain, physical discomfort, earache, muscle tenderness, headache, and the patient can have trouble eating and speaking. It’s a condition with an effect of not only one problem but a combination of problems leading to one.

Jaw pain can form because of sinus, infection, ear problems, dental issues, and many more. The pain can be caused by the jaw itself or other areas of the face that could cause pain.

Most of the time it can result from being temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD) which is part of a heterogeneous group of musculoskeletal and neuromuscular conditions. Anything associated with temporomandibular joints, and joints connecting to the skull to the mandible could alter normal functioning muscles.

Jaw pain might not need medical help right away however if it is left untreated it can cause other problems that you do not know about. If the pain continues for more than 2 days, it is better to call your health care advisor.

What causes jaw pain?

There are countless problems that can cause pain in the jaw or face it. The pain can be caused by an injury, infection, sinus, and others. These are some reasons leading to mild or severe jaw pain.

Temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders (TMD)

Jaw pain and dysfunction in the jaw joint and muscle are mainly caused by a group of problems known as TMJ. these are divided into 3 categories:

Myofascial pain, soreness, and tenderness in the muscle control the functioning of the jaw. Internal damage of the joint is a condyle wound, displaced disc, and a dislocated shoulder.

Arthritis is a condition that means inflammation and swelling of 1 or more joints and also arthritis is able to alter the function of the temporomandibular joint.

These are some conditions that can occur in a person at any time and even tho they are divided into 3 categories.

What causes TMD?

There is no exact reason behind the cause of TMD there could be several conditions that cause TMD, they could be jaw joint injury or damage, displaced disc, trauma to the jaw.

Stress

Stress and anxiety can be the cause because you might clench or grind your teeth while sleeping and you might not know. Emotional stress that causes clenching is called bruxism.

Not only does it cause sudden jaw pain it can also damage your teeth it is a case of bruxism that can lead to arthritis.

Trauma

Any trauma can lead to jaw pain

Excessive Chewing

Tightness in your mandible if you chewed unnecessarily

Neuropathic Pain

When a nerve gets damaged it sends pain signals to your brain

Osteoarthritis

Not very likely to happen but if it does it could deteriorate the normal functioning of the jaw and the pain could spread to other areas of the face.

Vascular Condition

Inflammation of arteries will occur that results in jaw pain. Headaches and vision could be affected. if the person’s heart’s blood is not rich in oxygen angina could form.

Tetanus

A bacterial infection can be deadly at times. You can have trouble swallowing, stiffness and muscles could pain in the jaw and neck:

Some exercises and treatments that can relieve jaw pain:

The treatment depends on the diagnosis but for relief right away you could:

Medical treatment a doctor could support you with:

Mouthguard: a cover that will protect your teeth so while you sleep you don’t grind and clench your teeth.
Muscle relaxer: decrease your soreness and tenderness. Sometimes people might not find it effected
Botox injection: they inject botulinum toxin into your jaw muscle that relieves your pain. But this may only help you for a few months and this can help you to stop clenching your teeth
Jaw surgery: it’s rare that a doctor might ask you to do surgery but this is only for people that have problems in the bone structure and are going through severe pain