What is Jaw pain?

Jaw pain:

Jaw pain can be caused by wisdom tooth, overuse of jaw muscles, stress, migraine headache, sinus infection, salivary gland swelling, abscess, infection, arthritis, heart attack, pain in nerve supplying the face, cyst or tumour.

Signs & symptoms, prevention & treatment of jaw pain.

Signs & Symptoms

Difficulty in jaw movements especially during eating and speaking. Headache. Pain in ear and temple. Ear problems. Clicking sounds on jaw movement.

Prevention

Avoid over and excessive jaw movement. Avoid stress. Avoid hard food (nuts and raw vegetables) that require more jaw movement or more jaw opening such as big burgers, take soft diet. Avoid chewing gum.

Treatment

Pain killers and muscle relaxants. Jaw muscle exercise. Occlusal splints. Occlusal adjustment either by orthodontics, crowns and bridges. Mouth/ Night guard. Jaw muscle massage. Ice pack application. Transcutaenous electronic nerve stimulation. Surgery.

Risk factors

Factors that may increase the risk of developing TMJ disorders include:

• Various types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis
• Jaw injury
• Long-term (chronic) grinding or clenching of teeth
• Certain connective tissue diseases that cause problems that may affect the temporomandibular joint