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Symptoms, Their Causes & Cures: Jaw Problems

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Jaw Problems

WHEN TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR

* Your jaw hurts, especially when you talk, yawn or chew.

* You can't open your mouth more than two inches.

* You also feel pain in your neck, shoulders or ears.

What Your Symptom Is Telling You

The jawbone's connected to the head bone—that much we know for sure. We also know that the joint we laypeople call the jaw is referred to by doctors as the temporomandibular joint. When it isn't working right, doctors say you have temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD or TMJ). From there, though, certainty fades amid assorted and often contradictory claims about the most common causes of jaw problems.

TMD "is the most vague area in dentistry," says Van B. Haywood, D.M.D., an associate professor in the Department of Operative Dentistry at the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry in Chapel Hill. "Causes and effects can be very confusing."

One manifestation of TMD is pain in the face or head. TMD may create an audible click when you open and close your mouth. (If you have that clicking though, it doesn't necessarily mean you have TMD.) The joint can become inflamed and swollen. The damaged joint could lock your jaw open or closed. The muscles and ligaments could lose their elasticity, and you might develop a receding chin. The injury also can cause headaches, toothaches and ringing in the ears.

The jaw muscles and ligaments can hurt on their own, but they can also send pain to muscles in other places, such as your neck and shoulder, says Brendan C. Stack, Sr., D.D.S., an orthodontist and president of the National Capital Center for Craniofacial Pain in Vienna, Virginia, and past president of the American Academy of Head, Neck, Facial Pain and TMJ Orthopedics.

The possible culprits of TMD are many. It could be arthritis, which can just as easily affect your jaw joint as any other joint in the body.

Improper alignment of teeth could also tax the joint. Sometimes a whack to the jaw area can set TMD in motion. Teeth grinding and tight facial muscles brought on by stress can exacerbate the problem.

Finally, sinus infections and toothaches can put pressure on the muscles in your face, making you think you have TMD when you actually don't, Dr. Stack says.

Symptom Relief

Because there's so much guesswork involved in getting to the source of your jaw problem, many things might work alone or together to ease your discomfort. Before you take your problem to the experts, here are a few things you should know and try.

Save the knife for last. Don't be tempted or persuaded to seek a fast surgical solution to your jaw problem, Dr. Haywood says. "First we identify bad habits or stresses that could contribute to the problem," he says, then we look at things structurally and functionally. Surgery to realign the jaw or teeth is a last resort. You may be able to treat the pain by taking a common analgesic like aspirin."

Don't take it on your chin. If you have jaw pain, the best sleeping position is on your back or on your side, Dr. Haywood says. Sleeping on your stomach pushes the head to one side and places a lot of pressure on the jaw.

Press for less stress. A lot of people manifest stress by tightening muscles in their face and neck. Try to consciously relax these muscles as you go about your daily business. Keep your mouth closed but your teeth slightly apart. "If you walk with your fists clenched up, you're going to get a charley horse in your arm," says Dr. Haywood. "That's what happens when you go around with your teeth clenched."

Guard your mouth. An orthodontist or dentist practiced in treating TMD can devise a special mouthguard to realign your jaw, decompress your jaw joint and get your face muscle to relax, says Dr. Stack. The guard clasps onto your teeth in the back of your mouth, hidden from view.

Find an expert. Members of the American Academy of Head, Neck, Facial Pain and TMJ Orthopedics are specialists in the whole murky area of jaw problems, Dr. Stack says. You can obtain a referral to an expert in your area by calling their national office in Fort Worth, Texas.

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