02 Aug When Should You Be Concerned About Jaw Pain?
In this blog post, we answer the question: when should you be concerned about jaw pain?
Have you ever been to the dentist and they were running late, so you spent an insane amount of time with your mouth blocked open while you wait for them to fix a cavity? And then the next morning, you wake up and your jaw is sore, and you forget that you’ve been to the dentist, so you Google “jaw pain” and freak out that you might have cancer? Yeah, me neither.
On a serious note, when should you be concerned about jaw pain? Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMJ or TMD) are the most common cause of jaw pain and clicking, and can affect almost anyone, although they are more common in individuals who clench or grind their teeth. The symptoms of TMJ can be lessened and often eliminated with appropriate treatment, it’s just important to figure out the underlying cause of the joint problem to address it. Dentists and manual therapists (Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Massage Therapists, and the like) often work together to deal with TMJ to address the issue, and prevent it from recurring.
If your jaw is locking open, if it’s clicking a lot, or the clicking is getting more frequent, if you wake up with a sore jaw, it’s probably time to talk to your dentist and manual therapy team to address the issue.
But there are other things that can cause jaw pain: sinus infections, nerve conditions, and extremely rare infections in the bone. If you have jaw pain and fever, or the pain is extreme, or you feel like you can’t breathe, that’s urgent and you should seek medical help.
The major thing to remember about the jaw is that it is a joint just like any other joint in your body. It has muscles that act on it, and surfaces that are supposed to slide smoothly past each other. When this doesn’t happen, then we call it TMJ, and those things can be fixed. Book in at MYo Lab for TMJ assessment and treatment today!
We are always accepting new members who are ready to commit to their health and wellness journey. If you are ready to experience the MYo difference, book now so one of our team members can welcome you to the MYo Lab community!