Jaw pain can interfere with daily life, making simple tasks like eating and speaking difficult. Common causes include temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, dental issues, arthritis, trauma, and infections. Treatment options vary depending on the cause and may include medication, lifestyle changes, physical therapy, or, in severe cases, surgery. Understanding the source of your jaw pain is the first step toward effective relief.
Few conditions can cause the same kind of interference with your day-to-day life as jaw pain. When you’re experiencing pain in your jaw, it can be difficult to talk, eat, or do anything else that involves opening and closing your mouth.
Fortunately, most types of jaw pain can be remedied. In some cases, the pain can be relieved with lifestyle changes or medications. In others, treating the pain requires surgery of some kind. But to determine what treatment will be most effective, you must first know what’s causing your jaw pain.
This month, we’re exploring some of the common causes of jaw pain and the treatment options for each.
Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Disorder
TMJ disorder is the most common cause of jaw pain. The temporomandibular joint is the pivot point that allows your lower jaw to move. It’s one of the most frequently used joints in your body, and any inflammation of the joint or its associated muscles or connective tissues can lead to agonizing pain.
TMJ disorder can be caused by several different things, including jaw injuries, bruxism (tooth grinding), arthritis, malocclusion (over/underbites), and even stress. Even some common daily practices can cause a TMJ disorder: using your teeth like pliers to grip things, chewing on pens or pencils, taking excessively large bites of food, or sleeping on your stomach.
If TMJ disorder is the source of your jaw pain, your treatment options may include:
- Medications such as pain relievers, anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxers, or antidepressants that affect the way your body responds to pain.
- Nonsurgical options such as mouthguards, physical therapy, injections of steroids, ultrasound therapy, and electrical nerve stimulation (TENS).
- Lifestyle changes that include taking smaller bites, cutting back on chewing gum or crunching ice, and improving your posture.
For more severe cases or cases that don’t respond to nonsurgical treatment, open or arthroscopic surgery may be required.
Dental Issues
Another common source of jaw pain is the presence of an abscessed tooth or untreated cavity. Since the nerves that detect pain in your teeth are connected to the nerves that detect pain in the jaw, a dental issue will almost always result in a certain amount of jaw pain.
If you’re experiencing jaw pain and it’s been a while since your last dental visit, making an appointment to see your dentist is a good first step. If the issue is as simple as a cavity, a filling will soon put an end to your jaw pain. If the problem is more complex, your dentist will be able to provide you with options for your next steps.
Once your current dental issue has been resolved, make sure to receive two dental checkups and cleanings each year – preventative care will go a long way toward ensuring that your jaw pain doesn’t return.
Arthritis
Several different conditions fall under the umbrella of “arthritis,” but they all affect your joints. Arthritis can result from an autoimmune condition that causes systemic inflammation in your joints (rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis) or the breakdown of cartilage in your joints, allowing your bones to rub together without lubrication (osteoarthritis).
Either way, when your jaw is affected, you can experience significant pain. Depending on the source of your arthritis, you may be treated by an orthopedist or a rheumatologist for your general arthritis care. Still, your maxillofacial surgeon can also help with arthritis of the jaw.
As with most conditions, treating arthritis involves trying nonsurgical options first and relying on surgical means only if they’re necessary. Before considering an operation, you may be treated with:
- Over-the-counter pain medications (like acetaminophen) or anti-inflammatories (like ibuprofen)
- Corticosteroids, such as cortisone shots
- Antirheumatic drugs if you’re affected with rheumatoid arthritis
- Physical or occupational therapy can improve strength and relieve pain
If none of these treatments work, several different surgical options may be able to relieve your jaw pain.
Trauma
If this is the cause of your jaw pain, then you probably know that it’s the cause of your jaw pain. A broken or dislocated jaw will cause excruciating pain at the instant the trauma occurs.
If you’re experiencing the pain of a broken or dislocated jaw, you need to seek emergency medical care immediately. Visit a hospital emergency room or full-service urgent care center to obtain the care you need quickly. In most cases, you will require some level of maxillofacial surgery to correct the condition.
Infections
That sinus infection that has you sniffling and congested can actually be a source of significant pain due to a mechanism called “referred pain.” Referred pain happens when an injury or inflammation in one part of the body presents as pain in another part of the body (referred pain is the reason people get shooting pains in their arms when they have a heart attack).
If a sinus infection or other sinus condition causes inflammation in the sinus cavities adjacent to the jaw, the pain can actually seem to come from the jaw instead of the sinuses.
Other infections can cause jaw pain, including but not limited to mumps and tetanus:
- Mumps is a contagious disease that causes the salivary glands to swell, which causes nerve pain. Mumps is a “self-limiting” viral condition, meaning that treatment involves managing symptoms while the disease runs its course.
- Tetanus—also known as lockjaw—is a bacterial disease that causes intense, painful muscle spasms, including those of the jaw muscles. It is an incredibly dangerous condition that requires immediate medical attention.
Both mumps and tetanus are almost entirely avoidable. Mumps can be prevented by ensuring that you are up to date on your MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine. Tetanus can be avoided with the DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) vaccine.
Are you experiencing jaw pain? Talk to Athens Oral Surgery Center about your treatment options today.
Our team will evaluate the condition of your jaw and create a surgical treatment plan to resolve the issue, restore proper functions, and relieve any pain.
Schedule a jaw surgery consultation with our team today! 706-549-5033
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