Know the Causes of Jaw Pain- Dental Care

Take a minute and say a silent thank you for your jaw. The jaw helps you to chew, drink, talk and make facial expressions without thinking twice. That is part of why jaw pain can be frustrating and impossible to ignore. There are various causes of jaw pain, but on the bright side, your dentist may have many ways of addressing this problem. Here are several possible causes of jaw pain.

– Teeth Grinding

If you wake up with severe jaw pain, teeth grinding could be the problem. Teeth grinding happens when you move your jaw while clenching your teeth. Thisoften occurs during sleep and is commonly a result of anxiety and stress. Just like any other muscle that is overused, the jaw muscles can get cramped, causing pain and ache.

– Temporomandibular joint disorder

This is a disorder that is characterized by jaw tenderness and severe pain. Jaw muscles are used on a daily basis to chew food, speak and simply just breathing. All of these activities lie upon a joint known as the temporomandibular joint. The sliding hinge that connects your jaw bone to your skull can be the source of pain felt in the joint itself and the muscles controlling jaw movement. The main cause of this disorder is yet tobe discovered,but it can be as a result of several factors such as arthritis, jaw injury or arthritis.

– Osteomyelitis

Osteomyelitis is a bone infection. This infection can spread into the bone through the bloodstream,or the bone can be exposed to the infection from an open fracture. Infection of the jaw bone is rare,but when it occurs, it can lead to serious problems with the bones of the jaw and the face. When a person has osteomyelitis of the jaw, the temporomandibular joint is often affected. This may lead to sudden jaw pain, facial swelling, headaches, jaw stiffness or neck aches. The most common causes of this conditionare poor oral hygiene or complications following an oral surgery such as root canal treatment. Fortunately, this can be treated successfully with physical therapy and antibiotics.

– Something’s wrong with your bite

A good bite is when your teeth are lined up with each other when you chew. But with a bad bite, only a few teeth line up, like the ones in the back. There are various forms of bad bites such as an overbiteor underbite. With an uneven bite, it means that your jaw cannot perform as expected, which can create wear and tear and severe pain in its joints and muscles. This can be fixed using braces,but in severe cases, surgery may be performed.

– Abscessed Tooth

An nfection causes an abscess between a tooth and the gum or at the root of a tooth. It mostly results from a dental cavity that has been left untreated. If you experience jaw pain on one side, you might be suffering from an abscessed tooth.

– Bottom Line

If you are experiencing some jaw pain, do not wait on it. Your dentist will usually pinpoint the problem and get you on the journey to recovery quickly. But it is also important to note that when other symptoms accompany jaw pain, it can be linked to serious health problems and can even be a sign of heart attack. Getting it checked out can give you peace of mind or the chance to treat the underlying cause of your pain. If you are experiencing any pain on your jaws, visit Springvale Dental Clinic for diagnosis and treatment of the problem.