Jaw jammed: why the mouth does not open completely and it hurts, what to do, which doctor to contact

Jaw helps us to make many vital movements, such as chewing food or talking.

For all these actions, the lower part is attached movably with the help of a joint entangled with tendons and muscles that help in movement. But even in this complex system, malfunctions can occur and the jaw gets jammed.

Why does not my mouth open - reasons

Usually a person in such cases cannot open his mouth or opens it a little.

Various factors can serve as the reason for this phenomenon:

• prosthetics or dental treatment, for example after wisdom tooth extraction;
• injuries to the face and neck, chewing rough food;
• malocclusion;
• structural features of the dentition and joint;
• bruxism.

Most often, the causes are mechanical in nature due to injury or overuse of the jaw, for example, when opening a bottle with your teeth, yawning or increased speech load. But they can also provoke pathology

psychogenic factorssuch as constant stress, emotional stress.

Women suffer from this problem more often, since their ligamentous apparatus is less developed. As a result, sometimes it is enough to open the mouth wide when yawning and the jaw is wedged.

In men, this happens more often due to various injuries and diseases: polyarthritis, rheumatism, gout. They lead to a weakening of the ligamentous apparatus and to the fact that the joint sometimes seizes.

What to do - which doctor and when to contact if your jaw is jammed?

It is easy to determine the malfunctioning of the mandibular joint: it appears pain in the cheekboneswhich can spread to the teeth, temples, and cheeks, or the mouth does not open completely, sometimes for this you have to look for the correct head position, it hurts to close your teeth, or you have to chew on one side. In the early stages, a characteristic click appears during the movement of the joint.

When all the symptoms are present, you need to go to the dentist-surgeon. If there is no such specialist, you can go to a simple dentist or surgeon. They will try to set the jaw back and find out the reasons for its pinching, but if they fail, they will be sent to a narrow specialist.

Comprehensive treatment

Problems with the jaw joint require complex treatment, aimed primarily at eliminating the cause. So, if the problem is caused by a disease of the ligaments or cartilage tissue, it is necessary to treat them, with a psychological basis for seizing, it is worth visiting a psychologist and undergoing a rehabilitation course.

If the jaw hurts and does not open, you urgently need to go to the doctor, this will allow you to quickly and completely eliminate the short circuit. If the treatment is postponed for several hours, changes in the structure of the joint become more difficult and it becomes problematic to correct the ejected jaw, sometimes even surgical intervention is required.

Treatment of pathology includes several points. First of all, the sparing mode of the joint. You need to remove tough foods from the diet, try to talk less and not open your mouth too wide.

If necessary, the doctor prescribes medications:

• injections of glucocorticosteroids;
• anti-inflammatory drugs;
• antidepressants and sedatives;
• non-steroidal analgesics.

Physiotherapy methods are also recommended:

• electrophoresis;
• acupuncture;
• inductothermy;
• laser therapy;
• ultrasound therapy and others.

These techniques help to improve blood circulation in the affected area and tissue nutrition. This contributes to their rapid recovery and elimination of violations.

When the jaw opens or closes poorly due to dental problems, treatment with a dentist is prescribed, for example, if the teeth do not close, then it will help alignment of the dentition, temporary wearing mouthguards etc.

In some cases, you have to resort to surgical intervention - this may be necessary if the jaw has "fallen off" (does not close) or has gone to the side and cannot be returned to the correct position with the usual way.

Self-straightening of the mandibular joint, video:

Recommendations after treatment - gymnastics for ligaments

The treatment process usually does not last long, but the recommendations for maintaining the joint in a healthy state will have to be followed for a long time. Again, this is a decrease in the load on the jaw joint, regular examinations at the dentist and control of re-closure.

For mild displacements or clicking movements, joint gymnastics is the best remedy for the problem.

It is slightly different for different types of pathology. Before doing gymnastics, it is advisable to warm up the muscles and ligaments; for this, a hot compress is applied to the joint area.

When shifted to the right

If the jaw is jammed on one side, use the following technique:

1. The position is occupied: the jaw is at rest, the lips are open, the left elbow rests on the table and the left part of the chin is on the hand.
2. With the chin, you need to press down on the palm, and with it, in turn, up on the jaw, avoiding displacement to the side.
3. Hold in this position for 10 seconds, then relax for 30 seconds. Do 10 of these repetitions.

When shifted back

To eliminate this situation, you need to sit at the table with your elbows on it, rest your lower jaw on your hands, close your mouth. With an effort, try to move the jaw forward until pain appears, avoiding deviation to the side. Open your mouth 10 times at first slowly and as far as possible, then quickly with a gradual increase in scope. Relax the joint.

When a joint is clicked

If the jaw clicks on one or both sides, the following exercises are recommended:

• move the lower jaw back and forth 10 times in each direction;
• relax your mouth, open your lips and move your jaw to the right and left 10 times;
• press your chin with your fingers and try to lift the jaw up with the efforts of the muscles, perform for 30 seconds;
• put your finger on both sides of the chin and try to push it forward with effort, continue for about 30 seconds.