The jaw is pivotal for many of our daily activities, like talking, smiling, or eating, and the list goes on. These activities are the center of our daily routine, without which we cannot just imagine our life. However, jaw disorder or radiating jaw pain can render these activities useless. Consequently, you will be in pain when you try to eat, and the excruciating pain strikes again when you talk.
Hence, it’s imperative to remedy this situation as soon as possible. While over-the-counter medicines can provide temporary relief, a dental appointment allows the dentist to deal with the underlying cause. Therefore, in this article, we shall discuss a few causes of jaw pain.
1. Temporomandibular Disorder:
Also termed TMD or TMJ, this disorder targets the joints, muscles, or tendons connecting the jaw to the skull. This hinge allows the fluid motion of your jaws for activities like eating. Consequently, due to this disorder you face tender or sore muscles along with clicking and popping sounds whenever you move your jaw.
There are a few TMD causes, so only a dental checkup will reveal the underlying cause in your case. Nonetheless, here are few reasons leading to TMD:
- A blow to the jaw leading to joint injury.
- Erosion of the disk.
- Misalignment of the disk.
- Muscle strain or injury.
2. The Habit Of Grinding Teeth:
You can feel your jaw in motion when you try to rub your teeth against each other. Hence, if teeth grinding develops into a habit, you can only perceive the strain on those jaw muscles. Unfortunately, the habit of grinding teeth exists, and the medical term for it is bruxism.
Bruxism can occur during the day or the night, with the latter being the most difficult to quell. Night bruxism takes a toll on your jaws. Hence, you wake up with a mysterious stiffness and pain in your jaws. Moreover, night bruxism requires intricate treatment to control stress. Therefore, always visit a dentist to start your therapy as soon as possible.
3. Cavities:
What begins in a small part of your tooth will eventually devour its way through the enamel to the dentin and sensitive pulp underneath. Hence as the infection becomes severe, the pain radiates through the jaw, ears, and head. In such a scenario, you shouldn’t wait and get a dental appointment as soon as possible. This is because there are high chances that at this stage of infection, a root canal is due.
4. Sinus Problems:
Sinus occurs due to inflammation of your nasal cavities. The inflamed cavities block the passage of air and mucus. Hence, you will start to experience difficulty breathing through your nose. Often, the associated pain targets the head, more specifically, the region in between your brows. However, jaw pain can also jump into the equation when the sinus cavities behind your cheeks endure inflammation.
Conclusion:
It’s imperative to understand that jaw pain can occur due to disorders in the jaw or can indicate problems arising elsewhere in your body resulting in many causes of jaw pain. Hence, a skilled dentist should differentiate between jaw pains and identify the cause of the jaw pain. Nonetheless, you can always rely on dentists’ expertise at Bayside Dental And Orthodontics for your treatment. You can call us at 979-330-4113 for more inquiries.