Jaw pain can be described as a throbbing pain that can happen all of a sudden or start of mildly and become intense over the course of time. It affects the ability to eat, speak and move your jaw. There could be many reasons for jaw pain and identifying the correct symptom is the first step towards recovery.
Most of the times, jaw pain is caused by an injury or abnormality caused/formed in the joint of the jaw. However, there are many other possible causes for jaw pain. Here are some of the causes of jaw pain:
1) Teeth Grinding
Teeth grinding is a regular and leading cause if jaw pain. If unchecked, it can cause severe damage to the teeth. Grinding is the process of clenching teeth that is different from chewing. A lot of grinding happens unconsciously, when the person is sleeping and is not aware of the fact that they were teeth grinding at night. This would cause jaw pain when the person is awake.
2) Osteomyelitis
A type of infection that travels through the blood stream, Osteomyelitis affects the bones and surrounding tisses of the body. This can cause jaw pain, fever and swelling of the face. The good news is that this condition is generally curable and surgery can remove the infected areas of the bone.
3) Temporomandibular Disorder
Temporomandibular disorder or TMD for short affects the temperomandibular joint of the jaw. TMD is the most cause of jaw pain in the world. There are several causes of TMD jaw pain. Some of them include:
- Muscle pain in the joint of the jaw
- Excessive stimulation of the jaw joint
- Displaced disc in the jaw
- injury to the jaw joint
- Arthritis of the protective disc cushioning the jaw joint
4) Abscessed Tooth
Abscessed tooth is an infected tooth and is filled with puss.It’s primarily a pocket of discharge which can be the consequence of a pulp, or nerve, that has gotten tainted by oral bacteria. It can cause serious torment whenever left unattended just as spread to other sound teeth and contaminate them. Filled with puss tooth for the most part happens when a dental depression has been left untreated for an all-inclusive period.Pain is caused when the bacteria of one infection spreads to surrounding teeth and bone tissues through the root of the tooth.
Other Dental Conditions
Other causes of jaw pain include gum disease and cavities. These could include headaches and sinuses. Most of these issues might not directly affect the jaw but the pain can extend over to the jaw. People with gaps in their teeth could also experience pain when stress is applied. The same goes for people whose teeth are severely damaged due to accident/poor health. Hence it is very important good dental care is maintained at home which includes flossing and brushing regularly. Visiting a dentist at regular intervals also helps keeping dental pain and other oral diseases in check.
