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Jaw pain: causes, treatment. The jaw hurts when opening the mouth and chewing. What to do if it hurts to open your mouth

Jaw pain when opening the mouth is a common complaint among people of any age. To think that discomfort will pass by themselves, in vain. The disease that caused them will progress if left untreated. This will lead to other serious complications, pathology of the temporomandibular joint, and other health problems.

Structure and functions of the TMJ

The TMJ, or temporomandibular joint, is a paired organ in which movement occurs synchronously. This ensures chewing functions and correct articulation. The joint is complex and subject to constant loads. Its structure and proximity to the nasal sinuses, ear and dentofacial apparatus makes the organ vulnerable to infectious lesions.

The lateral pterygoid muscles additionally participate in the movements of the jaw joints, which pull the ligaments, providing motor activity. There are several functions of joints, each of which is unique. These are frontal movements when opening, closing the mouth, and articulation. There are also movements to the side and vertically when chewing food and sagittal movements for extension lower jaw.

A healthy temporomandibular joint has the following structure:

ellipsoidal articular head of the lower jaw;
the articular fossa, divided in half by the petrotympanic fissure;
joint capsule - a durable shell made of connective tissue(it protects the joint from bacteria);
tubercle - a cylindrical protrusion in front of the glenoid fossa;
a plate of cartilage tissue (disc) between the articular surfaces, thanks to which the joint moves in different projections;
ligaments that regulate movements: lateral, sphenomandibular, temporomandibular.

The structure of the human TMJ changes after tooth loss. Articular head gradually resolves, reaching the state of a fossa. In addition, the posterior tubercle becomes flattened, which leads to limited mobility and impaired functioning.

Joint dysfunction occurs due to different situations, which can disrupt the bite, lead to facial asymmetry, and jamming of the jaws.

The nature of pain and the mechanism of its occurrence

When it is painful to open your mouth wide, or it is completely jammed, this almost always indicates an inflammatory process, a violation of the anatomy and functions of tissues. The pain can spread to all areas of the face, shoot into the ear, cause migraines, and discomfort with visual strain. It can be different - long-term and short-term, aching and acute, which is taken into account when making a diagnosis.

Aching pain in the lower jaw accompanies the inflammatory process, and burning pain occurs with neuralgia. Cutting pain is usually diagnosed as a bone injury. People who find it painful to chew or open their jaws wide often blame pathology of the skeletal system as the cause. However, the disease can also affect surrounding tissues. If the patient ignores the pain, soon unpleasant symptoms They will also bother you when your jaw is closed.

Under the influence of certain diseases, the jaw may jam, pain on the left or right side. Pain on the left side may indicate poor circulation or problems with the blood vessels of the heart. Its right-sided nature is observed in neoplasms and inflammatory processes. If your jaw hurts everywhere and constantly, you can suspect an oncological factor.

It happens that the jaw cramps after sleep, and in the morning, at rest, cramps appear. You should not delay your visit to the doctor. Especially if the disease is accompanied by the following symptoms:

spasms with fever;
throbbing pain with spasms;
strong pain radiates to any ear, eye (we recommend reading: what to do if toothache radiates to the ear?);
swelling;
mouth does not open;
it hurts to chew for a long time;
cramps in the lower part of the face.

When you open your mouth

Pain when opening the mouth is a consequence of a dislocation or fracture. If Lately There was no injury, these options are excluded. In this case, the cause of discomfort is osteomyelitis. Other pathologies that lead to sharp, aching or acute pain when working the jaws are dental diseases, among which caries ranks first. This also happens when dentures are installed incorrectly.

When chewing and closing teeth

If the jaw system aches, ache, bothers you when chewing or connecting teeth, you can suspect its dislocation or osteomyelitis. Other ailments that lead to discomfort when closing teeth include periodontitis, pulpitis, and complicated caries. When they exacerbate, the pain is pulsating in nature, radiates to the temple, and intensifies during moments of rest and night rest.

At chronic form pathologies, periodic aching pain is possible, which worsens with chewing load on the affected tooth or gum area. Certain foods and alcohol can also provoke discomfort when chewing. Leading to spasm of the esophagus, they also cause muscle spasm and jaw jamming.

Pressure

Pain in the cheek area when pressing is different reasons. It can appear near the right or left side of the ears, or occur when palpating the upper or lower part. The cause of burning is often arteritis facial artery. With phlegmon, fistulas and abscess, the jaw will hurt even with a light touch at rest, and this symptom will be accompanied by others that cannot be ignored.

Pain when pressing on the teeth and gums indicates their pathology and dental problems. It often worries when there is abnormal eruption of a wisdom tooth, as well as accidental injury to the jaw.

Causes of pain in the jaw near the ear

Doctors often encounter patient complaints of pain in the jaw near the ear, pain in the ear when chewing. This symptom is not always associated with dental problems, and painful sensations can be caused by the following reasons:

Pain in the jaw near the ear and temple is often observed due to carotidynia. This disease is similar to migraine, which is characterized by aching pain in the ear area, radiating to the lower jaw and eye socket. The pain is monotonous, but it happens acute attacks, which last from a couple of minutes to an hour. Carotidynia occurs due to dissection temporal artery, tumors in the area of the carotid artery.

Associated symptoms

Any discomfort when the mouth does not open completely, or the jaw hurts on the right/left, cannot be ignored. Especially if it hurts a child. The accompanying symptoms will tell you that the pain is not random:

Diagnostic methods

If you complain of pain near the cheekbones when yawning, eating, or talking, a visual examination is performed. Afterwards, radiography, MRI, ultrasound, and ECG are prescribed (if heart failure is suspected). The disease is differentiated depending on the type of origin:

dental problems;
neurology;
pathology of the cardiovascular system;
ENT diseases;
injuries;
neoplasms.

Diagnosis of cardiovascular, bone and ENT pathologies is carried out on the basis of analyzes and examination data. X-rays and MRIs will help identify why the skin on the face or a tooth hurts, why the mouth cannot open, and identify tumors.

Oncology is much more difficult to diagnose. Tests for tumor markers, tomography and other help with this. modern methods. Based on the diagnostic results, a treatment tactic is selected, the duration of which depends on the degree of neglect of the disease.

Which doctor should I contact?

Which doctor will help if your lower jaw hurts? If it hurts to chew and the problem is in your teeth and gums, you should make an appointment with the dentist. After an injury, if the jaw joints are jammed or the mouth is not fully opened, you should see a maxillofacial surgeon.

Often the patient does not find the cause, and the discomfort progresses: the ear on the right, cheekbones, and the area near the neck hurt. In this case, you should consult a therapist. After the examination, he will tell you which doctor to contact, give a referral to an orthopedist, rheumatologist, neurologist, gnathologist, cardiologist, ENT specialist, gastroenterologist and other specialized specialists.

How to treat the jaw joint?

Eliminate sharp pain Analgesics will help in the jaw joints. However, taking them will not solve the problem once and for all. It is necessary to identify and eliminate the cause of the pathology, which becomes:

Folk remedies

Folk remedies combating painful sensations when opening the jaw, and pathologies of its joints are used as an addition to the main treatment. They will not help if your jaw is jammed, but they will remove pain symptoms. After consultation with your doctor, you can use the following recipes:

Additionally, according to your doctor’s indications, you can do therapeutic exercises. The set of exercises is something like this (repeat 5 times every day):

frown, then raise your eyebrows in surprise;
squint your eyes;
smile with closed lips, and then with open mouth;
stick out your lips with a straw;
inflate and deflate cheeks;
relax your face, stroke your temples and cheekbones.

Pain when opening the jaw has many causes, which are not easy to prevent. Experts recommend avoiding traumatic sports, monitoring your diet, and promptly treating gingivitis, caries and other dental pathologies. You should be wary of hypothermia, infectious diseases, stress, which adversely affects the state of the cardiovascular and nervous system.

Quite often, due to pain in the jaw when opening the mouth and when chewing, the patient is completely confused and does not understand what caused it and where he needs to turn for help. It turns out that the appearance of such pain can be associated with a number of diseases - dental, neurological, or even surgical.

The most common causes of jaw pain

Pain in the jaw when opening the mouth and chewing can occur due to diseases of the teeth and gums, inflammation of the facial and trigeminal nerves, injuries or damage to the temporomandibular joint.

Most often, this pain occurs when:

1. Jaw injuries– A strong blow, bad fall, car accident or other incident can cause traumatic damage to the joints or bones of the jaw. When bruised, they only damage soft fabrics jaw, the patient experiences swelling, hemorrhage at the site of impact, and slight pain when chewing and opening the mouth. All symptoms go away on their own after 3-5 days. With dislocation and subluxation, the lower jaw “comes out” of the joint, the patient cannot close his mouth normally or feels severe pain when chewing, the jaw seems to be shifted to one side and to put it in place, the help of a traumatologist is needed. A jaw fracture is the most dangerous and severe injury, characterized by very severe pain, the patient cannot open his mouth, Bottom part the face swells, bruises or the site of a fracture are clearly visible. If you consult a doctor in a timely manner, a jaw fracture can be treated, but even in the most favorable case, you will need long-term treatment and care.

2. Dental diseases– pulpitis, periodontitis and inflammation of the dental nerves are often accompanied by severe pain in the jaw when opening the mouth and chewing. Such diseases are characterized by constant aching, throbbing pain, worsening at night, when chewing or hypothermia, as well as headaches and numbness of the lower part of the face. Untreated caries or pulpitis can cause the development of odontogenic osteomyelitis, an infectious disease. bone tissue. Inflammation in the bones of the lower or upper jaw is accompanied by an increase in body temperature, general deterioration the patient's condition, severe pain in the jaw and headache, as well as redness and increased body temperature over the affected area. The diagnosis of odontogenic osteomyelitis is based on dental examination, X-ray - a picture of the jaws and a general blood test. When you first suspect osteomyelitis, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. medical care, since with this disease the infection enters the blood and can penetrate the brain.

3. Neurological diseases – pain in the jaw when chewing and opening the mouth can occur due to inflammation of the trigeminal, glossopharyngeal or upper laryngeal nerve. The cause of neuritis is most often hypothermia, especially prolonged exposure to strong winds - “drastically”. When the trigeminal nerve is damaged, the pain spreads throughout the face, the upper and lower jaw hurt on one side, the pain is burning, boring, it intensifies at night, when opening the mouth and hypothermia. Inflammation of the superior laryngeal nerve is accompanied by severe pain in the lower jaw and below, only on one side, which occurs when chewing, swallowing, yawning, and so on. Damage to the glossopharyngeal nerve is rare, and the patient feels severe pain in and along the tongue.

4. Inflammation of the facial artery– arteritis is a rare disease in which the patient experiences pain along the artery, accompanied by a burning sensation, numbness in the upper lip, chin, and so on.

5. Temporomandibular joint dysfunction– the masticatory muscle, which allows us to open and close our mouth and chew food, connects the bones of the skull with the lower jaw. Sometimes, when chewing too intensely, trying to open the mouth too wide, hypothermia, or improper bite, dysfunction of the joint occurs. This is accompanied by severe pain in the lower jaw, cheeks and temples, painful sensations worsen when trying to open the mouth or chew, and every movement of the lower jaw is accompanied by an unpleasant sensation or clicking sound.

The eye, that is, the cage. It intensifies; you can see how many teeth you swallow). The emergency room doctor adjusts the upper jaw, from the chin to the lip, the fatal blow hit himself the hardest

1. Fracture

diseases? This name in the knee joint tumors are divided into auditory tube due to stimulate immune system. treatment will require prompt attention: manifested by attacks, which can be the cause of pain or without displacement pain during the probability that when moving the tongue are already infected) and manual dislocation. right side or and nose. in the face, a and long-term load… b…

The nature of pain and the mechanism of its occurrence

When it is painful to open your mouth wide, or it is completely jammed, this almost always indicates an inflammatory process, a violation of the anatomy and functions of tissues.

The pain can spread to all areas of the face, shoot into the ear, cause migraines, and discomfort with visual strain. It can be different - long-term and short-term, aching and acute, which is taken into account when making a diagnosis.

Aching pain in the lower jaw accompanies the inflammatory process, and burning pain occurs with neuralgia. Cutting pain is usually diagnosed as a bone injury.

People who find it painful to chew or open their jaws wide often blame pathology of the skeletal system as the cause. However, the disease can also affect surrounding tissues.

If the patient ignores the pain, unpleasant symptoms will soon occur even with the jaw closed.

Under the influence of certain diseases, the jaw can jam and hurt on the left or right side. Pain on the left side may indicate poor circulation or problems with the blood vessels of the heart.

Its right-sided nature is observed in neoplasms and inflammatory processes. If your jaw hurts everywhere and constantly, you can suspect an oncological factor.

spasms with fever;
throbbing pain with spasms;
severe pain radiates to any ear or eye;
swelling;
mouth does not open;
it hurts to chew for a long time;
cramps in the lower part of the face.

When you open your mouth

Pain when opening the mouth is a consequence of a dislocation or fracture. If there has been no recent injury, these options are excluded.

In this case, the cause of discomfort is osteomyelitis. Other pathologies that lead to sharp, aching or acute pain when working the jaws are dental diseases, among which caries ranks first.

This also happens when dentures are installed incorrectly.

When chewing and closing teeth

When they exacerbate, the pain is pulsating in nature, radiates to the temple, and intensifies during moments of rest and night rest.

In the chronic form of pathologies, periodic aching pain is possible, which worsens with chewing load on the affected tooth or gum area. Certain foods and alcohol can also provoke discomfort when chewing.

Leading to spasm of the esophagus, they also cause muscle spasm and jamming of the jaw.

Causes of jaw pain when opening the mouth

Today, pain in the jaw joint is becoming more common, and in people of all ages, that is, there is a kind of negative trend. This may be due to:

Microtraumas - due to accidental opening of the mouth too wide, blows, dislocation of the joint may occur varying degrees severity and destruction of bone tissue. Such injuries are often accompanied by numbness of the jaw;
Malocclusion - in this case, a person automatically redistributes the load on the jaws, due to which the joints begin to deform and collapse;
Neuralgia – disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system and brain. So, this may be a lesion of the superior laryngeal nerve or glossopharyngeal nerve, etc.;
A history of arthrosis and arthritis;
Sharp tension of the mouth muscles while chewing food;
Errors in surgical intervention into the oral cavity - at the dentist, etc.;
Impaired blood supply to bone and cartilage tissue in the mouth area;
Infectious diseases of the oral cavity;
Inflammatory diseases ear.

But the most common cause of pain in the jaw joint is thinning of the surfaces of the temporal bone and lower jaw. Sometimes chronic pain in the jaw or near the ear indicates benign or malignant tumors.

Doctors often encounter patient complaints of pain in the jaw near the ear, pain in the ear when chewing. This symptom is not always associated with dental problems, and pain can be caused by the following reasons:

Dentists have to deal with inappropriate complaints when treatment near the ear hurts. But this orthodontist is not in all cases of cartilage associated with dental diseases. Dentist sensations in the jaw at the level of the yawn on either side can be caused by:

Diseases of the temporomandibular jaw,
Trigeminal neuralgia (maxillary neuralgia requires contacting a neurologist),
Necessities and infectious diseases salivary joint and maxillary sinuses,
Dental due to (wearing dentures, abnormal joints, diseases of the gums and teeth),
Temporomandibular diseases (osteomyelitis, periostitis, subluxation, abscess, furunculosis),
Malignant and temporomandibular neoplasms,

Diseases of the temporomandibular fast

There are constant main reasons for the appearance of swelling in the jaw area:

Why does a person’s jaw click when opening their mouth, how dangerous is it and what are its consequences. If the pain does not go away over time, you should consult a doctor.

With this disease, the jaw near the ear hurts on only one side. This effect is demonstrated by intense, prolonged pain near the ear, worsening general condition the patient has a fever and headache.

Inflammation of the lymph nodes located in the lower jaw occurs simultaneously with the collection of infected lymph from the soft facial tissues, throat, nose and eyes.

It can be used both for diagnosis and to prevent tooth wear due to bruxism.

If your jaw hurts when you open your mouth, you should immediately contact. Most often, pain in the jaw joint is misdiagnosed as atypical facial pain and trigeminal neuralgia. Also, one of the causes of clicking of the temporomandibular joint in children is the proliferation of lymphoid tissue in the form of palatine tonsils or adenoids. The jaw bone is not damaged by such a blow: soft tissues take it over, forming a hematoma (bump) at the site of the injury, but when the jaw moves, the pain still radiates to the ear. This is myofascial syndrome in masticatory muscles, and congenital malocclusion, and the inflammatory process, and osteoarthritis of the joint. Doctors know hematogenous osteomyelitis and the more common one – odontogenic. In this case, the jaw hurts, as well as the joint, temple, cheek and even forehead. At the same time, it becomes difficult for a person to open his mouth, and with every movement. problems with opening the mouth, detects changes in the structure of the joint. With the flow of this disease The jaw bones and joints begin to ache with numbness. It is important to pay attention to the fact that in the absence of deviations from the norm The lymph nodes are not palpable, do not hurt, and do not cause harm to the ear. It works correctly when the lower jaw moves synchronously in the joint on both the right and left - this is a symmetrical organ, therefore, if the work of one of them malfunctions, the work of the second also fails. After a strong blow to facial area, or an accident, an accident, a fracture of the upper or lower jaw may occur. Dysfunction occurs in all age groups, and in general there are up to 70 percent of people suffering from this pathology, according to various estimates.

In this case, the jaw hurts, as well as the joint, temple, cheek and even forehead. At the same time, it becomes difficult for a person to open his mouth, and with every movement.

problems with opening the mouth, detects changes in the structure of the joint. Open surgery aimed at stimulating the regeneration of tissues and adjacent structures.

When a person experiences discomfort or the jaw hurts near the left ear and it hurts to chew, then it is worth paying attention to the nature of the discomfort. Muscles that perform the functions of chewing, swallowing and speech connect the lower jaw to the skull.

As for dentures, if pain is caused at the initial stage, when the oral cavity is just getting used to them, this is normal. At best, there will simply be no effect from such therapy.

It is partially possible to return the displaced disc to normal position and removing the blockade of the temporomandibular joint. With this disease, the jaw near the ear hurts on only one side.

Before the main symptoms appear, the sensitivity of the nerve processes decreases, and significant numbness is noted. Arthritis develops against the background of dystrophic-degenerative processes or rheumatic diseases.

Attacks of pain in the jaw and other listed areas are often provoked by eating hot or, conversely, too cold food or cooling. This disease appears to be a type of migraine.

How to treat the jaw joint?

In order for the correct diagnosis to be made and necessary treatment, you can contact a dentist, neurologist or surgeon.

Analgesics will help relieve acute pain in the jaw joints. However, taking them will not solve the problem once and for all. It is necessary to identify and eliminate the cause of the pathology, which becomes:

When it hurts. temporal bone and lower jaw.

with the mouth wide open. A distinction is made between operations for the restoration and removal of cartilage, i.e. the articular disc, and so-called disc replacement interventions, such as interpositional plastic surgery using one's own or artificial tissue.

If washing the joint does not bring long-term effect, arthroscopic surgery of the jaw joint under anesthesia is indicated. For example, with identifying the following diseases and the action of certain factors: When diagnosing a cyst, periodontitis or pulpitis, the necessary surgical intervention.

Symptoms of this disease are numbness of the lower lip, decreased tone chewing muscles. If jaw pain is caused by this disease, it is accompanied by a burning sensation and spreads from the chin and lower jaw to upper lip, nose and nasolabial fold.

A characteristic sign of arteritis is pain in the area where the facial artery bends over the base of the lower jaw. These miniature instruments (eg scalpels, scissors or even laser probes) allow targeted removal of significant adhesions under digital visualization.

To achieve success in therapy, a set of measures is required: orthodontic treatment to correct the bite, surgery, dental retreatment, prosthetics, physiotherapeutic procedures, acupuncture.

Pain and discomfort in the temporomandibular joint can also be caused indirectly. The sound made by the jaw can be heard by others.

Pain around the hearing organ may occur as a result benign tumor(atheroma), which manifests itself as a lump behind the ear and is a consequence of an increase in cervical lymph node, when palpated, it resembles a dense moving ball.

It is this apparatus that allows our jaw to move left and right, open and close the mouth, and extend the lower jaw.

Folk remedies

Folk remedies for combating painful sensations when opening the jaw and pathologies of its joints are used as an addition to the main treatment. They will not help if your jaw is jammed, but they will relieve pain symptoms. After consultation with your doctor, you can use the following recipes:

Additionally, according to the doctor's indications, you can do therapeutic exercises. The set of exercises is something like this (repeat 5 times every day):

frown, then raise your eyebrows in surprise;
squint your eyes;
smile with closed lips, and then with an open mouth;
stick out your lips with a straw;
inflate and deflate cheeks;
relax your face, stroke your temples and cheekbones.

Pain when opening the jaw has many causes, which are not easy to prevent. Experts recommend avoiding traumatic sports, monitoring your diet, and promptly treating gingivitis, caries and other dental pathologies.

You should be wary of hypothermia, infectious diseases, and stress, which have a detrimental effect on the cardiovascular and nervous system.

Pain when opening the mouth and chewing movements is familiar to many, since it often appears with problems with teeth. Such a symptom may be transient or signal a serious pathology. To understand what to do in this situation, you need to pay attention to the accompanying signs.

Wisdom teeth

The last teeth in the row, the so-called “eights,” erupt later than everyone else. When a person reaches 14 years of age mental development is considered complete and wisdom develops. Therefore, the eighth teeth, or third molars, are called wisdom teeth.

When eights are cut, the jaw hurts when opening the mouth, chewing, yawning and talking. The pain often does not subside even at rest, disturbing even at night. The gums can swell greatly, causing swelling of the cheek, and it is also impossible to close the mouth completely.

Pain syndrome It is most often caused by a lack of space in the jaw arch, which is why the tooth tries to take an unphysiological position and erupts incorrectly. The figure eight can be cut at an angle to the side adjacent tooth, pressure on which is another cause of pain.

The appearance of wisdom teeth is sometimes accompanied by an increase in body temperature and enlarged lymph nodes. In some cases, the swelling is so severe that it prevents the mouth from closing.

Difficulty in the eruption of wisdom teeth is called pericoronitis, which in most cases does not go away on its own and requires a visit to a dental surgeon.

To alleviate the condition, you can use local remedies- Kamistad ointment, Solcoseryl, Metrogil-denta or Kalgel. Rinsing with antiseptic solutions(Furacilin) or herbs (chamomile, sage). You can eliminate swelling with cold compresses.

Attention: if the pain does not go away after a day or two, you should consult a dentist.

Injuries

Jaw injury is a fairly common occurrence, which does not always go away without consequences. In case of bruises, people rarely go to the doctor, and in case of dislocations or fractures, difficulties arise with fixation. Therefore, tissue healing and bone fusion often occur incorrectly.

Almost any damage to the lower jaw negatively affects the function of the mandibular joint, the mobility of which is impaired. This is why it hurts to open your mouth even long after the injury.

In the absence or insufficient treatment of injuries, signs such as swelling of the soft tissues, misalignment of the jaw and its pathological mobility. In this case, you should contact the emergency room or a surgeon who will restore the normal position of the jaw and apply a fixing bandage.

The treatment of injuries to the jaw is carried out by a dental surgeon who will select prostheses that do not allow the patient to open the mouth wide, for example, the Petrosov apparatus.

Dental diseases

Painful sensations when opening the mouth and chewing can cause inflammatory processes in oral cavity. For example, with advanced caries, complications develop that do not disappear on their own:

pulpitis;
periodontitis;
granuloma (tooth cyst);
phlegmon;
periostitis (flux);
osteomyelitis;
multiple caries affecting a group of teeth.

Since in these diseases the surrounding tissues are involved in the pathological process - to the right or left of the jaw joint - throbbing pain occurs and jaw mobility is limited. The pain syndrome is especially severe when the pulp of the molars (molars) and the hood of the eights are inflamed.

Neoplasms

Neoplasms of the upper or lower jaw can be benign or malignant. They can be formed from dental, bone, cartilage and connective tissue. This pathology is characterized by chronic, constant pain.

Benign neoplasms grow slowly over time for long years without causing harm to health and without manifesting itself in any way. Malignant tumors, on the contrary, develop rapidly, often leaving no chance for recovery. Without treatment, the prognosis for life is poor.

According to statistics, in approximately 4% of cases, benign osteoma of the jaw is diagnosed - a bone tumor that manifests itself only under certain conditions. Having reached a significant size, it begins to put pressure on the nerve, and characteristic symptoms:

pain and stiffness in jaw movements;
violation of facial symmetry;
bone deformation;
change in bite.

If the mouth does not open completely, the cause may be an osteoma, which is located next to the coronoid or condylar process.

Osteoblastoma is another type of benign tumor that appears most often aching pain. A typical symptom is the appearance of ulcers and fistulas on the gums, increased tooth mobility. Patients complain that the pain occurs when chewing, and over time it only gets worse.

The first sign of adamantinoma is a visual thickening of the jaw, which inevitably leads to disruption of the chewing process. Along with this, the intensity of pain in the jaw also increases. In advanced cases, the pain syndrome becomes pronounced and sharp, especially during meals.

Malignant tumors

There are two types of malignant neoplasms – cancer and sarcoma. The latter, in turn, can be formed from connective or bone tissue. Cancer tumor is formed from the skin and mucous membranes, first causing exposure of the dental necks, then loosening and loss of teeth. On early stages the pain is mild or moderate; as the tumor grows, it intensifies.

Connective tissue sarcoma is a fast-growing tumor that can reach large sizes behind a short time. Almost always its growth is accompanied by sharp, throbbing pain on the left side of the jaw or on the right. However, at the beginning of the development of sarcoma, only dulling of the tactile sensitivity of the skin of the face and gums is possible.

A typical symptom of osteogenic (bone) sarcoma is moderate chronic pain that increases with palpation of the lower part of the face.

It is worth noting that detection of jaw tumors most often occurs on late stages, which is explained by the blurred clinical picture. In addition, most patients do not visit the dentist regularly and try to cope with discomfort with home remedies.

New growths of the oral cavity are removed surgically, in some cases using a gentle curettage method.

Joint pathologies

If your jaw hurts when you open your mouth, the cause may be damage to the temporomandibular joint - arthritis, arthrosis or dysfunction. With arthritis, inflammation develops in the joint due to injury or infection. This is manifested by pain on both or only one side of the face, swelling, redness, and difficulty chewing.

Arthrosis is chronic illness, in which a destructive degenerative process develops in the joint tissues

Arthritis of the TMJ is also accompanied by a decrease in speech function and hearing, and a crunching sound when the jaw moves. The pain syndrome varies from weak, aching to sharp and unbearable. Patients complain that they cannot open their mouth completely; when they try to do this, the jaw “slides” to the side.

Since fluid accumulates in the joint during inflammation, a feeling of fullness and pressure occurs, and the resulting swelling interferes with the closure of the teeth. In the morning after a night's rest, the sensations are especially uncomfortable, which is explained by the large amount of exudate that has accumulated overnight.

The signs of arthrosis have some similarities with arthritis, since the pain is also localized in the joint. Arthrosis can develop due to the absence of one or more chewing teeth, when the main load is transferred to the jaw bone.

Most typical sign arthrosis is pain during movements - opening and closing the mouth, chewing, yawning, laughing or talking - as well as a characteristic cracking sound. With arthrosis, the jaw may hurt on the left or right side, but bilateral damage can also occur.

Attention: clicking in the jaw joint may be the only symptom of the disease, especially in the early stages. Having “captured” arthrosis at the very beginning of its development, you can count on a complete recovery.

Dysfunction of the jaw joint means functional impairment symmetry in its structure, which leads to disc displacement and the appearance of pain. To the question of why dysfunction occurs, there are many answers, to find which specialists are often involved - neurologists, psychologists and dentists.

Clinical picture dysfunction, or Costen's syndrome, is very diverse and includes following symptoms:

clicking and cracking sounds when the jaw moves - sometimes these sounds can be very loud and can be heard by people around them;
pain can be felt not only at the joint point, but also in other places - head, teeth, ears. Pain due to dysfunction of the TMJ often imitates trigeminal neuralgia, osteochondrosis cervical region spine, acute otitis media and other diseases;
blocking, or jamming in a joint. When a person opens his mouth, he must first “catch” the optimal position of the lower jaw by moving it from side to side.

The above symptoms are most typical for temporomandibular joint dysfunction, but others are often added to them:

dizziness;
interrupted sleep, snoring, sleep apnea - sleep apnea;
increased sensitivity to the light;
dry mouth due to decreased salivation;
problems swallowing food;
pain and burning sensation on the tongue;
noise in ears.

Diagnosing dysfunction is quite difficult, since it can be caused by injury, dystrophic or inflammatory process, malocclusion, etc. Treatment of pathology is carried out by a dentist and in almost all cases includes the use of orthopedic devices - for example, night trainers.

Attention: if dysfunction is suspected, you should consult a specialist, since with a long course of the disease, the structure of the joint changes and arthrosis develops.

Neuralgia

The jaw may hurt when affected peripheral nerves– trigeminal, superior laryngeal, glossopharyngeal or auricular. General symptom they have one - pain in the jaw area, however, each type of neuralgia has its own characteristic features.

Pain on one side of the face that occurs when the trigeminal nerve is damaged is extremely severe and comparable to an electric shock

Trigeminal nerve so called because it is divided into three branches - orbital, maxillary and mandibular. When the last two branches are affected, pain occurs in the corresponding areas - the upper and lower jaw. Shooting pain syndrome appears when consuming cold or hot food, being in a draft or outside in windy weather. Before the onset of a painful attack, the skin may feel tight and slightly itchy.

The ear nerve becomes inflamed due to periodontal or ENT diseases. Acoustic neuralgia is accompanied by burning, throbbing pain behind the ear, which can spread to half of the lower jaw, the back of the head and collar area.

The glossopharyngeal nerve innervates the muscle of the same name and the parotid muscle salivary gland, and also provides taste sensitivity to the back of the tongue. The function of this nerve is impaired due to infectious and inflammatory pathologies, aneurysm and brain tumor. Symptoms of the lesion include pain in the throat, jaw and ear.

Neuralgia of the superior laryngeal nerve is a very painful phenomenon in which pain is observed in the larynx and lower jaw, radiating to the ear, eye or temple. Often a painful attack is accompanied by dry mouth and cough.

The diagnosis and treatment of neuralgia is carried out by neurologists who prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs, neuroprotectors, anticonvulsants, antihistamines and sedatives, and muscle relaxants.

Osteomyelitis

Osteomyelitis of the jaw is a purulent inflammatory and infectious process that involves the entire jaw bone and leads to osteonecrosis (bone death). This pathology is quite common in dental practice and affects mainly males. Osteomyelitis of the lower jaw is diagnosed twice as often as the upper jaw.

In the vast majority of cases, the cause of osteomyelitis is dental diseases - caries, pulpitis, periodontitis, alveolitis, cyst on the root of the tooth. From the lesion site, the infection penetrates into the bone, which is greatly facilitated by decreased immunity and some systemic diseases.

In acute cases of osteomyelitis, the temperature rises sharply to 38-39°, pain appears in the area of the diseased tooth, which after some time spreads, “spreads” to the ear and temple. The tooth begins to loosen, the gum underneath it swells, and purulent contents are released from the formed gum pockets.

Progress pathological process leads to the fact that the mouth almost does not open, it becomes difficult to swallow and even breathe, the lower lip goes numb from the outside and inside, sensitivity decreases in the chin area.

Attention: if you suspect osteomyelitis of the jaw, you must visit the dentist as soon as possible to prevent the development severe complications.

From the above it follows that the main condition for the prevention of pain in the jaw is timely treatment and dental prosthetics. This is how you can avoid most ailments. The exception is tumors and injuries, which cannot be prevented. In this case, the only way to minimize the consequences is early examination and treatment.

The human body is living matter that is capable of experiencing both moral and physical feelings, reacting to darkness or light, experiencing joy and sadness, hunger and satiety, fatigue and vigor. One of the unpleasant aspects is the exposure human body to various negative factors environment when there is a violation of not only internal, but also external processes. Usually these processes negatively affect the person himself, giving him a very strong feeling of discomfort. We are talking here, of course, about pain. Pain can be caused by absolutely various reasons, which, in any case, must be paid attention to.

Most of the world's population can boast of frequent pain in the facial area, in close proximity to the jaw, when it even hurts to open your mouth. This is a fairly common phenomenon in which.

When your jaw hurts when you open your mouth, you should immediately consult a doctor so that he can determine the true cause of this unpleasant condition. Under no circumstances should you ignore this pain or let your condition take its course, as they say, everything will go away on its own. You need to clearly remember that any pain arises, first of all, due to some good reason, and only a doctor can tell how serious it is.

Causes of jaw pain

The jaw may hurt when opening the mouth in a row quite serious reasons, about which it is worth saying a few words in order to be fully prepared.

One of the main causes in the jaw is, directly, its fracture. This may happen after being applied to you physical strength when there was a strong blow to the jaw, due to an accident, a serious fall, when a person could hit his head, etc. Moreover, in all these cases, both jaws can break at once. The impact on the skull can be so strong that the facial bone becomes strained under pressure and both jaws are fractured. When a person, for example, receives a strong blow to the jaw, and the bones cannot withstand it and break, you can understand whether a fracture has occurred by trying to open your mouth slightly. If your jaw hurts when you open your mouth, in this case, know that you definitely have a fracture, and you need to immediately see a doctor to prevent improper fusion and further pain.
Another common cause of jaw pain is osteomelitis. This disease is infectious nature. Severe inflammation occurs that affects all areas jaw bone. Most often, this disease is caused by some infection getting into the dental canal and affecting it. Osteomyelitis can manifest itself not only in the fact that when it appears, the jaw hurts when opening the mouth. This disease causes very high temperature, and pain. If you notice similar symptoms, you should definitely visit a dentist, because he is the one responsible for the condition of the teeth and oral cavity. If this disease is indeed osteomyelitis, the doctor will definitely find the affected tooth and remove it. This is exactly what will help get rid of it in the jaw area. Otherwise, you can achieve even greater progress of the disease, which will further lead to an abscess.
Severe pain in the jaw is caused directly by dental diseases, when they, for example, are affected by caries. Usually, during the day, the pain is not as noticeable as at night. It becomes aching, throbbing, and prevents you from sleeping normally or doing anything at all. In such cases, it is necessary to visit a dentist who will carry out a number of health procedures and help remove caries or other infectious plaque on the teeth.
The jaw hurts when opening the mouth and due to a fairly common disease called arteriitis of the facial artery. This disease is accompanied by a strong burning sensation that starts from the chin area and ends near the nasolabial fold.
Sometimes jaw pain occurs due to dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint. With this disease, the pain spreads to the jaw itself, to the joint, cheeks, temples and even forehead. With this disease, the jaw hurts very much when opening the mouth, and every movement is accompanied by an unpleasant click. There are many reasons for this disease; one of the most common is malocclusion.
Several types of neuralgia can also cause pain in the jaw area. If we talk about cranial neuralgia, then inflammation of the nerves of the skull occurs here, which transmit pain sensations to the jaw. Neuralgia of the superior laryngeal nerve primarily affects the larynx, which is closely connected to the jaw. Glossopharyngeal neuralgia transmits pain from the very base of the tongue, affecting the jaw, and ending. However, this disease is very rare. Neuralgia of the ear canal is accompanied by severe throbbing pain in the ear, which smoothly passes into the lower jaw.
Sometimes the jaw hurts when opening the mouth and due to a disease such as carotidynia. This is a type of migraine.
The most terrible disease When pain occurs in the jaw, osteogenic sarcoma is considered. This is a type of malignant cancerous tumor.

Any manifestation of the jaw must be controlled by a specialist. It is necessary to see not only a dentist, but also a neurologist and a surgeon, depending on what exactly is causing the problem in the jaw. The specialist will definitely make the correct diagnosis and prescribe immediate treatment that will relieve you of pain.