Jaw Pain When Opening Mouth

The jaw pain when opening mouth you have experienced can cause undue worry and concern. It becomes difficult to eat, yawn, and speak when the jaw hurts. The feeling can be uncomfortable and leave you in an irritable state.

If you are experiencing these symptoms, you should always see your doctor first before attempting any self-help care. That way, you know that you have received the correct diagnosis and get the treatment you need to regain good health.

Once that is clear, we can share the best way to diagnose if you don’t have access to medical care. The process requires your attention to your symptoms, which you compare to those in the list we will share.

All medical conditions will have symptoms; it is the body’s way of telling you something is wrong. Once you can eliminate the issues that don’t match your signs, you can focus on the ones that do.

If you have more than one result, we always recommend using the treatments that match those results. It is a safe way to treat yourself. To do more could be risky as you may be treating a condition you don’t have.

Here is the list of diseases that could cause your jaw to hurt when you open your mouth.

Jaw Pain When Opening Mouth – The Likely Causes

Temporomandibular Joint And Muscle Disorder

A temporomandibular joint and muscle disorder can be a painful thing to experience. It occurs when the joints of the jaw are inflamed or dislocated.

There are multiple causes of TMJ; these include arthritis, trauma, and biting down improperly. Other reasons are teeth grinding, stress, and the dislocation of the jaw.

Symptoms of temporomandibular joint and muscle disorder are facial pain and locking of the joint in the jaw. Other symptoms include tenderness in the jaw.

You may experience difficulty chewing as opening or closing your mouth becomes challenging.

Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches can leave you feeling helpless and wishing you could hide as you try to cope. The cause of these headaches is still a mystery though some suggestions linger.

The only suggestion is that there is no relation to triggers with cluster headaches as is familiar with migraines and tension headaches.

Symptoms of cluster headaches are eye pain, jaw pain, sinus pain, and congestion. Other symptoms are sweating on the forehead and headaches that come and go with sharp pains for at least 10 minutes. 

You may experience swollen eyes with drooping eyelids and watery red eyes. Restlessness is another sign of cluster headaches.

Treatment for this condition is oxygen to help bring instant relief and local anesthetics. Other treatments are octreotide and a triptans injection which helps with migraines.

Dihydroergotamine is another injection doctors may administer to help with this headache and jaw pain.

Sinusitis

One of the notable challenges of sinusitis and other facial area conditions is the impact. Sinus issues can affect the jaw, head, neck, and mouth.

Sinusitis can occur when the nasal passage becomes infected with a bacteria, fungus, or virus. The inflammation this causes creates a painful experience for those affected.

Symptoms of sinusitis are nasal inflammation, swollen nose, eyes, and cheekbones. Other symptoms include congestion, runny nose, and breathing problems. 

The symptoms can cause jaw pain when you open your mouth and drainage into the back of the mouth.

Jaw Pain When Opening Mouth – Other Causes

Jaw pain can be a severe problem for all of us. That is why it is vital to seek help early if you notice a worsening issue. The problem could be related to headaches, a virus, or it could be dental, as you will soon see.

The only way to know what could be the cause is a proper check-up. A jaw scan will reveal if it is a joint issue or something else. Take a look at these other causes of jaw pain.

Dental Conditions

The teeth, gum, and jaw all affect each other when something is wrong. A toothache can cause the face, ears, head, and other body parts to hurt. 

An abscess and other dental conditions can do the same. It wouldn’t hurt to have a dental check-up to ensure you don’t have an issue in your mouth that affects the jaw.

Dental symptoms are toothache, earache, headache, jaw pain, and a swollen face. Other symptoms include bad breath, a bump in the gum, swollen jaw, and pus in the mouth.

Treatment for any dental issue is good oral hygiene and a dentist’s visit to clean teeth and manage the mouth. Other treatments are tooth extraction, crowns, and removing abscesses if necessary.

Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia occurs when there is trauma to the mouth. Dental procedures and damaged nerves are other causes of this condition.

If a blood vessel puts pressure on the trigeminal nerve, it causes excruciating pain.

Symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia are facial spasms and jaw pain. Chewing and brushing the teeth can cause stabbing pain resembling an electric shock. 

The symptoms of this condition can resemble a migraine headache, so care should exercise care.

Treatment for this condition is signal blockers to deter headaches, anticonvulsants, and carbamazepine. You can apply a hot pad to the affected area to soothe the pain.

Depending on the severity of the situation, your doctor might suggest microvascular decompression (MVD) surgery.

Heart Attack

Jaw pain when you try to open your mouth could also signal a mild heart attack. Heart attacks occur when the arteries to the heart are blocked, and it doesn’t receive the blood it needs.

Symptoms of a heart attack are jaw, back, and neck pain. Other symptoms are shortness of breath, shoulder and arms discomfort, and chest pain.

You may experience lightheadedness, weakness, and fainting.

Treatment for this condition is drugs to help thin the blood and to break down blood clots. Some natural options include lifestyle changes and using grapefruit and lemons. 

The jaw pain when opening mouth doesn’t have to end in disaster. All it takes is a concerted effort on your part to seek medical attention and allow your doctor to help. We hope this information will encourage people to be more attentive to their health.