Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.
Trending News
Mysterious jaw pain? Why?
Yesterday my jaw started to ache on the right side of my face. It isn't tender - there's no where I can "poke" my jaw with my finger to make it hurt. It doesn't hurt when I open my mouth wide or when I bite down very gently. It doesn't hurt when I push on my teeth in any direction. It only hurts when I bite down with some force or if I connect my molars and move my jaw from side to side. I can eat, but can't chew toffee or gum.
I don't think there was any trauma or injury to the jaw, and the pain seems to be getting slowly worse. It sort of feels like my jaw is really, really tired, like I've been trying to chew a huge hunk of asphalt for six hours.
Any ideas? Ice doesn't help.
I had my wisdom teeth removed about a year ago, so that doesn't seem to be it.
Should I see the doc or the dentist, and how much time should I give the pain to abate?
Actually, yes, I am just getting over a cold. When this pain first started I actually thought it was an ear infection or leftover sore through.
Could this be a result of grinding my jaw at night? I am going through a very stressful period so I may be grinding more than usual.
3 Answers
- nochocolateLv 71 decade agoFavorite Answer
Have you recently had a cold? Sometimes this happens just when the cold has ended. Should heal within a week.
And another possibility is TMJ. The symptoms would be:
explained here:
http://www.medicinenet.com/temporomandibular_joint...
Here is something for you from ehow.com
How to Stop Grinding Teeth at Night
http://www.ehow.com/how_1949_stop-grinding-teeth.h...
Yes, I think it's possible that the pain could be from the grinding.
- caylo2oooLv 61 decade ago
do you still have your wisdom teeth? sometimes they get impacted, or grow into the jawbone, and that hurts a lot. if not, there is also a condition called TMJ- and that means constant jaw pain. you should probably see a doc or dentist about it if the pain lasts for a long time. good luck.
- 1 decade ago
You might have a dental problem. Your teeth may not be aligned properly, so when you close your mouth or bite, the proper positioning of your TMJ (temporomandibular joint) or jaw angle is affected. You might have a TMJ disorder.
Go consult your dentist for possible application of braces.
