Don’t let jaw pain and discomfort affect your day-to-day life!
Do you notice jaw pain, particularly when eating or speaking? Do jaws feel tired or sore when first waking up? Do you often experience headaches in the morning? If so, then our Owings Mills, MD, general dentists, Drs. Herbert and Harold Mendelson, may just have the answer to why you are experiencing jaw pain.
While there are certainly some conditions or habits that are more likely to cause jaw pain, it’s important to get to the bottom of the issue to reduce the risk of pain and discomfort while eating, chewing or speaking. Your jaw pain could be due to:
Temporomandibular (TMJ) Disorder
This joint dysfunction disorder is one of the most common causes of jaw pain. Even though it isn’t always possible to be able to determine the cause of TMJ disorder, it can be the result of bad habits such as teeth grinding, structural deformities/abnormalities, a traumatic injury to the jaw joint or arthritis.
If your jaw pain is also accompanied by jaw stiffness or a popping/clicking sound when opening your mouth, then it’s time to turn to our Owings Mills dentists to find out if a TMJ disorder is to blame.
Teeth Grinding
This habit can lead to jaw pain even without the presence of TMJ disorder. If you clench your jaws or grind your teeth then it seems only natural that putting all this unnecessary work on your jaws day in and day out can take a toll. Most people don’t even know that they are teeth grinders because they often do this while they are asleep.
Of course, by coming into our office every six months for routine care we can often pinpoint whether you are a teeth grinder. Fortunately, there are many ways to help eliminate this bad habit, from recommending certain stress-relieving exercises to making a custom mouthguard to wear while you sleep.
These are the two main oral causes of jaw pain; however, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t other problems that can lead to jaw problems. Sometimes sinus issues, a toothache or an abscess can also cause referral pain.
If you are dealing with painful, aching jaws and you can’t seem to get the problem under control then it’s time you turned to our Owings Mills, MD, dental experts at Mendelson Family Dentistry. Call our office today!