If you have an earache and your jaw hurts, the lower jaw plays a key role in the process of speaking and eating. We don’t think about it on a daily basis, but when it starts to hurt, we start to get seriously worried. What can a pain in the jaw mean?
In this article, Niketrainers.com.co will tell you:
What is the mandible
The lower jaw is colloquially speaking the lower jaw. It is a large bone that surrounds the face and is connected to the rest of the skull by a temporomandibular joint located on both sides of the face, just below the ears.
The lower jaw – anatomy
The lower jawis a single bone, fused from two parts. Its main part is the shank, which is what we commonly call the chin. The so-called mandibular branches. Each of them is divided into the condylar process and the pitted process. Between them is the temporomandibular joint, which connects the lower jaw with the rest of the skull. This bone is formed appropriately for all the elements that make up the inside of the mouth (salivary glands, mandibular arteries, tongue, teeth, etc.).
A aching lower jaw
What to do when the lower jaw hurts and what could it mean? The most common causes and ailments related to a sore lower jaw are:
- Mechanical injury—the jaw may be knocked out as a result of a punch or a fist fight. One of the symptoms of a severe trauma of this type is a swollen lower jaw, difficulty opening the mouth, pain when touching the injury site, and when trying to speak or eat. It is very important to see a doctor who will determine if a person has a jaw fracture. In the event of a jaw fracture, it is necessary to immobilize the fracture site to allow the bones to fuse properly. For this purpose, special splints or microplates adapted to the shape of the bone are used.
- Costen’s syndrome, or the painful temporomandibular joint syndrome, is a disease for which one of the specific symptoms is a jumping jaw, i.e. the feeling that the jaw moves slightly as you put it forward. Other symptoms include significant limitation of the jaw’s range of motion, a distinct click or grind when opening the mouth, headache, inability to open the mouth properly. Costen’s syndrome results from an incorrect position of the lower jaw that was not corrected in childhood by an orthodontist. In some people , adefective bitecauses problems with the temporomandibular joints at a later age. It is then necessary to surgically correct the jaw.
- Trismus– Difficulty opening the mouth and basically making it impossible to speak are typical symptoms of trismus. It can happen as a result of chronic stress. Sometimes, however, trismus is a harbinger of more serious diseases, including neoplastic changes or abscesses in the temporomandibular area, so careful diagnosis by a doctor is important.
- The enamelis a tumor of the jaw that takes a long time to develop and does not cause any discomfort for just as long. Mandibular cancer requires surgical treatment.
- abnormal functioning of the temporomandibular joint. If, as a result of an injury or for other reasons, the joint connecting the lower jaw with the skull is damaged, the problem becomes not only a sore but also a falling out lower jaw. It is necessary to correctly identify the problem and adjust the treatment. Currently, exercises,bite correction appliancesand surgical procedures are used.
Retracted jaw in a child
For most of the diseases mentioned above, a preventive measure is taking care of thecorrect bitealready in the early stages of life . It is extremely important in the context of the functioning of the temporomandibular joint, especially in adulthood. So if the dentist notices that your child has a retracted lower jaw, it is a good idea to get the right treatment quickly. Usually, it is limited to wearing appropriate devices that correct the bite. Often these are initially removable braces, which the child is supposed to put on, e.g. only at night. Sometimes it is necessary to wear a fixed appliance to properly and permanently shape the bones. The orthodontist determines the type and duration of treatment based on x-rays and imprints of the jaw.