Thanks to the movements of the jaw, a person chews food, talks, reproduces certain sounds. Together with the temporal bones, the lower part of the jaw forms a separate joint. If a malfunction of the function of this composition is observed, then this can lead to the fact that the jaw is jammed in a person. In this case, the patient simply cannot close or open his mouth. In this article, we will analyze for what reasons the jaw is jammed, as well as what to do with such a problem.
Cause of the problem
The culprit of the jaw jamming is precisely the joint that we talked about above. From an anatomical point of view, this formation is very problematic. With strong mobility, its individual elements, such as processes, fossae, as well as the articular cavity, do not correspond to each other in size. Thanks to this structure of the joint, it is possible to move the lower part of the jaw to the right and left to carry out full chewing movements. Pay attention to the fact that statistics indicate that the jaw is jammed in almost 70% of the world's population. The reasons can be completely diverse. The most common of those that jam the jaw are the following:
- dental treatment;
- malocclusion;
- prosthetics;
- injuries to the neck, face, the use of rough solid food;
- bruxism, as well as the accompanying rapid abrasion of enamel on the teeth;
- abnormal structure of the dentition.
There is also another theory why the jaw is jammed. Experts attribute this phenomenon to spasms on the facial muscles. The cause of the anomaly may be hypertonicity of the facial and masticatory muscles, as well as excessive speech load, for example, in people of a public profession. Some doctors associate a malfunction in the joint with psychogenic factors, that is, with dysfunctions of the central nervous system. Emotional stress, which is caused by frequent stresses, negatively affects the work of this joint.
Joint dysfunction also has a hereditary predisposition if, from birth, the size of the head and articular fossa does not match. A common cause of jaw sticking is dislocation. Such an injury can be obtained while chewing solid food or if you open your mouth wide while yawning, if you use a conservator in the dentist's office.
Such injuries can be provoked by injuries to the teeth and jaw, the habit of opening bottles with teeth, a shallow fossa, ligaments too weak, and also other anatomical articular features. It also happens that the jaw is jammed on one side. The reasons for this phenomenon will be exactly the same.
Associated symptoms
An early sign of joint dysfunction is the characteristic clicking that is heard when opening the mouth. Other symptoms are as follows:
- malaise and weakness;
- insomnia;
- apathy or increased irritability;
- dry mouth
- ringing and tinnitus;
- muscle pain;
- night snoring;
- muscle twitching in the eye;
- decreased vision.
The classic signs of dislocation are: difficulties in chewing, with diction, dysphagia, severe salivation, soreness in the area of the joints or one joint. The lower jaw looks visually beveled, shifted to the side, the face at the same time becomes asymmetrical in appearance. The habit of cracking any solid objects, as well as opening the bottle with your teeth sooner or later, can turn into a dislocation of the joint.
Diagnostics
First of all, the specialist must carry out the diagnosis. To do this, he carefully examines the jaw and evaluates the symptoms. With a dislocation of the jaw, it is difficult for the patient to swallow and speak, attempts provoke severe pain. Excessive salivation is observed. Localized pain in the temples. One of the jaws can be pulled forward or beveled to one side. It hurts to touch the damaged area.
What to do if the jaw is jammed?
So, we have figured out for what reasons a person can jam a jaw. Recognizing abnormalities in this joint is very simple. They are accompanied by pain in the jaw itself, in the ears, head or neck. Discomfort may also appear in the temples, cheekbones, and cheeks. In some cases, dysfunction is accompanied by the appearance of toothache, a feeling of squeezing in the eyeballs. Difficulty closing the mouth is a classic manifestation of a similar problem. Sometimes the joint is jammed completely, and in order to move the jaw, the patient has to look for the most suitable position for a long time.
First aid
If the jaw is jammed on two or one side, what should I do? Pay attention to the fact that it can wedge a joint absolutely spontaneously, for example, with a strong cry or prolonged chewing of solid food. In such situations, you must be able to provide first aid until the doctor arrives.
So, consider if the jaw is jammed, what to do at home. A warm compress, such as a heating pad, should be applied to the affected joint. After that, a cold towel or ice is applied, on the contrary. Such contrasting procedures should be repeated once an hour.
To get rid of the pain syndrome, the patient should be given anti-inflammatory non-steroid drugs, for example, Analgin, Paracetamol, Ibuprofen. If indicated, local muscle relaxants are used, for example, ointments, creams that relieve spasms and relax muscles.
Medical measures
So, we continue to consider what to do if the jaw is jammed, the mouth does not open. In order to an effective professional method of treating joint dysfunction, it is necessary to eliminate the main cause of the resulting problem. Thus, specialists apply special orthopedic splints to patients to normalize the joint. In parallel with this, drug therapy is carried out to relieve the symptoms of the inflammatory process. In severe cases, surgery is required to regenerate certain areas of bone tissue. Without fail, the complex therapy of joint dysfunction includes physiotherapy.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy, first of all, should include gentle speech mode. Experts also recommend that their patients refuse to eat too hard foods, which are very difficult to chew. You should also normalize your daily routine. It will be useful to do at home special gymnastics of the facial muscles. Those patients whose jaw is stuck should avoid stressful situations, cure all local and systemic dental ailments of an infectious-inflammatory nature in time.
If the jaw is jammed during a dislocation, then you should immediately seek help from a doctor, dentist or maxillofacial surgeon. This specialist adjusts the joint in case of unilateral injury without anesthesia, as well as under general anesthesia, if bilateral injury was diagnosed.
Risk zone
Oddly enough, but representatives of the fair sex turn to medical clinics with this kind of problem. The fact is that the ligamentous female apparatus is less developed than that of representatives of the strong half of humanity. In addition, the articular fossa in women is much smaller than in men. It is for this reason that the joint jumps out of it easier.
However, men should not relax in this case either. Past diseases, such as polyarthritis, gout, rheumatism, put all patients in one risk zone. Irreversible changes occur in the ligaments, the jaw apparatus weakens, and the likelihood of injuries increases several times. Especially at risk are those men who are used to opening various kinds of containers with their teeth.
Please note that the problems of male dislocations of the jaw will be much more difficult to solve than female cases. Initially, the main factor or disease that caused the dysfunction should be eliminated, and only then put the joint back in place. If the disease is not stopped, then this kind of problem may arise again.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is worth noting that during medical manipulations, a specialist can return the head of the joint to the fossa. Jamming of the jaw can be provoked by local injuries, a strong load during chewing, diction, as well as other factors that cause joint dysfunction. If a similar problem has arisen, then you should immediately consult a doctor to diagnose and select a treatment strategy.