Any pain is always quite unpleasant, but when the jaw hurts, it is very exhausting. Moreover, the pain can be either on one side or on the two, localized on the left, right, top or bottom. Naturally, in this case, you should immediately seek help from the appropriate specialist. If the cause of the pain is most accurately determined, then the treatment will give tangible results.
Therefore, if the jaw hurts when you open your mouth, then you should not delay your trip to a medical institution. Remember that this is not the case when you can procrastinate. Take care of yourself and your health.
Causes of jaw pain
Regardless of whether the upper jaw or lower hurts, there can be a great many causes of this ailment:
- All kinds of dental operations (for example, tooth extraction).
- Jaw injuries : fractures, bruises and dislocations.
- Inflammatory processes.
- An infectious disease of the jaw called osteomyelitis.
- Pain of a neurological nature.
- Arteritis of the facial artery.
- Violation of the function of the temporomandibular joint.
- Carotidinia.
- Wearing braces.
- Lockjaw.
Therefore, in case of pain in the jaw, you must immediately contact a medical institution so that a specialist can establish the nature of the disease and begin to treat it.
Important! Do not pull with a trip to a specialist. You may lose time.
In order to quickly establish a diagnosis (in addition to the necessary tests) and begin to solve the problem, the doctor is interested in all the shades of your sensations, that is, what kind of pain do you experience specifically - sharp, cutting, pulling, aching or stitching, irradiating (it appears only after eating any food e.g. hot or cold). It is also important that the jaw hurts on the left side or on the right; above or below.
Equally important are such moments as the sound that is heard when opening the mouth. It can be a crunch or crack. Therefore, do not self-medicate: you just miss the time, and this is not permissible.
Dental operations of a different nature
Does the jaw hurt after tooth extraction? Quite possible. After all, tissues and nerve endings were injured during the dental procedure. A few days will pass, the surgical wound will heal, everything will normalize, and the pain will disappear. Therefore, there is no reason to worry if the jaw hurts after tooth extraction in the first 1-2 days after dental surgery.
Important! If the pain lasts more than two days (that is, they do not subside, but only increase), then you should again consult a doctor for help.
Does the jaw and wisdom teeth hurt? Again, a very possible cause of pain. What to do in this situation:
- Seek help at a dental clinic. The doctor will make a very small incision to make the wisdom tooth easier to grow.
Important! If the wisdom tooth has sidestepped, and there is a danger of it growing into soft tissues, and it also interferes with the neighboring incisors, then it will have to be removed. What will you do? It is necessary.
- Take a medication that relieves pain and inflammation (for example, Dexalgin).
- Turn to traditional medicine. You can rinse your mouth with a decoction of chamomile or sage. It will not be worse.
Another reason that the jaw hurts when opening, may be previously not discovered caries, flux or abscess. Feel free to go to the dentist, he will take a picture and make a final decision about the fate of this or that of your tooth (or maybe several).
Important! Do not engage in self-medication.
Your actions immediately after a dental operation
Dentists recommendations for caring for injured gums:
- The swab applied by the dentist / surgeon should not be removed earlier than half an hour later.
- Do not chew food on the side on which the removal was made.
- It is necessary to abandon the mandatory use of a hot shower and bath.
- It is strictly forbidden to touch the surgical wound with the tongue.
- In food, foods that contribute to irritation of the oral cavity should be excluded.
- During the first three days, you must abandon such an action as brushing your teeth. The best way out of the situation can be antiseptic rinses.
- If the pain is exhausting you, then it is worth resorting to the help of pain medication medications.
- It is recommended as often as possible in the first day after the dental operation to apply cold compresses that relieve inflammation and pain.
- If there is frost outside, you should try not to breathe with your mouth in order to avoid any irritation of the wound with cold air.
- Those who smoke, if possible, at least for some time to abandon this habit.
- It is worthwhile to forget about the existence of chewing gums for the duration of the wound.
On a note! Remember: an injured gum that is ill after 3-4 hours should not bother you. This is normal. Moreover, pain may be temporary or permanent.
Jaw injuries
Very often injuries, namely fractures, bruises or dislocations, can be a direct reason that the jaw hurts on the left side or on the right. Naturally, in order to avoid serious complications, you should immediately contact a trauma center. There they will take a picture and provide first aid.
Fracture
With a fracture of the jaw, a person experiences the greatest suffering, since in addition to pain, there is a restriction in the mobility of the mouth. The degree of complexity of the fracture depends on several factors:
- Indoor or outdoor.
- It is made in one place or several.
- Is an offset available?
Important! In any case, an appeal to a traumatologist is required.
Treatment can last 1-3 months, and in some cases more. It all depends on the severity of the injuries. The reason that the jaw hurts can be an incorrectly fused bone. This can happen if the operation was performed by a specialist traumatologist with insufficient qualifications. This ailment will have to be eliminated for many years.
All sorts of bruises
With bruises, the soft tissues of the jaw are damaged. Could this be the reason that the jaw hurts on the left side or on the right? Of course it can. True, after 5-7 days, swelling, soreness and bruising go away. But, you can speed up the healing process by setting a cold compress; as well as adhering to a special diet (consisting mainly of frayed foods) that allows the jaw to remain in relative peace.
Dislocation
You ask how the jaw can be dislocated. Yes, it’s very simple: they laughed, screamed or simply yawned. This is quite enough for the reason that your jaw starts to hurt when you open your mouth. With dislocation, edema and pain at rest rarely occur. The pain appears only when trying to open your mouth, that is, there are serious restrictions on the ability to eat and even talk. What to do in this situation? The advice is the same - go to the trauma center. An experienced surgeon will not have much difficulty adjusting your jaw.
Important! Do not self-medicate. This can greatly worsen the situation and complicate the work of a specialist in the future.
Inflammatory processes
Inflammation of bone tissue, teeth and gums is very dangerous. If you do not treat this on time, then you can bring the situation to the extreme and lose all your teeth. Do not treat inflammation negligently. If the jaw hurts, then this is the "first bell" of the fact that you need to seek the help of a dentist. Only a specialist will be able to assess the degree of danger of the inflammatory process, localize it and eliminate it. Do not endure and wait for the situation to improve.
Radiating pain
If your jaw hurts only with certain manipulations, for example, when using ice cream, hot tea or something hard (carrots, apples), then you should start by buying a special toothpaste (for example, President for particularly sensitive teeth). At the same time, it is worth giving up for some time products that provoke pain. If after several applications the situation does not change, then you will not be able to avoid going to the dentist.
Jaw osteomyelitis
Can such an infectious disease cause the lower jaw or upper jaw to hurt? Yes maybe. Moreover, pain in the upper jaw causes a great danger, since it can lead to serious complications. Remember this. The main signs that you have jaw osteomyelitis are:
- Headache.
- Heat.
- Pain in the jaw of a pulsating nature.
The cause of the disease can be any infected tooth (by the way, there may be several). After contacting a specialist who will prescribe an X-ray and a blood test, measures will be taken to remove the source of pain. That is, an infected tooth is unlikely to be saved. He will need to say goodbye. In addition, you will have to take a course of antibiotics in order to detoxify the entire body.
According to how the infection occurred, there are several types of osteomyelitis:
- Odontogenic. In this case, the infection enters the bone tissue exclusively through a diseased tooth. This type is the most common due to the frequent neglect of caries.
- Traumatic. It develops, as a rule, with infection of open areas of a broken jaw.
- Hematogenous. The spread of infection in the body occurs through blood. It is quite rare. Most often as a complication after diseases such as scarlet fever, diphtheria, influenza or typhoid.
Neurological pain
Why does the jaw hurt? Painful sensations can occur with inflammation of nerves such as trigeminal, glossopharyngeal or superior larynx.
The trigeminal nerve, which provides the connection of the brain with the facial muscles and facial muscles, has three branches. Therefore, in the case of inflammation, the entire side begins to hurt, and not some separate area. As a rule, the pain of a boring and aching character intensifies at night.
In case of inflammation of the glossopharyngeal nerve, pain appears on the surface of the tongue, the larynx and the entire lower jaw. Moreover, pain that occurs exclusively with the slightest movement of the oral cavity is temporary (their duration is about several minutes).
If you experience pain during any attempts to yawn, blow your nose, or chew anything, then you can say that there is an inflammatory process in the upper laryngeal nerve. Moreover, all these troubles can be accompanied by salivation, hiccups and coughing.
The treatment of all pains of a neurological nature is performed with medications prescribed by a doctor.
Important! In the case of ineffectiveness of medications, a surgical "jewelry" operation is performed, which reduces to the complete or partial destruction of the sensitive root of the inflamed nerve.
Arteritis of the facial artery
Why does the jaw hurt from below and there is a sensation of burning pain reaching the upper lip, nose or even the corners of the eyes? There is a high probability that this is due to the inflammatory process of the arteries. With such symptoms, you must consult a doctor.
Violation of the normal activity of the temporomandibular joint
If you hear a click when the jaws open, then most likely you have symptoms of this disease. Pain can be felt in the cheeks, forehead, and temples. Anything can start from a disturbance in the normal activity of the temporomandibular joint, starting from a malocclusion and ending with osteoarthritis of the joint.
What to do if the lower jaw or upper jaw hurts? No self-medication, go to a medical institution for an appointment with a specialist. He will find out the reason and determine the treatment.
Carotidinia
Could this kind of migraine cause the jaw to sore right or left, above or below? Yes maybe. As a rule, pain occurs suddenly and concentrates in the upper part of the jaw, both on the right and on the left. The cause of the pain may be inflammation of the sinuses or trigeminal nerve, as well as a bad tooth.
The doctor prescribes special pain medications and antidepressants to the patient. The main treatment for these symptoms is antibiotic therapy. The specialist performs an autopsy of abscesses and removal of abscesses.
Wearing braces
Could the installation of such a device on the teeth be the reason that the jaw hurts on the left or on the right, above or below? Yes maybe. After installing braces, patients may experience some discomfort. But over time, he passes. If not, then you should go to the orthodontist and not endure the debilitating pains, washing them down with painkillers.
What is a sign that the bracket system is installed correctly by a specialist? Quite a slight pain and a slight shakiness of the teeth, which indicate the process of displacement and the formation of the correct bite in the first days after installation, are the norm. In this case, nothing needs to be done. Just wait for the improvements.
If the pain becomes strong, then the doctor will prescribe certain pain medications.
Important! If you cannot open your mouth normally, contact an orthodontist immediately.
Lockjaw
Could such a muscle spasm cause the upper jaw or lower jaw to hurt? Yes maybe. Trismus itself can occur as a result of epilepsy, tetanus, a brain tumor or meningitis.