If you experience jaw clicking, or jaw popping, you may start to feel pain over time.
If you experience jaw clicking, or jaw popping, you may start to feel pain over time. There are a number of reasons this might happen including your mouth being open too wide or even issues with your temporomandibular joints. These complex joints act as a connector between our lower jaw bones and the temporal bones.
It’s an essential joint for everything from yawning, to speaking, to chewing food, which is why jaw clicking as a condition can be called temporomandibular disorder. However, it’s also important to know what the causes of jaw clicking are, so let’s take a look.
Arthritis
There are different kinds of arthritis but rheumatoid and osteoarthritis can both damage the cartilage of the temporomandibular joint. Osteoarthritis symptoms may include stiffness or even joint pain in the surrounding areas of the body. On the other hand, rheumatoid arthritis may look more like sleepiness, anemia, and an overall lack of appetite.
Broken or Dislocated Jaw
injuries are often the cause of either broken or dislocated jaws. This causes the jaw to become unbalanced, making jaw clicking a possibility. All kinds of injuries can lead to this, including vehicle accidents, sports injuries, slipping, getting hurt at work, or anything else that could physically damage your face and jaw. Other symptoms include swelling, bleeding, and numbness.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea can completely ruin your sleeping habits. It’s characterized by shallow breathing, pauses in breathing, and excessive snoring, but can also cause jaw popping or jaw clicking. Both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea can cause this. If you experience sleepiness throughout the day, mood swings, and headaches, you may be experiencing sleep apnea.
Myofascial Pain Syndrome
This chronic pain disorder can cause pain in muscle trigger points. It occurs when a muscle is contracted over and over, eventually leading to pain that can cause jaw clicking. It’s common among people who play sports and has some other symptoms including pain in your jaw muscles, changes in mood, difficulty sleeping, and tender points around your jaw muscles.
Infection
If you have an infection in the glands of your mouth, you may experience jaw clicking or temporomandibular joint issues. Additional symptoms include dry mouth, pus, inflammation, pain in the face, odd tastes, and swelling around the face or neck. Be sure to see a specialist if you think this is the case!
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