Why does my jaw pop?!
Question:
Why does my jaw pop?
My jaw pops everytime I open. When I'm in class or eating with other people sometimes they ask what that noise is, because it is loud enough for them to hear. It doesn't hurt unless I have been talkign or using my jaw for a long time and then my joint and muscle starts to hurt. Is there any way to make it stop?
I can hear it pop in my head on the left side, but the right side is loud enough for other people to hear.
Answers:
What you are experiencing sounds like Tempromandibular Joint Disorder.
There are a whole host of factors that can contribute to it's occurrence namely; stress through grinding and clenching, experiencing a traumatic blow to the jaws in an accident, undergoing orthodontic treatment in the past, having wisdom teeth extractions, or just having an unbalanced bite where you teeth don't meet where they should ideally.
Like any other joint in the body, a clicking is a sign of an abnormality. There is a disc inside the joint that has either worn out, or is in the wrong place. It's this disc that is getting either stuck, or pushing the socket out of the joint slightly and creating the clicking sound. There are lots of muscles in this area attached to the joint, and if these muscles get stretched from talking too long or eating, then they can become sore. The joint itself can also get inflamed.
The joints are linked, but it's quite common to hear clicking in one and not the others.
Your dentist or physiotherapist can assess the situation for you, perhaps providing you with some anti-inflammatory medications, jaw exercises, or a night splint. There are dentist who specialize in managing jaw problems. Quite often your dentist will refer you to them, so it's probably a good idea to try and get an appointment with one of these dentists in the first place.
Your caring dentist will be more than happy to help your question.