Anybody ever dislocate their jaw?

[GoldenGuppy]

My jaw feels awkward it was dumb actually, kinda just wiggled my mouth around after waking up and for some reason it dislodged .... my left jaw feels awkward but not painful... if I open too wide then I start feeling the strain.

Didn't realize how bad it was when what I thought to have been a wide open mouth was just a little bit open (couldn't fit food in at dinner).

Is there any chance of a DIY fix? Anybody w/ any experience in this? Thanks

P.S. Does it ever just GO AWAY?

 

[Whisper]

I don't know if it'll just go away on its own; from what I remember, most dentists would actually consider it an emergency if you're unable to open your mouth wide enough to fit in food.

 

[paulxcook]

If you can't open your mouth enough to put food in, I'd call that an emergency.

When I was younger, a few years after I got my braces off, I had a problem with the right jaw socket popping partially out all the time. I could do it at will, but sometimes I'd do it on accident and it would hurt. It went away after a while, but it never got to the point that I couldn't open it normally or at least close to normally.

 

[TheVrolok]

I've actually randomly popped my jaw in an odd way that sometimes it'll lock at a position such that I can't open my mouth completely. It's happened when chewing with my molars while in a weird position, and it's unbelievably uncomfortable. Eventually I get it just to "pop back in" ? I doubt it's truly dislocated but I can understand your situation.


<edit> Is it at all ironic that the first three people to reply all have the same avatar? </edit>

 

[chusteczka]

Some possible causes are:

• a long period of excessive stress,
• bruxism, the grinding of teeth, to the point of a cramped jaw muscle, or
• TMJ - Temporomandibular joint disorder.

Your situation sounds serious. My recommendation is to see a doctor first thing in the morning.

 

[dlock13]

Originally posted by: TheVrolok
I've actually randomly popped my jaw in an odd way that sometimes it'll lock at a position such that I can't open my mouth completely. It's happened when chewing with my molars while in a weird position, and it's unbelievably uncomfortable. Eventually I get it just to "pop back in" ? I doubt it's truly dislocated but I can understand your situation.


<edit> Is it at all ironic that the first three people to reply all have the same avatar? </edit>

Hahah. I noticed the avatar trend as well. Another thing, my jaw does the same thing. I can slide it to the right, and it pops and won't open then I just pop it back in place.

If you can actually move your jaw a little bit, try sliding it to the left/right and open a little. If you hear a tiny pop, then you might have fixed it.

Otherwise, I'd advise you to see a doctor/dentist for some real help.

 

[BigJ]

If you can, see an oral surgeon. If not, see a dentist and bring up TMJ. I've had problems recently with my jaw (TMJ) and got recommended to an oral surgeon who had me do some jaw exercises and treatment at home. After about 2 weeks, it's perfectly fine now.

 

[iamaelephant]

I once got punched in the jaw by a guy twice my size and dislocated my jaw. I couldn't open my mouth wide enough to eat a banana, but within a week it was fine (still painful but could open).

 

[paulxcook]

Originally posted by: iamaelephant
I once got punched in the jaw by a guy twice my size and dislocated my jaw. I couldn't open my mouth wide enough to eat a banana, but within a week it was fine (still painful but could open).

Ouch! What'd you do to piss him off?

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: paulxcook

Originally posted by: iamaelephant
I once got punched in the jaw by a guy twice my size and dislocated my jaw. I couldn't open my mouth wide enough to eat a banana, but within a week it was fine (still painful but could open).

Ouch! What'd you do to piss him off?

He didn't stop using remote to help solve global warming

 

[Whisper]

Originally posted by: BigJ
If you can, see an oral surgeon. If not, see a dentist and bring up TMJ. I've had problems recently with my jaw (TMJ) and got recommended to an oral surgeon who had me do some jaw exercises and treatment at home. After about 2 weeks, it's perfectly fine now.

This is actually what I need to do at some point. My TMJ has given me minor problems for a couple years now (e.g., making a little "pop" whenenver I open my mouth beyond a certain point); my dentist mentioned at one point that he would fit me for a device to help realign/re-"train" my jaw to its proper position, but I'd rather try a few exercises first to see if those help.

Especially considering, at least according to web resources (and we know how accurate those can be), that many of the alignment devices and surgical procedures often don't result in long-lasting alleviation of problems.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: Whisper

Originally posted by: BigJ
If you can, see an oral surgeon. If not, see a dentist and bring up TMJ. I've had problems recently with my jaw (TMJ) and got recommended to an oral surgeon who had me do some jaw exercises and treatment at home. After about 2 weeks, it's perfectly fine now.

This is actually what I need to do at some point. My TMJ has given me minor problems for a couple years now (e.g., making a little "pop" whenenver I open my mouth beyond a certain point); my dentist mentioned at one point that he would fit me for a device to help realign/re-"train" my jaw to its proper position, but I'd rather try a few exercises first to see if those help.

Especially considering, at least according to web resources (and we know how accurate those can be), that many of the alignment devices and surgical procedures often don't result in long-lasting alleviation of problems.

The oral surgeon I saw did some manipulation of my jaw with his hands and wanted me to try the at home treatment before he even wanted to consider any other treatments. Like you said, the invasive treatments really do not have all that good of a success rate.

 

[Whisper]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: Whisper

Originally posted by: BigJ
If you can, see an oral surgeon. If not, see a dentist and bring up TMJ. I've had problems recently with my jaw (TMJ) and got recommended to an oral surgeon who had me do some jaw exercises and treatment at home. After about 2 weeks, it's perfectly fine now.

This is actually what I need to do at some point. My TMJ has given me minor problems for a couple years now (e.g., making a little "pop" whenenver I open my mouth beyond a certain point); my dentist mentioned at one point that he would fit me for a device to help realign/re-"train" my jaw to its proper position, but I'd rather try a few exercises first to see if those help.

Especially considering, at least according to web resources (and we know how accurate those can be), that many of the alignment devices and surgical procedures often don't result in long-lasting alleviation of problems.

The oral surgeon I saw did some manipulation of my jaw with his hands and wanted me to try the at home treatment before he even wanted to consider any other treatments. Like you said, the invasive treatments really do not have all that good of a success rate.

Yeah. Looks like I might be needing to head to an oral surgeon at some point in the near future. Thanks for the info.

 

[chusteczka]

Originally posted by: Whisper

Originally posted by: BigJ
If you can, see an oral surgeon. If not, see a dentist and bring up TMJ. I've had problems recently with my jaw (TMJ) and got recommended to an oral surgeon who had me do some jaw exercises and treatment at home. After about 2 weeks, it's perfectly fine now.

This is actually what I need to do at some point. My TMJ has given me minor problems for a couple years now (e.g., making a little "pop" whenever I open my mouth beyond a certain point); my dentist mentioned at one point that he would fit me for a device to help realign/re-"train" my jaw to its proper position, but I'd rather try a few exercises first to see if those help.

Especially considering, at least according to web resources (and we know how accurate those can be), that many of the alignment devices and surgical procedures often don't result in long-lasting alleviation of problems.

Prolonged stress often causes this exact symptom in cases where there has been no rough contact like a hit to the jaw. For periods of six months to two or three years, stress can cause the jaw to pop or not fully open. There is not much that can be done except for a lifestyle change and wait for the popping to disappear.

 

[RollWave]

I remember back when I had issues with my jaw they said it was due to the wisdom teeth growing in improperly putting an odd stress on the way my bite. Once I got those removed, slowly my jaw normalized and it all worked out.