Why Does My Jaw Hurt When I Eat
Having your teeth munching on some crunchy, creamy, or nicely cooked meal could be one of the best feelings. But that enjoyment could be slightly halted due to some reasons. Do you wonder, why does my jaw hurt when I eat?
If you do, you might probably assume that the pain will relieve and disappear with time. But, what if it doesn't? That could actually affect your eating behavior, as well as other activities carried out by your mouth. That is, speaking, yawning etc.
Hence, if this pain persists and you're currently pondering why does my jaw hurt when I eat, then you night be suffering from a TMJ disorder.
But then, if you are— you might be glad to know that it's treatment.
But then, what is TMJ disorder? Why does it have in connection with why does my jaw hurt when I eat? What are the causes of TMJ disorder and what are the necessary treatment available.
Also Read: Why Does Your Jaw Pop When You Chew
What is TMJ Disorder and How Is It Connected To Why Does My Jaw Hurt When I Eat?
TMJ stands for temporomandibular joints. This is the joints that is connects your jaw bone to your skull and it's responsible for the movement of your jaw from side to side and up and down. This also helps you perform other mouth related activities.
Thus, when there is a disorder in the temporomandibular, otherwise known as temporomandibular disorder (TMD), this could result to pain and cause your jaw to hurt when you eat.
Also Read: Why Does Your Jaw Keep Locking?
Symptoms Of Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD)
If your are concerned about why does my jaw hurt when I eat, then it's more probable that you could have noticed some signs. These signs are often related to the discomfort you experience when you eat.
Conversely, these signs might be symptoms of TMD. The following are the symptoms of TMD:
- Painful feeling in or around your ears
- Pain or discomfort while chewing
- Aching feeling in your face
- Jaw locking
- Tenderness around your jaw
- Clicking sounds or popping sensation in your jaw
- Earaches
- Headaches or migraine
In some cases, you might hear a clicking sound or feel a popping sensation when you move your jaw.
Causes Of Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD)
There are some common causes of Temporomandibular disorder. They are:
- Jaw bruises or dislocation
- Clenching of teeth due to stress or anxiety. This is otherwise called bruxism
- Joint inflammation. Also called anthritis.
How Do You Treat TMD?
Although jaw pain and discomfort are considered a good signal that you might be suffering from this disorder and it could be the only answer to "why does my jaw hurt when I eat" question.
Irrespective of such, it's always professional to do a proper checkout to ascertain this notion. Hence, it is recommended that you visit your dentist for proper diagnosis. There are some other home treatments.
What should I do if my jaw hurts when I eat?
- Use heat as it helps relax your muscles and can help relieve aches and stiffness.
- Use ice or cold compresses.
- Try non-prescription pain relief.
- Rest your jaw
- Try to massage your jaw.
- Try to change your sleeping position.
- Mouth guard
- You can also consider using bite adjustments as they are quite useful in minimizing the effects of TMD. But then, at the long run, it all balls down to visiting a dentist. Home treatments aren't advisable.
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