What You Should Didn’t About Jaw Clenching
Jaw clenching is an issue that most people don’t realize they have until they feel pain. You could be clenching your teeth while having an awful nightmare about avocado lattes, watching a suspense movie, or even thinking about tax season. You might be interested in knowing that if this condition goes unattended, it can be the reason for very annoying symptoms, like severe pain, struggle to swallow, open the mouth, and bad headaches. The pain manifests in different places, which depends on the person and the cause of their tight jaw. It may appear on one or both sides of the face, nose, mouth, jaw, or ears. And the pain can go from one to more levels of severity and intensity.
So, what could be causing you to clench your teeth? Different factors can cause it, from anxiety to chronic conditions. That’s why it’s essential to identify the issue on time and get professional help.
6 Common Symptoms of Jaw Clenching
Some of the symptoms you should look out for are:
- Discomfort in the neck
- Jaw pain
- Cracked teeth (or broken)
- Headaches that concentrate on one side of the head
- Tight jaw muscles
- Tooth loss
If you are experiencing any of these, consider visiting a dentist for a consultation.
6 Causes of Jaw Clenching
Often, the origin of this issue can be pretty unclear. But multiple identified causes can be the reason behind it:
1. TMJ Disorders
Your skull has a super important part that connects the jawbone to the skull. It’s crucial for everyday movements such as chewing your favorite food, speaking to your friends, or yawning when sleepy. When someone suffers from a TMJ disorder, this joint is affected and causes symptoms hard to ignore:
- Struggle to chew food
- Constant headaches
- A popping sound when opening the jaw
- Pain in the jaw, face, ear, or neck
These disorders can manifest due to a physical injury, bruxism (teeth grinding), or inflammation from an infection.
2. Anxiety and stress
Stress and anxiety usually cause people to grind their teeth or jaw without even noticing it, turning it into a habit. Other stress indicators are clenching fists and feeling tension in the shoulders and neck muscles. If you feel constantly worried and restless and find yourself being easily irritated, those could be some signs that you’re under stress and/or anxiety.
3. Osteoarthritis
This chronic condition is the most common form of arthritis and affects many people worldwide. It could be due to aging, weight, injuries, or genetics, among other things. It deteriorates the connective tissues that keep the joint together.
4. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
It is an autoimmune disease that harms the joints. Symptoms can appear as stiffness when keeping the same position for a while or a general feeling of fatigue and discomfort.
People who are more likely to be affected by this are those who are 60 years old or above, women, have specific genetic features, smoke, or are obese.
5. Tetanus
This infection is caused by a bacteria called Clostridium tetani. It causes severe muscle spasms, breathing difficulties, and muscle stiffness.
The first symptoms are fever, headache, diarrhea, sore throat, and bloody stools. Tetanus is spread through a deep wound made with a contaminated object. If it’s not treated right away, it can be fatal.
6. Teeth Grinding
Teeth grinding, or bruxism is the grinding and clenching of teeth. Different factors cause this condition, which could be due to stress, anxiety, frustration, depression, or sleep disorders.
Some of the symptoms of bruxism include headaches, a popping sound when moving the jaw, stiffness around the jaw muscles, fractured teeth, or pain.
Treatment for Jaw Clenching
Remember, the best way to deal with issues like this is to visit a professional for personalized advice, whether to a dentist to protect your teeth from the detrimental effects of jaw clenching or to a doctor for advanced care.
You can start by visiting the dental office. There, they’ll guide you to the best way to continue. In addition, you can implement healthy habits to fight the symptoms and relieve the tension.
This is an exercise you can start doing by yourself:
- Closing your mouth without applying pressure, rest the tip of your tongue on the palate behind the upper front teeth. Y
- Keep your teeth together and, as gently as possible, move the tip of your tongue as far back as it can.
- Hold your tongue in this position and carefully open your mouth until you feel that your tongue is being pulled away. Do not open your mouth further; keep this position for five seconds. Once finished, close your mouth and relax.
- Now that you know the process repeat it carefully using a mirror for five minutes.
You might not get it right first, but it’s okay! Just try practicing it a few times until you can’t hear your joints’ clicking or popping noise. It’s recommended to do this exercise five minutes twice daily for the first week. So, try to keep that in mind and not overdo it. After the first week of practicing, try to do the exercise as often as possible. The ligaments around your jaw will benefit enormously from this as it will strengthen them and help the muscles relax.
Visit us for further treatment and diagnosis. We are ready to see you at Trust Dental Care and offer you only the best dental attention to help you treat your jaw clenching.