Jaw out of place

[bearofnothingness]

I woke up Monday and my left side of jaw has moved out of place I've had it before and it's always gone back quickly it seems to just not want to this time I can eat but it's really sore just by my ear I will see gp but any suggestions on how I can get this back in ? Lots of googling but nothing working ; (

I ended up seeing a physio and the dentist as mine lasted over months, it's called TMJ I think,so painful. Start off with the dentist.

Ooh thanks have dentist in a couple of weeks I keep trying to manipulate it but nothing works just clicks

Sounds like TMJ (tempromambular ma bulgar joint dysfunction) you are probably grinding your teeth when sleeping. Ask the dentist for a device to stop this (I can't remember what it's called- it's clear rubber which is made to fit over your teeth. I would see a GP or go to the walk in I have had a few operations due to TMJDS. Try massaging it gently

I've had this and its horrendous. Getting it to go back can be painful but it eases quickly once its back in place.

It's not usually a bone joint that is causing this issue but a disc of cartilage that helps the 2 way movement of the jaw.

Try taking an anti-inflammatory then applying heat directly to the area. Once it's warmed through massage the point of pain with you thumb on the inside and forefinger on the outer. Press quite firmly, opening and closing the jaw as you do. You should find it slides back in to place after a little work.

Make an appointment with your dentist too and make sure your bite isn't misaligned. I needed physio to straighten the muscle structure.

That's really helpful slim I will try that it's hard to find a picture of the anatomy that I could understand !

I'm glad it helps. This is the one my dentist showed me. The arrow that says cartilage is where the dysfunction is. The masseter muscles swells and makes it difficult for the cartilage to move from the dip. It's usually caused by grinding or clamping the jaw. Do you get headaches or cheek pain as well? It's all the same muscles causing it.

That's exactly where the pain is! I don't get headaches with it just cheek pain and I couldn't chew at all, though today it seems easier. I think I must sleep in a certain position that dislodges the cartilage. That picture is very helpful.

I had it mildly and my dentist suggested putting my tongue on the roof of my mouth then slowly opening my jaw but keep lips together. Open jaw until lips come apart then repeat. That got things aligned better and seemed to sort of reset the joint.

I had this dr thought it was wear and tear on the mandible joint sent me to dentist he said it was teeth grinding at night was actually related to something else but he had me wear a night time mouth guard helped it no longer have the problem.

saw dr today who said it wasn't out of place but inflamed which causes the pain. She did say dentists would give me different advice and asked me if I was stressed.

Said it would go down itself which is a relief but also annoying as it's so painful! Seems to be something that causes conflicting advice.