Clicking jaw: causes and treatment
Why does my jaw crack?
There may be several reasons why the jaw cracks. Clicking can also be caused by stress experienced, leading to muscle spasm, and after suffering a jaw injury. A crunch when chewing may be a consequence of improper treatment by a dentist or orthodontist, but it can also be caused by ordinary caries, which disrupts the functioning of the entire temporomandibular joint.
If the filling is placed incorrectly, symmetry can be disrupted, which leads to unilateral loads on the jaw, displacement of the discs and subsequently pain and crunching.
Bite distortion and accompanying crunching can lead to bad habits(such as thumb sucking childhood, placing a hand under the cheek in a dream), diseases of the ENT organs, breathing disorders (adenoids), bruxism, periodontal disease, etc. With a correct bite, all teeth upper jaw, with the exception of the incisors, are in pairs in contact with similar teeth of the lower jaw, and the upper incisors only slightly overlap the lower ones. An incorrect bite can cause not only a crunch in the jaw, but also lead to headaches, insufficient chewing of food, and disturbances in swallowing and respiratory functions. Intestinal diseases and periodontal disease are common. A disproportionate amount of stress on the jaws can lead to premature tooth loss.
Correction of bite in adults
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What does jaw clicking mean?
Jaw clicking most often indicates temporomandibular joint dysfunction. The classic symptoms of this pathology affect the joints themselves, ears, head, teeth and face. Pain may appear in the ears, neck, head, or masticatory muscles. Due to the proximity of the temporoinferior jaw joints To ears their damage can cause ringing in the ears, congestion, or even hearing loss.
Clicking in the mandibular joint is not necessarily accompanied by pain. The sound produced by this can be heard by others
What to do if your jaw is clicking
In most cases, a crunch when moving the jaw is caused by an incorrect bite - congenital or acquired (due, for example, to improper treatment). Correcting the bite and straightening teeth is a separate area of dentistry - orthodontics.
How an orthodontist can help correct your bite
Orthodontic treatment methods are divided into removable and non-removable. The first include mouthguards - universal or individual transparent plates worn on the teeth. Thermoplastic mouthguards are pre-soaked in hot water and, when put on, accurately follow the shape of the jaw. For more significant deviations from the norm, braces are used, of which iron braces are the most effective and economical. There are also lingual braces that are attached to inside teeth and completely invisible.
From time to time, almost every person, regardless of age, can notice the clicking of the jaw while eating. Basically, this does not cause much discomfort, and goes away as quickly and unnoticed as it appears. However, there are times when such a problem can cause great inconvenience, or even severe pain. In such cases, we can say with confidence that the symptom does not bring anything good with it, and in no case should it be ignored.
Causes of jaw clicking, and a description of the process itself
If you open your mouth wide and immediately close your jaws sharply, you will most likely feel a click. Naturally, this sensation cannot be called pleasant, but as a rule it should not cause pain. Absolutely every person experiences these sensations, and this is completely normal. So how does the clicking process actually happen, you ask? So, when you open your mouth, the jaw joint jumps out of its articular capsule, after which its head almost instantly returns to its usual place, as a result of which the clicking effect occurs. This is called natural, or, to use the terminology, subluxation. Quite often, in addition to clicking, the joint can produce an unpleasant crunch, causing painful sensations. The most common manifestations of clicking include opening and closing the mouth, singing and chewing. From which we conclude that certain motor manipulations are necessary for the manifestation of this symptom. Doctors whose subject of specialization are various pathologies mandibular joints, often take this symptom very seriously, and look very carefully at such problems. They also pay attention to the presence of chronic, neck and other accompanying symptoms. People who have such ailments can be diagnosed, since quite often such a seemingly trivial problem indicates quite serious diseases, such as arthrosis of the mandibular joints. In fact, there are quite a few reasons why your jaw may click. The most common ones are the following:
1. Spasmodic contractions of the muscles surrounding mandibular joint, which causes the clicking sound. This is usually triggered by prolonged or severe stress.
2. Frequent public performances, such as professional poetry or vocal classes. Very often this is what causes jaw clicking in children.
3. Dental errors. The cause may be a poorly polished filling that distorts the bite, or incorrectly installed dentures.
4. Holding the mouth open for a long time, for example during dental surgery.
5. Various injuries of the mandibular joint.
7. Strong physical activity causing overvoltage.
8. Bruxism, or teeth grinding during sleep.
9. Late stage, and much more.
You should also know what other symptoms the above problems can cause. Often this can be pain when chewing, spasms facial nerve, redness, pain when talking, or swelling around the joint itself. If just the clicking of the jaw is not desirable, but can still be ignored, then if any other symptoms are detected, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Types of jaw clicks
The jaw can actually click in different ways. IN medical reference books You can find a whole classification of this symptom. It pays attention to three main signs: the multiplicity of clicks, the intensity of sounds, and the position of the mouth at the moment of the click.
The multiplicity of clicks can be single or multiple. As you might have guessed, the click ratio of one category or another depends on the number of clicks, and this depends on the position of the cartilage disc.
With sound intensity, everything is somewhat more complicated, but here you can also figure it out without any problems:
1. A click is considered intense if it is heard not only by you, but also by all the people around you.
2. A click that only the patient himself feels is usually called low-intensity.
3. The most dangerous and insidious clicks can be called completely unperceived clicks. The problem is that the disease exists, but it is very difficult to identify it due to the absence of obvious symptoms. In this case, only a qualified doctor can diagnose you by examining the external auditory canal.
Depending on the position of the mouth, jaw joint clicks are divided into the following categories:
1. Occurring at the beginning of the movement aimed at opening the mouth
2. Cracks that appear when the mouth cavity is not fully opened
3. Clicking sounds that occur when the mouth is fully opened wide.
4. Those that appear at the beginning of the movement aimed at closing the mouth
5. When directly closing the mouth
In general, the statistics of clicks that depend on the position of the mouth can be divided into two categories - those that occur when the mouth is closed, and those that occur when it opens. In the second case, this usually indicates serious changes caused by the development of the jaw. This is a disease that can affect the cartilage layer of the joint - the meniscus, and causes the following consequences:
1. Depletion of the cartilage layer of the joint
2. Thickening of the cartilage layer of the joint caused by neoplasms
3. Laxity of the cartilaginous joint
4. Fusion of the joint head with the cartilaginous layer
There are also many reasons why a person may feel clicking when closing their mouth. But usually this happens due to sagging cartilage tissue, or malocclusion.
If jaw clicking causes you severe discomfort, you should not self-medicate under any circumstances, but rather contact a specialist as quickly as possible, who will conduct the necessary examinations and prescribe a course of treatment.
And most people do not pay attention to this phenomenon.
And if in some cases the crunch is not dangerous, in others it may indicate serious illness.
In most cases, a crunch in the jaw is caused by completely harmless reasons of a physiological nature.
The sound comes from the joints connecting the upper and lower jaw. In this case, there is no need to worry.
Possible causes include adolescence, during these years bone tissue develops intensively, which is the cause of the crunching. This problem should not be a concern; it will go away on its own over time.
Often a similar syndrome is observed in people who talk a lot due to their occupation. This category includes teachers, journalists, politicians, lawyers, actors and other professions associated with social activities.
In these cases, the crunch is not a consequence of pathology, and it is enough to reduce the load and the symptom will disappear. But if the crunching does not disappear when the load is reduced, we may be talking about poor circulation in the jaw, and this is already a pathology.
If pain occurs, it is necessary to reduce the load on the jaw
In some cases, the crunch is caused by rupture of gas bubbles, they are formed when the joint is stretched during yawning. This effect is also physiological feature person.
The periodic occurrence of a crunching sound should cause concern; it may indicate developing rheumatism. And if it is accompanied by clicking of the jaw, creaking and other unusual sounds, then we may be talking about arthritis.
This disease indicates that the joints are not working properly; they move unevenly and are displaced. The cartilage disc is depleted, the joint becomes loose and fragile. Similar problems are observed with inflammation of the jaw.
There are many other reasons why crunching occurs:
- constant chewing of gum;
- muscle spasms;
- jaw injury;
- unprofessionally created prostheses;
- weak ligaments;
- poorly installed fillings;
- overload of the jaw when grinding teeth.
If the crunch is accompanied by pain in the lower jaw, temples, discomfort in the joints, possible reasons the appearance of these symptoms are the following problems:
- neuralgia;
- inflammation in the jaw;
- hematomas in the facial area;
- problems associated with cervical spine spine.
If, along with the crunching, difficulty opening the mouth appears, you should immediately contact a surgeon or dentist. It is important to see a specialist if these symptoms occur at rest.
Symptoms
Symptoms of disorders in the maxillofacial joint cannot always be interpreted unambiguously.
Typically, the appearance of a crunch is not a symptom of disease; it goes away on its own.
If jaw crunching and clicking occurs for a long period of time, it is worth checking for myoarthropathy.
Disturbances in the event of a disease are not limited to one symptom; as a rule, headaches, tinnitus, tingling in the occipital region or in the face area are observed along with the crunch.
If the crunch is observed regularly and is accompanied by other symptoms, you should see a specialist. There is a high probability that a seemingly harmless phenomenon will lead to problems with the facial muscles in the future.
How to get rid of the problem?
It is not recommended to deal with the problem of crunching when chewing on your own; there is no point in doing so. Before prescribing treatment, you should establish the right reason the appearance of a symptom.
Conservative treatment
If the cause of the crunching is an orthopedic problem ( malocclusion, unprofessionally installed crowns, dentures), the treatment will be handled by an orthodontist or dentist.
The situation can be corrected by installing a brace system and eliminating defects in the dental arch.
If the cause of the crunch is a sprained ligament, which is often observed in public people, you should reduce the load or change your occupation.
Doctors use an integrated approach to treating crunching.
Wearing a soft joint splint will help relieve excess tension in the muscles, eliminate teeth grinding and strong clenching, and reduce the load on the jaw.
If pain is present, medications and physiotherapeutic procedures are prescribed.
Therapy for identifying signs of rheumatism or arthritis includes the use of glucocorticosteroids, which relieve inflammation, increase immunity and have a pronounced therapeutic effect. It is possible to prescribe injections and tablets.
Electrophoresis, which is actively used in the treatment of such diseases, helps restore joints, relieve inflammation and pain.
It helps improve blood supply to compounds and stimulates metabolism in tissues.
Ultrasound can be used, it relieves spasms and restores the acid-base balance.
Medicines from the chondroprotector group restore cartilage tissue. Painkillers ease the condition and relieve pain.
In some difficult cases, intra-articular injections are prescribed, but only a specialist can give them. Self-treatment is impossible!
Surgical intervention
This treatment is carried out in exceptional cases when conservative methods didn't help.
The operation is indicated in the following cases:
- past traumas;
- violation of the joint structure;
- complex dislocation of the temporomandibular joint.
This operation is performed only by highly professional specialists; it is very complex, and there are few craftsmen who know how to perform it.
As additional measures Physiotherapeutic procedures, wearing a splint, and acupuncture are prescribed.
In order not to lead to serious consequences, you should prevent crunching. It includes timely dental treatment and eliminating the possibility of joint injury.
Treatment at home
Self-medication and contacting unqualified specialists is strictly prohibited. Incorrect treatment can lead to further inflammation and damage to the joint. What can you do at home?
Analgesic tablets Baralgin
When severe pain the syndrome can be relieved with the help of analgesics, taking Baralgin, Spazmalgon or Analgin. It is better not to take medications that relieve inflammation on your own. They may interfere with an accurate diagnosis.
When treating arthrosis, it is worth maintaining proper nutrition. You should completely eliminate meat and fatty foods from your diet and limit your salt intake. Food should be mostly soft and easy to chew.
The menu can include various cereals, chopped vegetables, dairy derivatives, and fish.
You can prepare pureed soups, fruit and vegetable purees. This will significantly reduce the load on the jaw joint.
For jaw arthrosis, you can make dry compresses that relieve tension and cramps. To carry out dry heating, you should prepare salt or sand, heat it in the oven and pour it into a fabric bag.
Before going to bed, the compress is applied to the sore spot and left until it cools completely. You can use a cold compress, it has another effect - pain relief.
It is permissible to perform at home therapeutic exercises, but only after the doctor's approval.
Special gymnastics
Therapeutic gymnastics is prescribed exclusively by the attending physician.Exercises performed incorrectly can complicate the situation.
Gymnastics is prescribed as part of complex therapy; its main purpose is to relieve tension in the facial muscles.
Before performing exercises, apply a warm compress. It is advisable to repeat the complex 3-4 times a day.
Exercises should be performed smoothly and easily; no sudden or jerky movements are allowed.
Each action is repeated 10 times, after each task it is necessary to take a break:
- up/down movements of the lower jaw. Open your mouth no more than 3 centimeters.
- left/right movements of the lower jaw.
- lower the lower jaw, creating resistance with your hand.
- A similar exercise, only the lower jaw should be pushed forward with resistance.
Useful video
What to do if your jaw crunches when chewing, says a chiropractor:
The crunch often appears for no reason, without causing much inconvenience. After a certain time, the problem disappears on its own. Only 3% of cases require serious treatment. Timely prevention and high-quality dental treatment, infectious diseases, regular examinations by a doctor after injuries will help avoid negative consequences and maintain a high quality of life.
Crunching of the jaw joint is associated with several reasons. They are all so different that they have nothing to do with each other. These may be structural features of the jaw, minor physiological disorders, or serious illnesses, why does the jaw crunch when opening the mouth or chewing, if there were no abnormalities before?
Reasons
Physiological feature
Typically, this phenomenon accompanies a person from birth or manifests itself with constant heavy load on the jaws. During the movement of the muscles in the joints connecting both jaws, a crunching sound is heard. If there are no other symptoms, then such a manifestation is not considered dangerous, but only brings discomfort.
Childhood or puberty
During the rapid development of bones in adolescents or children, a sufficient amount of synovial fluid is not always formed in the joints. This causes crunching not only in the jaw joints, but also in the knees. Usually, after visiting a doctor, special medications are prescribed to stimulate synovial fluid. But first, studies are carried out to exclude pathology.
Features of the profession
Often, when chewing, the jaw begins to make a crunching sound in some groups of people in a special profession. This applies to those who talk and sing a lot. The clicking and crunching noise develops over many years and becomes permanent. But it is not accompanied by the addition of more serious pathologies. After many years of activity are completed, this deviation usually returns to normal. This is due to a decrease in the load on the jaw joints.
Rheumatoid arthritis
The disease affects many bones in the body, as well as the temporomandibular joint. Gradually, the cartilage tissues undergo extensive inflammation and cannot fully perform their connective function. Gradually, their atrophy occurs.
Rheumatoid arthritis of the jaw joints occurs due to injuries, infections and improperly performed surgical intervention. As the disease progresses, crunching and clicking in the jaw is heard periodically, at a certain interval. To these are added symptoms such as swelling of the lower part of the face, stiffness when chewing food and pain.
Neurosis
This mental state caused by prolonged stressful situations. A person is constantly in nervous excitement, which can cause various parts of his body to become stiff. The joints of the jaw are no exception, because they are constantly in a tense state. Typically, a crunching or clicking sound occurs against the background of spastic attacks or immediately after them.
Bite
There are several types of bite. The rudiments of teeth are formed in the fetus during early intrauterine development. Dentists distinguish many types of improper jaw closure. If such a deficiency was not corrected in childhood, then during the formation of bones this will also affect the joints. In addition to crunching and clicking, the bite is manifested in the grinding of incisors and molars. Constant friction of teeth when chewing food leads to cracks and damage to the enamel.
Natural stretchability of ligaments
Each person has characteristics muscle tissue individual. Some are highly dense and elastic. Others are elastic and can be stretched quickly. If muscle fibers have high compliance, then their ability to fit and fix joints is significantly reduced. This effect also occurs when the tone of the ligamentous apparatus decreases. Gradual weakening leads to loosening of the jaw. This does not appear externally, since the distortion is minimal. But symptoms gradually appear in the form of facial asymmetry, crunching and clicking sounds when chewing.
Wrong food intake
Normal mechanical actions, if they are careless, can cause dislocation of the jaw joints from the joint capsule. This often happens during an unsuccessful yawn or quickly eating solid food. The crunch appears immediately, usually accompanied by a sharp second of pain and dislocation of the jaw. It is almost impossible to put it in place on your own. Here you will need the help of a specialist - a chiropractor. After jaw realignment discomfort, clicking or crunching sounds may persist for some time.
Tonsil damage
For some unknown reason, a crunch in the jaw develops due to inflammatory process in the adenoids and tonsils. If such a problem arises, then the doctor may prescribe them surgical removal. Against the background of difficulty swallowing with enlarged tonsils, crunching sounds become noticeable.
Bruxism
Many children or adults experience persistent or intermittent teeth grinding at night. In medicine, this deviation is called bruxism. During rest, involuntary contraction occurs jaw muscles and rubbing of teeth against each other. Such a phenomenon in daytime manifests itself in a jaw crunch. In almost all cases, bruxism goes away gradually by age 7. Along with it, crunching in the joints is also eliminated.
Symptoms of serious pathologies with crunching:
- Pain when opening the mouth, chewing, clenching teeth;
- Discomfort when pressing on the right or left side;
- Radiation of pain to the ear area, bottom part faces;
- Noise or slight ringing in the ears;
- With a prolonged illness, pain appears during conversation;
- Redness, swelling.
Important: if the crunching in the joints is associated with any pathology, then it is difficult to diagnose it in the early stages. Many people do not pay attention to minor discomfort. And only after the addition of more serious symptoms does a person begin to think about the condition of the jaw.
Jaw crunching in children early age manifests itself due to thumb sucking. The shape of the mouth and muscles are stressed by constant pressure. Since the child’s cartilage tissue is less developed, this also affects the joints. It is necessary to monitor the baby, perhaps he constantly sleeps on his arm. Because of this, the joint crunches on only one side.
Diagnostics
Important: identification of problems with the jaw, further diagnosis and treatment can be carried out by a maxillofacial surgeon, dentist, or orthopedist.
Usually, to scan joints and muscles, it is recommended to undergo a detailed examination. Magnetic resonance imaging will give a complete picture. If rheumatism, arthritis or arthrosis is suspected, arthroscopy is required. This special technique involves inserting an instrument into the jaw joint to see the extent of damage to the joint. Another accurate study is x-ray.
Treatment methods
Important: any method for treating crunching is developed individually, taking into account the severity of the pathology or physiological abnormalities.
Using a joint splint
This appliance is designed to reduce joint stress, relieve muscle tension, and limit teeth grinding. The splint acts instantly, eliminating all symptoms associated with joint dysfunction. The doctor prescribes muscle therapy and additional treatment.
It includes:
- Physiotherapy;
- Massages;
- Exercises to relax muscles;
- Various compresses.
Important: an individual joint splint is developed for orthopedic treatment bite height or the relationship between the upper and lower jaws.
What does the tire provide:
The splint is made with a thickening that decompresses the joint. The basis of the tire is a flexible silicone seal. After installation on the problem area, maximum relaxation of the muscle fibers in the area of the lower problem joint is created. This reduces intense pain.
Physiotherapeutic procedures
These include several techniques - laser therapy, ultrasound, electrophoresis and others. Physiotherapy allows you to deliver medicine straight to the problem area. The exposure does not cause allergies or other side effects. This complex is necessary for the treatment of damaged joints that cause crunching in the jaw. Regular physiotherapy promotes the regeneration of cartilage and bone tissue and elimination pain syndrome in a short time.
Hormones
Glucocorticosteroids are indispensable in the treatment of many chronic inflammatory diseases. They are also used in the treatment of jaw joints when they are destroyed. They suppress the immune response and have an anti-inflammatory effect. Hormones are administered orally, intravenously and directly into the joint. Within a few hours, a change in the condition of the bone tissue is noted, and pain decreases. Injections into the joint are given after fluid is pumped out of it. For a certain time, the patient is monitored to monitor the body's reaction.
Anti-inflammatory drugs
A non-steroidal group of drugs is intended for short-term symptom relief. If the crunch in the jaw is constant and accompanied by pain, then the person needs to alleviate the condition before making a further diagnosis. This can only be done with the help of non-systemic drugs. They are not addictive and help relieve discomfort, swelling and redness in the facial area.
Botulinum treatment
This therapy has been used relatively recently in orthopedic practice. The drug has many contraindications; caution should be maintained in dosage. But minimal administration of the drug has a strong therapeutic effect. Immediately after the administration of botulinum, the muscles relax and stop degenerative changes in the joints, eliminating crunching and clicking. An injection of the drug is administered directly into the affected joint.
Chondroprotectors
This is a special group of drugs that maintain the joint in normal condition. Taking chondroprotectors ensures the normal functioning of bone elements, but only until they are destroyed. Remedies should be prescribed as early as possible, before the joint in the jaw is completely deteriorated by arthritis.
Dental manipulations
Consultation with a dentist is necessary if the crunch in the jaw is associated with an overbite, dentures, or poorly polished filling. Then a special treatment course selected by the dentist is prescribed. The duration of treatment depends on the complexity of the manipulations. Sometimes it takes several months to correct the bite.
Surgical treatment
The operation is indicated for serious complications- immobilization of the joint, adhesions of nearby tissues or chronic dislocation. The most common method for treating jaw joints is arthroplasty.