Jaw pain is an ache or stiffness in the jawbone or the area around your ears. The pain in your jaw can be as common as a toothache, or in rare cases, as serious as a heart attack.
Your jawbone, also called a mandible, connects to your skull at a pair of joints called the temporomandibular joints (TMJs). These joints are just in front of your ears, and they let you open and close your mouth.
You use your jaw all day long to speak, chew, bite, show emotions, and more. For some people, using your jaw can lead to problems with the muscles or soft tissues of your TMJs.
Your jaw also holds your teeth and gums, which can be sensitive to heat, cold, or pressure; they can also get infected if you don’t keep them clean. In fact, more than 30 different types of TMJ conditions can cause jaw pain.
Even though many TMJ disorders go away on their own after a short time, some may need treatment. Find out what causes jaw pain, how it’s treated, and when to call the doctor.
What Causes Jaw Pain?
Many conditions can cause pain in your jaw, but some of the most common reasons include:
- TMJ conditions
- Dental problems
- Arthritis
- Injuries
- Infections of the jaw
Here’s a review of some conditions that can cause pain in your jawbone.
TMJ conditions
About 1 in 8 people have a TMJ condition, and it’s more common among women. You’re at risk for TMJ problems if you’ve had:
- An injury to your jaw
- Certain illnesses or conditions, such as arthritis
- A history of grinding or clenching your teeth
- Problems with your jaw not lining up the way it should
- Inflammation in the muscles around your jaw
Stress can also worsen it. With a TMJ problem, you may notice:
If you think you might have a problem with your TMJ, ask your doctor or dentist to check it out.
Dental problems
Several issues with your teeth can lead to jaw pain, including:
- A toothache (usually because of a cavity or an abscess)
- Teeth that are cracked, crowded, or sensitive to temperature or pressure
- Gum disease, which can damage your jawbone
- Wisdom teeth coming in
- Teeth that don’t line up properly (misaligned teeth)
- Grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw
See your dentist right away for these problems. Until then, you can rinse your mouth with warm water and use dental floss to get rid of any bits of food around the tooth that hurts.
Joint issues
If you have a type of arthritis known as rheumatoid arthritis, it could attack your TMJs. It’s an autoimmune disease, which means your body mistakenly attacks healthy tissue, making it swell up.
The inflammation can damage the soft, spongy cartilage that keeps your jaw moving smoothly. This can make your jaw feel stiff and sore.
Sinus problems
If your sinuses (the spaces inside your nose and under your eyes) stay swollen and inflamed for longer than three months even with treatment, you may have a condition called chronic sinusitis.
It mainly makes it hard to breathe through your nose and makes the area around your eyes feel tender. Chronic sinusitis also can cause aching in your upper jaw.
Trauma or infection
Jaw injury. Like any bone, you can knock your jaw out of place or break it. A blow to the jaw can cause:
Infections.Vaccines have largely gotten rid of infectious diseases, but some people still get them. Here are some common ones that can cause pain in your jaw:
- Mumps is a virus that can cause swelling in the glands on the side of your mouth that make saliva. The pain can make it hard to move your jaw.
- Tetanus is from a bacterial infection you get through a cut or a scratch on your skin. Tight or stiff jaw muscles are an early sign. The spasms are often called lockjaw.
- Osteomyelitis is a type of bone infection. If it happens in your lower jaw (or mandible), it’s called anaerobic osteomyelitis.
Nerve conditions
Trigeminal neuralgia. This painful condition can happen when a blood vessel presses against the trigeminal nerve. It’s the nerve that carries messages to your brain from your face. Trigeminal neuralgia can also be caused by multiple sclerosis.
It usually affects one side of your jaw or cheek, and can feel like a stabbing pain or jolt of electricity. The pain can be so severe that it may keep you from being able to eat or drink.
Cluster headaches. These are very painful headaches that happen in certain patterns, often in a short amount of time. They cause serious pain on one side of your head and can wake you up during the night.
You might notice cluster headache pain in the area around your eyes and temple. The pain can spread to your jaw as well.
Tumors or cysts
These are growths in your jawbone or the soft tissues in your mouth and face. Sometimes called odontogenic tumors and cysts, they’re not often cancerous. But these growths can lead to tenderness, numbness, or pain in your jaw.
Heart attack
It may sound odd, but jaw pain sometimes can signal a heart attack. Pain that starts near a cluster of nerves, such as near your heart, can be felt someplace else on the body. This is called referred pain.
Referred pain in the jaw also may be a sign of joint problems, such as in the shoulders or the lower back. It’s rare, but for some people, jaw pain may be the only symptom of a heart attack.
Jaw Pain Treatment and Home Care
Treatment for your jawbone will depend on what’s causing the pain. Here are a few things that may help with general discomfort at home and from your doctor.
At-home treatments
With TMJ or sinus problems, some remedies at home may ease jaw discomfort, such as:
- Eating soft or blended foods to give your jaw a rest and take small bites.
- Using cold or hot compresses for 10-20 minutes at a time, three or four times a day.
- Using cold packs wrapped in a towel for 10-15 minutes for sharp pain in your jaw joints.
- Taking over-the-counter pain medicines, such as anti-inflammatories and analgesics.
If at-home treatment isn’t helping and your symptoms aren’t getting better after two weeks, talk to your doctor.
How doctors treat jaw pain
Your doctor can look closely at your jaw and how it moves to help rule out other medical conditions. They can also refer you to a dentist, if needed. Here are a few treatments your doctor may offer:
TMJ. Over-the-counter drugs such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen can sometimes help ease pain. Some people find a plastic bite guard helpful, too. It can keep you from grinding your teeth. Your doctor may also suggest that you:
- Do gentle exercises to strengthen and stretch the muscles in your jaw or face.
- Quit chewing gum.
- Stop biting your nails.
- Get ultrasound (high-powered sound waves) to help with pain and swelling.
If needed, your doctor can also give you muscle relaxants or antidepressants for pain. But sometimes, you might need surgery to fix the problem.
Minor jaw injury. Your doctor may suggest over-the-counter pain medication for a minor injuries. You can also eat soft foods to help ease your discomfort as you heal. But if the pain won’t go away or you can’t open and close your mouth right, your doctor may send you for more tests.
Joint issues. If you also have joint pain, which can be worse in the morning, your doctor may talk to you about autoimmune problems that can cause jaw problems.
Tumors or cysts. These growths can grow quickly and impact your teeth. Surgery to take them out is usually suggested.
Tetanus. It’s a serious illness that can put you in the hospital for weeks. But there’s a vaccine to prevent this infection from happening. Ask your doctor if your vaccinations are up to date.
Osteomyelitis. Your doctor will treat this serious bone infection before it can cut off the blood supply to your jaw. This helps prevent any permanent damage to the bone tissue there.
When to Call the Doctor
Get medical help right away or go to the nearest emergency center if you have signs of a heart attack or a broken or dislocated jaw, such as:
- Severe jaw pain
- Discomfort in your chest, or pain
- Pain in your jaw, neck, or back
- Arm or shoulder pain
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Feel lightheaded or faint
- Nausea or vomiting
How to Prevent Jaw Pain
You can take steps to protect your jaw from injury, which may help prevent jaw pain. You can try to:
- Always buckle up and wear your seatbelt when driving or riding in an automobile.
- Protect your head at work or when you play sports and put on a helmet to protect your head and jaw.
- Aim to brush and floss your teeth at least twice a day and be sure to see your dentist for regular checkups.
- Keep your stress levels down because you may tend to grind your teeth when you’re stressed.
Takeaways
Your jawbone helps you open and close your mouth using a pair of joints called the temporomandibular joints (TMJs). These joints commonly cause jaw pain, but so can TMJ conditions, infections, injury, joint issues, and more. Rarely, pain can be a sign of a heart attack. So, get medical help right away if you have pain in your jaw, back, arm, shoulder, or neck, shortness of breath, fatigue, lightheadedness, or nausea.
FAQs About Jaw Pain
Why does my jaw hurt only on one side?
If the pain is on one side of your face, your jaw pain might be a:
- TMJ condition
- Dental problem
Why does my jaw hurt when I wake up in the morning?
If your jaw hurts after waking up in the morning, especially on one side, it might be from:
- Grinding or clenching your teeth during the night, also called bruxism
- Teeth that aren’t lined up properly (misaligned bite), which your dentist can fix
- Sleeping on your stomach, which can put more pressure on your jaw
- Chewing or using your jaw too much
- Damaged teeth or an infection
Rarely, it can be a sign of a heart attack. If you think your jaw pain is related to a heart attack, get medical care or go to your nearest emergency center right away.
What is the three-finger test for jaw pain?
It’s not really a test but an easy way to check if your jaw has a healthy range of motion. First, stack three fingers together before gently placing them into your mouth. If you can only fit one or two fingers in your mouth, you may have a lower range of motion in your jaw.
Let your doctor know if you have pain, hear clicking, or notice any popping sounds.
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