Just like headache, jaw pain is one of the commonest pains experienced by man today. Jaw pain can be said to be the pain experienced by an individual in the jaw. Jaw pain happens when there is hard contact between the jaw and a hard surface. Other common factors that can contribute to this include a fall, a hit on the jaw, or jaw pain due to a toothache. 

Jaw pain can still exist without any known cause; this happens when there are changes in an individual’s body structure. And it can still exist because of intense pressure on the jaw; some activities that can motivate this include chewing gums, eating hard food, grinding teeth, and opening your mouth too wide, e.g., yawning.

Most times, jaw pain cases don’t call for concern, but in some cases, it can be a sign of heart attack. Though anybody can experience this symptom, this is most common among women. But mind you, Jaw pain is not the only sign of heart attack; there are still signs like stomach, back, and back pain. Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, cold sweats, e.t.c.

Common Causes of Jaw Pain

1. TMJ disorders

Also known as Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, it mostly affects joints that connect the jaw with the skull. So, if the disc connecting these two bones gets misaligned, it can trigger jaw pain. Other symptoms of TMJ are earache and clicking on the jaw while chewing. 

2. Sinusitis

This is the Inflammation in the nasal cavities. This occurs when you have allergies, or cold, though other medical conditions can contribute to sinusitis. When the sinus cavities behind the (maxillary sinuses) cheek, the individual may end up feeling pain in both sides or one case, one side of the jaw. Some of the symptoms of sinusitis include fatigue, pain in the ear, pain in the head, swelling, congestion of the nasal, e.t.c.

3. Dental Problems

Dental problems have always been traced to jaw pain; some of the common dental problems associated with jaw pains include cavities, abscessed tooth, growth of the wisdom teeth, tooth decay, misaligned teeth, and clenching.

4. Trigeminal Neuralgia

This is a chronic condition that usually results in abnormal pressure of the trigeminal nerve. Such pressure on the nerve can prevent it from working correctly, thus, leading to servers pain. Again, an injury on that side of the mouth can as well lead to such. Trigeminal Neuralgia is very common in women, as well as people above 50 years. 

5. Tumors and Cysts

There difference between the two: cysts contains fluid, while tumors are just masses of tissues. Either of them can cause real pain, although such occurrence is rare. But note, these two are not cancerous but can affect an individual’s oral health. 

Finally, though jaw pains can be painful sometimes, they are easy to treat. You can use heat, nonprescription pain relief like Acetaminophen and ibuprofen, and some therapeutical procedures. But in all, prevention is always better than cure.