Jaw pain is a problem people who suffer from various dental diseases might experience. Caused by various factors, such as a recent dental implant or gum disease, jaw pain might significantly lower one's quality of life.
Thankfully, in most cases, jaw pain can be treated by simple operations or medications. However, there is always a possibility that the pain may indicate a more serious underlying condition, like cancer or even a heart attack. In this article, we will explore the most common causes of such pain.
Most of the time, excessive jaw pain indicates an infection. Two types of infection are the most common culprits for such pain:
Wisdom teeth are the final - and most troublesome - set of teeth to form during your adult life. Since most people do not have enough space in their mouth for wisdom teeth to erupt, these teeth can cause trouble.
A problematic set of wisdom teeth might cause excessive wisdom tooth pain in jaw and trouble opening your mouth. Wisdom tooth jaw pain can also pressure on other teeth and make it difficult to chew food.
A common question people who get a tooth extraction ask is: "How long jaw pain after tooth extraction last?" Under normal circumstances, the pain should last only a few days and wear off over time. Nevertheless, several reasons might cause excessive and prolonged jaw pain after an operation:
Sometimes, jaw pain might have a simpler answer. Cluster headaches, some of the most painful types of headaches, are one of the most common causes of discomfort in jaw.
Migraine headaches may also lead to intense pain in the jaw. This type of headache also comes with other symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and noise.
Nerve pain in jaw and teeth might indicate trigeminal neuropathy or trigeminal neuralgia, a painful condition affecting the trigeminal nerve.
Trigeminal nerves help your face feel cold, warmth, pain, and touch. When an artery or a cist irritates these nerves, trigeminal neuralgia occurs. The condition results in intense discomfort in the lips, eyes, nose, and jaw pain on one side.
Trigeminal neuropathy, on the other hand, is often caused by diabetes and can lead to numbness. One of the main symptoms of neuropathy is discomfort in the jaw and mouth.
Oral cancer is a possible cause of pain in ear and jaw. Other common symptoms are trouble chewing, persistent pain in the mouth and soreness.
If a patient experiences continuous jaw pain and notices any of the accompanying symptoms, it is crucial to seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Although it is a tad unbelievable, experiencing pain in jaw could be a sign of a heart attack - especially if accompanied by difficulty breathing, sweating or dizziness.
The most common sign of a heart attack is feeling heaviness and pain in the left side of your chest. However, the pain usually does not stay in this area and spreads to the neck and the upper parts, causing jaw bone pain.