Ear and Jaw Pain on One Side? It Could Be TMJ

Having jaw pain is very common. Jaw pain may be felt as a dull pain or throbbing ache or stiffness in your joint in the area just in front of the ears. Depending on the underlying cause the pain might be mild or severe.

Etiology of Jaw pain: Pain in the jaw may be caused by

• An infected tooth in the jaw is the most common cause of jaw pain.
• The habit of bruxism or unintentionally grinding of teeth causes soreness of the jaw joint and muscles and presents as jaw pain.
• An injury or trauma to the jaw bone or joint.
• Arthritis of the jaw bone is also indicated in the probable etiology of pain of jaw bone.
• Restricted mouth opening and pain is also quite common after inferior alveolar nerve block given for numbing the jaw during dental procedures.
• Sometimes chest pain caused by Angina also radiates to the jaw bone.
• TMJ pain is sometimes also a manifestation of stress.

Diagnosis of Jaw pain

A diagnosis of the causative factor for jaw pain is based on the history and clinical examination of the patient. Clinical examination includes both intraoral and extra oral examination.

Possible things to look for are whether the pain is unilateral or bilateral, severity and intensity of the pain, palpation of area around the TM joint area, checking for clicking sound in TMJ, and looking for any decayed tooth.

Unilateral pain in the jaw radiating to head, back. Jaw or even shoulder usually points to having a TMJ disorder.

Management of Jaw pain

The management of jaw pain is entirely based on the cause of the pain. While a decayed tooth or a fractured will need the required TMJ treatment, initial management of TMJ disorder is based on a conservative approach based on

• Rest to the joint by limiting jaw opening. This may be achieved by eating soft food and limiting opening of jaw during yawning.
• Hot fomentation of the joint to relax the stiffness in the muscles and increasing blood flow to the joint.
• Muscle relaxants to ease pain.
• A mouth guard is indicated to control the habit of bruxism
• At times some physical therapy of the TM joint area helps to relieve the pain in the joint quickly.

Protecting oneself from Jaw pain

• Take precautions to protect your jaw from injury by wearing proper protective wear during driving or playing contact sports.
• Brushing and flossing regularly along with regular dental check-ups to take care of your teeth.
• Keep away from stress.

Have You Been Struggling with Ear Pain?

Dr. Garg’s Multispeciality Dental Center in Delhi has been treating patients with dental and related issues since 1973. Our experienced team can help diagnose and manage ear pain that may be connected to dental problems. Get in touch today!