A dislocated jaw is a rare but potentially uncomfortable condition. Do you know what are the causes and possible treatments?
Have you ever had a dislocated jaw? The medical term for this condition is temporomandibular dislocation. This joint usually has several tendons and ligaments that hold it in place. However, they can fail and this situation can occur.
This condition occurs when one of the components of the joint, called the condyle, separates from the joint surface and moves over the temporal bone. It is very common for this displacement to occur in the anterior plane of the joint, but it can be in any direction.
Why can the jaw dislocate?
Before knowing the possible causes of a dislocated jaw, it is important to remember that this is an unusual condition. In fact, several studies claim that it represents only 3% of all dislocations. This is why there is a lot of disagreement about its main origin.
What we can say for sure is that the causes will depend on what kind of dislocation we find. In the case of acute dislocation, that is, one that lasts for a few minutes or hours, the most common cause is trauma.
In this sense, situations that involve a direct hit to that region could trigger the jawbone. However, it should not be excluded that this injury occurred spontaneously. Thus, it can arise from various situations involving opening the mouth wide or keeping it open for an extended period:
Yawning
To laugh
Vomiting
Dental treatment
Endotracheal intubation
Another type of jaw dislocation is chronic relapsing dislocation, which is defined as a constant change over time and involves wear and tear on joint components. In this case, the most common causes of a dislocated jaw are spontaneous.
On the other hand, the jaw can easily be dislocated in people with bruxism or any psychiatric disorder. This is due to the constant tension to which the joint is subjected.
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