Why does jaw crunch and what to do?

Jaw crunch can be heard suddenly, with chewing, talking or yawning. Specialists can not unequivocally answer the question: "Why does the jaw crunch?" And the reasons for this condition can be completely different, starting with an incorrect occlusion and ending with reactive arthritis or developing rheumatism.

Why does the jaw crunch?

The jaw crunch can have a physiological nature. There is such a characteristic sound in the joints that connect the upper and lower jaws and if the person nothing more apart from the crunch, do not worry, this state is not dangerous.

The jaw crunches quite often at a young age, when there is a strong growth of the body.

Also, this condition often occurs in people who, due to their professional activities, are forced to talk a lot - politicians, actors, teachers, etc. Most often the crunch worries young girls, but subsequently there is usually no development of any pathologies, in rare cases can worsen blood circulation in the jaw joint. The first aid in this case will be a reduction in the load on the joint.

The jaw can crackle due to gas bubbles, which, when broken, form a characteristic sound in the jawbone. The formation of vesicles occurs when the joint is stretched and this condition can also be prevented by reducing the load on the joint.

The cause of the crunch may be a decrease in the intra-articular fluid, this is usually facilitated by surgery, inflammatory processes in the jaw (reactive arthritis).

Also, possible causes of crunching may be trauma in the past, spasms of facial muscles due to neuroses, bite violation, the absence of a part of the teeth on one side of the jaw, asymmetric prosthesis, unpolished fillings, natural ligament dilatation and loosening of the ligament apparatus.

Developing rheumatism leads to a rare, but periodic crunch in the jaw. The disease can occur after a cold, sore throat. In addition to crunch, swelling, stiffness of movement, pain.

Jaw crackles when you open your mouth

Jaw crunch when opening is associated with incorrect joint work, when there is uneven movement and shifting to the side when opening or closing the mouth. In addition to crunching, headaches, heaviness in the facial muscles, bruxism (grinding), tooth sensitivity can be disturbing.

Pathology can arise from jaw injuries, malocclusion, inflammation in the joints of the lower jaw, changes in anatomical teeth with increased erosion, and as a result of subluxation of the jaw joint, which often happens when the mouth is opened very strongly during yawning or during a fast bite solid food (fruits, vegetables).

If the jaw crunches when opening the mouth, then you should consult a dentist, a protracted process can lead to structural changes in the jaw joints and then the treatment will be longer and more complex.

Jaw crunches when chewing

When chewing a crunch in the jaw can occur for various reasons: spasm of facial muscles, trauma, surgery or inflammatory diseases of the joints.

Dentists distinguish several types of crunch of the mandibular joints, depending on the strength, frequency of the crunch, the position of the jaw. In addition, experts note the audible and not audible to the surrounding sound.

When chewing the cause of the crunch in the jaw is most often arthritis, when the cartilaginous disc is thinned, and the fibers inside the joint loosen, thereby creating unpleasant sounds.

As already mentioned, to ignore the state at which the jaw crunches, it is impossible, since complications are possible. First of all, during a crunch, jamming (with a wide yawn, screaming, etc.) can happen, when a person can not move the lower jaw (ie, close or open the mouth is not possible).

The jaw hurts and crunches

As a rule, the jaw crunch can be easily eliminated if you contact the doctor in time, but when pain occurs, specialists recommend that you immediately consult a doctor, as this may be a symptom of arthrosis.

Immediate treatment is required when the jaw crunches and at the same time painful sensations appear during yawning, chewing, opening the mouth or talking, and pain can also appear at rest or with pressure. In addition, from different sides of the jaw muscle tone becomes different, as a result of which asymmetry can be observed on the face.

Aching in the jaw, temporomandibular joint, pain and tinnitus are symptoms that require urgent medical attention.

Similar problems with the jaw are solved by the doctor gnatologist, in the absence of this specialist one can turn to an experienced dentist or surgeon, to identify possible causes of pathology.

Jaw crunches while eating

The causes of jaw crunch during eating are quite a lot - from malocclusion to inflammatory joint diseases.

Usually, when a person's jaw crunches, it does not cause special problems, but sometimes there are unpleasant sensations and pain, as a result of which the process of chewing food is disrupted.

Most often, a crunch appears after a strong nervous shock, with muscle spasms.

Often, the pathology appears after treatment with an orthodontist or dentist.

The jaw crunches on the left side

If the jaw crunches on the left side, it is most likely a dysfunction of the left temporomandibular joint. A crunch appears when the mouth is opened, and pain (especially when pressed) in the teeth, ears, trigger region (there is no pain directly in the joint lesion site), pain in addition to the pain may be disturbed by tinnitus.

The jaw crunches on the right side

A crunch on the right side of the jaw can be associated with inflammation of the mandibular joint, except in the case of crunching, in this case, pain can occur when chewing, talking, etc., redness and swelling at the site of the lesion.

On the temporomandibular joint lies a huge load - from chewing to speech and mimic movements. Pathology is rather difficult to diagnose at early stages, as the first signs of joint dysfunction can be headaches, neck muscles tension, etc., the jaw crunches already at later stages of the disease.

To confirm the diagnosis, the doctor can prescribe MRI, arthroscopy, X-ray.

The child crunches his jaw

At the child, as well as in the adult, the jaw crunches for various reasons. Pathology can develop due to the habit of sucking a finger or sleeping on the arm, adenoids, bruxism, malocclusion, etc.

The appearance of a crunch in any case is associated with dysfunction of the joint of the lower jaw. As already mentioned, the pathology also affects the ears, neck, and chewing muscles, since the joints of the lower jaw are located very close to the auricles, inflammation can cause a decrease in hearing, "ringing" in the ears.

Jaw Crunch Treatment

The treatment of a crunch in the jaw is most often performed by a dentist, orthopedist or surgeon (often several specialists lead one patient).

The treatment process depends on the cause of the crunch, but at the heart of any therapy is the use of a soft joint tire that relieves stress on the joint, reduces muscle tension, and limits gnashing of teeth. The tire helps to eliminate almost immediately the signs of inflammation of the joint of the lower jaw.

To reduce painful sensations medications are prescribed (sedative, glucocorticosteroids, botulinum, antidepressants, etc.), physiotherapeutic procedures (electrophoresis, laser therapy, ultrasound treatment, etc.). In the complex therapy for the functional relaxation of the masticatory muscles, psychotherapeutic and BOS-treatment can be used.

Glucocorticosteroids (hydrocortisone, prednisolone, betamethasone, etc.) are widely used to treat arthritis. They have immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effect and the therapeutic effect with intra-articular or intravenous administration is achieved in a few hours. With prolonged treatment with low doses of the drug, a functional improvement in the patient's condition is observed. Drugs are given in the form of injections or tablets.

Intra-articular injections are administered after preliminary removal of fluid from the joint, after a single injection, the patient is observed for a week and makes conclusions about the effectiveness of the prescribed treatment, if necessary, the procedure is repeated.

Glucocorticosteroids in the form of tablets are administered individually, taking into account the condition of the patient and the severity of the disease, it is usually recommended to take 4-6 tablets per day, gradually reducing the dosage to maintenance (1-3 tablets).

Treatment of joints with botulinum was recently applied in medicine, it was believed that this toxin has a strong poisoning effect on the body, but studies have shown that in minimal doses the drug has a therapeutic effect - it relaxes muscles, relieves inflammation, prevents degenerative changes in the joints. Injection with botulinum directly into the affected area.

BF-treatment is based not on direct physical action, but on the normalization of reactions by retraining the nervous system (vegetative or central). Special devices detect violations of the physiological parameters (spasm of muscles, weakness of ligaments, etc.), transfer them to a computer where the analysis of violations occurs, then the patient returns to parameters, but in an altered form, for example, in the form of musical sounds, as a result of such " the normal operation of the body is restored. Usually, a similar method of treatment is prescribed for stress, nervous overstrain, anxiety and other conditions that led to spasm of jaw muscles and a crunch.

Electrophoresis (current treatment) allows you to reduce pain, improve metabolism in tissues, blood circulation and partially restore joints. In addition, with the help of this procedure, various drugs are delivered to deeper layers, for example, dimexide for reducing inflammatory processes, analgin, novocaine for more effective analgesia, etc.

Ultrasound shows the greatest effectiveness in the treatment of joints. This physiotherapeutic procedure relieves pain, eliminates muscle spasms, improves metabolism, restores acid-base balance in the joints. Ultrasound is prescribed when the arthritis is affected by the mandibular joint, in most cases, after a few sessions, the patient's condition improves noticeably.

In arthrosis of the joint of the lower jaw, as a rule, two types of medications are used:

• painkillers
• chondroprotectors

Anesthetics are prescribed to eliminate pain, in this group of drugs can be ketanol, ibuprofen, ketarol, etc. (1-2 tablets 3 times a day).

Chondroprotectors are necessary for the restoration and nutrition of cartilaginous tissue - chondrolone, teraflex, chondroitin, etc. (1-2 capsules 3 times a day).

The effectiveness of these drugs has been proved by numerous studies in the field of joint treatment, however, they do not help stop the destruction of the joint surface. Complete recovery, unfortunately, is almost impossible, but significantly slow the pathological process in the joints and partly restore the tissue is quite realistic. It should be noted that chondroprotectors are not used during pregnancy or feeding, allergies to the components of the drug, with caution prescribed for gastrointestinal diseases.

According to the indications, treatment of the dentist can be prescribed, aimed at restoring the right occlusion, re-prosthetics, teeth polishing, etc.

If conservative treatment does not show the proper effect, surgical intervention is prescribed - arthroplasty, myotomy (dissection of muscles to eliminate dysfunction), condylotomy (dissection of the head of the mandibular joint, etc.)

Arthroplasty is prescribed with complete immobilization of the joint (adhesion process), the procedure helps to recreate the natural shape of articular surfaces and restore mobility, the operation is not performed in the presence of inflammatory processes.

Good efficiency is achieved through comprehensive therapy - medications, treatment of orthodontists and dentists, surgery, physiotherapy, etc.

In some cases, when the jaw crunches, it is required to wear an articular bus at night (helps to eliminate myofascial pain).

What if the jaw crunches?

If the jaw crunches, you can perform simple exercises:

• movement of the lower jaw in different directions, forward backward

To reduce pain, you can apply a warm compress, drink anesthetic.

At the first opportunity, you need to consult a doctor - gnatologist, orthodontist, dentist or surgeon.

The jaw crunches in 70% of people, while women suffer from this pathology 2 times more often than men.

At the first unpleasant sensations, problems with opening or closing the mouth, chewing, crunching, pain, you should immediately call on the gynatologist or orthodontist, which will help to identify the cause of the disease, if necessary, refer for advice to other specialists and prescribe an effective treatment.