Jaw pain can be caused by many things and pain from jaw joint can manifest in many forms.This pain can be encountered as a headache when you wake up in the morning, difficulty in opening the mouth, shooting pain when chewing hard things like gum, or even as pain in the ear.Pain in the jaw is especially frequent in people with grinding and clenching of the teeth and in people who consume difficult to chew food.

The situation needs to be evaluated and a treatment needs to be planned by a orthodontist.

How does the jaw joint deteriorate?
Clenching, grinding and excessive gum chewing might damage the cartilage in the joint.Many people clench and grind their teeth during sleep without realising.Always chewing food on the same side can hurt the balance between the two joints and damages the joint by putting great pressure on one side.This condition is most common in people who has a dental problem on one side of the mouth.

People with teeth which are not compatible with each other, structural jaw problems, overbite, closing problem on the front teeth will have a “bad bite” and the jaw joint is strained resulting in damage at certain points of the joint.If this damage reaches the nerve ending, it might cause pain.The joint can also be damage as a result of falling, accidents and hitting.