Ouch! Your Dislocated Jaw: What To Do Next

Imagine this: you’re mid-way through a huge, satisfying yawn, the kind that stretches everything out. Or maybe you’re about to take a bite of the biggest, most delicious sandwich you’ve ever seen. And then… pop. Suddenly, your jaw feels incredibly strange. Stuck. You can’t close your mouth properly. That alarming, often painful, experience might just be a dislocated jaw. It’s a bit of a shock, to say the least.

So, what exactly is going on when you have a dislocated jaw? Well, your jaw has a special joint called the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Think of it as a pair of complex hinges, one on each side of your head, connecting your lower jawbone to your skull. These joints, along with muscles and ligaments, are what allow you to talk, chew, laugh, and, yes, yawn. When your jaw dislocates, one or both of these “hinges” have essentially slipped out of their normal position.

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How Do I Know If My Jaw Is Dislocated?

It’s usually pretty obvious something’s not right, and honestly, it can be very painful. You might notice:

You physically can’t close your mouth all the way.
Your jaw might look lopsided or crooked, jutting out oddly.
It might feel like your teeth suddenly don’t meet correctly – as if you’ve developed an open bite overnight.
There’s often significant pain around the jaw joint.
You might be drooling because you can’t close your mouth.
Speaking can be difficult.

What Causes a Dislocated Jaw?

You’d be surprised how easily it can happen sometimes. Every day, things can lead to a dislocated jaw:

Opening your mouth wide, like during a big yawn.
Laughing with gusto.
Trying to bite into something very large, like that oversized sandwich we talked about.
Sometimes, it’s due to a direct impact – a blow to the jaw during a fall or an accident.

Certain folks might be a bit more prone to this. For example, if you:

Have conditions that make your joints unusually flexible (we call this hypermobility), like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. These syndromes can make ligaments a bit too loose.
Have a history of seizures.
Need dental or medical treatments where your mouth has to be kept open wide for an extended period. I’ve had patients mention this after a long dental procedure.

Getting a Diagnosis for Your Jaw

When you come into the clinic, or if you’re in the emergency room, we’ll want to know how it happened. Was it an injury? Or did it pop while you were eating or yawning? This helps us understand the situation.

Then, we’ll gently examine your jaw. Often, we can tell it’s a dislocated jaw just by looking and feeling. Sometimes, we’ll suggest an X-ray. This isn’t always needed, but it can help us see the exact position of the jawbone about the skull and make sure there aren’t any other injuries, like a fracture.

How We Treat a Dislocated Jaw

Interestingly, the main way we treat a dislocated jaw today has roots going way back to Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician often called the “father of medicine.” He called the technique “molchlicon.” We now call it manual reduction.

Here’s how manual reduction generally works:

First, we need to make you comfortable. This might involve a local anesthetic to numb the area, a sedative to help you relax, or sometimes even general anesthesia if the dislocation is severe or very painful.
Once you’re comfortable, the doctor will carefully position their thumbs (often wrapped in gauze for protection) inside your mouth on your lower back teeth, with their fingers on the outside under your chin.
Then, with a gentle but firm downward and backward pressure, we guide your jawbone back into its proper socket in the TMJ. You might hear or feel a “clunk” as it goes back in.

It’s really important to know that a dislocated jaw is considered a medical emergency. You should seek help right away. The sooner we can perform the manual reduction, the easier it usually is and the better the outcome. Delaying treatment can make it harder to get the jaw back in place.

In some cases, especially if your jaw keeps dislocating (recurrent dislocation), or if manual reduction isn’t successful, surgery might be discussed. This could involve procedures to tighten the ligaments around the joint or other techniques to stabilize it. But this is less common.

What to Expect During Recovery

After we’ve put your jaw back in place, it’s not an instant fix. It takes time for everything to heal and settle down – usually around six weeks for the initial recovery. Here’s what we typically recommend:

You might need to wear a special type of bandage called a Barton bandage. This wraps around your head and under your chin to help keep your jaw stable and limit movement while it heals.
Be super careful with yawns and sneezes! Try to support your chin with your fist to prevent your mouth from opening too wide. Seriously, this helps.
Ice packs applied to the jaw area (20 minutes on, 20 minutes off) can help reduce pain and swelling, especially in the first few days.
Over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like ibuprofen or naproxen, can also help with pain and inflammation.
You’ll likely need to stick to a soft food diet for a while. Think soups, mashed potatoes, yogurt, smoothies – nothing that requires a lot of chewing. We’ll give you specific advice on this.

Can I Prevent My Jaw From Dislocating?

Well, you can’t prevent every accident, that’s for sure. But if you’ve had a dislocated jaw before or know you’re at risk, there are a few things you can do:

If you’re having dental work, let your dentist know if you’ve had issues before or if your jaw feels strained. They can give you breaks.
Be mindful of how wide you open your mouth. Cut large food items into smaller, more manageable pieces. It might seem minor, but it can make a difference.
If you tend to clench or grind your teeth, especially at night, talk to us or your dentist. A mouthguard might be helpful.

Taking Care of Yourself and When to Call Us

The most important thing is to give your jaw time to heal properly. Even after the initial six weeks, it might be a few months before your jaw feels completely back to normal. Don’t rush it.

Unfortunately, once you’ve dislocated your jaw, there’s a higher chance it could happen again. If you feel that familiar pop and your jaw is stuck, don’t try to fix it yourself. Head to the emergency room or call your doctor right away.

Key Things to Remember About a Dislocated Jaw

A dislocated jaw is when your lower jawbone (mandible) slips out of its joint, the TMJ.
It’s often painful, and you might not be able to close your mouth or your jaw might look crooked.
Common causes include opening your mouth too wide (yawning, eating) or an injury.
Treatment, usually manual reduction by a doctor, should be sought immediately as it’s a medical emergency.
Recovery involves rest, soft foods, pain management, and sometimes a supportive bandage.
Be cautious with wide-mouth movements to prevent the recurrence of a dislocated jaw.

It’s a startling and uncomfortable thing to experience, no doubt about it. But please know that we’re here to help get things sorted and guide you through the healing process. You’re not alone in this.