Does Your Jaw Hurt?

Jaw pain is a serious issue for many people. Many dentists hear complaints from their patients about jaw pain, and many patients wonder if their dental health could be impacting their jaw pain. In some cases, your dental health could be part of the problem.

Do you wonder how you can treat your jaw pain? These are some of the ways in which you can address jaw pain with the help of your dentist.

Common Causes of Jaw Pain

There are several causes of jaw pain, and many are potentially related to your dental health.

Grinding your teeth is one common cause. If you wake up with jaw pain, you might be grinding your teeth at night. Your dentist may recommend that you wear a dental guard at night to protect your teeth from filing themselves down.

An infection of your tooth could also cause jaw pain. An infection that gets out of hand could impact your jaw, suggesting that the problem is more serious than just a tooth that needs a filling. A dentist can recommend a treatment after finding the cause of an infection.

Other temporomandibular disorders can also cause pain. Dentists may spot these disorders and recommend treatment based on the disorder you may have.

Treatments for Jaw Pain

Temperature is one way you can address jaw pain at home. Apply an ice pack or a heating pad to your jaw until you are able to get to the dentist. Cold can numb your jaw and warmth can provide comfort and pain relief.

Jaw pain can be address with pain medication. Some dentists can provide you with pain medication prescriptions, but in some cases, an over-the-counter option works just as well.

Of course, sometimes dentists are able to treat the cause of jaw pain itself. For instance, you might have a dental infection that causes your jaw to experience intense pain. A dentist may perform a root canal or a filling, for instance, to address this issue as swiftly as possible.

Talk With a Professional

If you experience jaw pain, now is the time to treat this problem. Your dentist can provide you with additional insight about your jaw pain and what you can do about the condition to address it. You don't have to live with jaw pain. If you experience pain right now, make an appointment with a dental office to talk about treatment and pain relief, like Henderson Family Dentistry.