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Radiating Pain Along The Jaw Line, Neck Pain, Headache At Night

Posted on Fri, 1 Jun 2012

Question: I have some intermittent pain that comes and goes along my jaw line (dentist says there's nothing wrong with my jaw or teeth) also i have occasional headaches at the back top of my head/ neck pain. They aren't terrible or overbearing as far as pain goes but they do annoy me. This has been going on for about a month now, the headaches usually appear or get worse at night.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (1 hour later)

Hello,

Thanks for posting the query.

Radiating pain along the jaw line could be due to the dysfunction of the Temporo-Mandibular Joint (TMJ) or sub-mandibular salivary gland problems or caries of teeth.

The causes of TMJ (Temporo-Mandibular Joint ) dysfunction include arthritis, stress induced, teeth grinding, etc. Sub-mandibular salivary gland problem include intermittent blockage of the duct transporting saliva into the oral cavity because of the increased viscosity of saliva.

If your dentist is unable to notice any dental related problems then the other probable causes have to be looked for. You need to consult a good ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) specialist for a thorough check-up. He might order for an X-ray of the TMJ and sialogram if required.

Till then drink plenty of water, avoid chewing on the affected side and also avoid taking hard food. Any habit of clinching of the teeth or grinding of the teeth has to be taken care of.

Learn the ways of relaxing yourself, as the pain could be related to stress.

Hope I have answered your query.

I will be available for the follow-up queries if any.

Regards.

Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Jyoti Patil