What Causes Crackling Sound In The Jaw Joints While Opening The Mouth?

Posted on Sat, 18 Mar 2017

Question: Doctor my temporomandibular joint and associated ligaments on both sides of my jaw have been cracking and crunching when i open my mouth, for ine month , and also sore. I honestly do not think i grind my teath at night . I have quite severe neck arthritis also. I would like to know some gentle tmj stretches to do that might help me. I am going to dentist next week. Any other things to help pain??? What is the best treatment for this???

Answered by Dr. Honey Arora (20 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
X ray followed by appropriate treatment.

Detailed Answer:
Hi..
Thanks for the query..

As per your complain if you have crackling sound while opening the mouth, then it is a clear indication of some discrepancies in the functioning of the jaw joints..
It is pointing towards Temporomandibular joint dysfunction commonly referred to as TMJ/TMD..

But to rule out the exact cause of the problem you need to get a Panoramic x ray done..
A clinical correlation of the symptoms along with x-ray can help in diagnosis and then only appropriate treatment can be advised..

As of now to relieve pain you can take anti-inflammatory painkillers like Ibuprofen or Naproxen..
Take muscle relaxant like Tizanidine or Chlorzoxasone..
Take a soft diet and avoid hard foods..
Avoid opening the mouth too wide.
Avoid stress as it can cause unintentional clenching of teeth which can add up to the pain..
Massage the jaw joints and the jaw with round gentle movement of the finger tips..

Please write back for more queries..

Hope this information helps..

Regards.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad