I am being treated by my dentist for an abscess and have been on antibiotics. I was scheduled for a root canal today, but I am not able to open my mouth due to swelling and tightness in my jaw. He indicated that there are times even though the abscess is being treated with antibiotics, the infection can settle into the jaw muscle and cause it to tighten up and that is likely causing the problem. He prescribed a muscle relaxer to see if that will loosen up the jaw muscle. I have been taking OTC pain relievers to help with the swelling and pain but wondered if you could tell me if there is a name for this condition and if there is anything else I can do to help myself or help speed up the healing process? The root canal has been put on hold for a week in the hopes by then I will be able to open my mouth/jaw enough to do the procedure. Thank you for your time.