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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Caused The Cracking Pop Sound Behind My Molar Work?

My dentist had me wearing a grind guard which I have for years. He recently did a molar cavity fill for an hour procedure. He said he had never used that much novacaine 2 molars opposite side of mouth before. I was so numb I bit my left cheek when asked me to check the bite. My concern isi now have much main in wisdom tooth area of gums behind molar work and I heard a cracking pop after I ate food today with spoon. Never before had I heard a gum band sound when I opened my mouth. Will this go away? If I keep using my mouth guard & rest my jaw? Thank you so much for any thoughts.-Michael
Fri, 25 Jul 2014
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Dentist,  's  Response
Thank you for contacting Healthcare magic. I believe your TMJ is stressed from keeping open for the procedure and amount of injections. You can reduce inflammation with acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Try warm compresses and a soft diet. Resting the jaw is the correct procedure to follow. Continue to use your night guard. Keep up with regular dental care and rinse with warm salt water to allow the gum to heal around the teeth. Your jaw should start to feel better and the sound should not continue as the inflammation allows you to return to normal function. Have your dentist check the function of the TMJ and the position of the disc that slides as the joint is in function if you still have discomfort or sounds such as a clicking.
Make sure that you feel your bite is not high and that you do not contact the new fillings before other teeth. Please make sure there is not an interference when you slide your teeth together. This will continue to aggrevate your jaw. Call your dentist for an adjustment or if you are unsure about your bite, ask the dentist to check your bite.
Keep your dentist informed of any changes. Deep fillings with an increase in sensitivity may need to be monitored for an infection.
I hope you will feel better each day and am available to assist you further.

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Dentist,  Dr. Uzma Rahaman's  Response
Thanks for using Health Care Magic.

Read your query.

Pain on opening or chewing ,popping sounds while biting suggests TMJ syndrome. It could be due to the prolonged opening of the mouth at the dentist office.Pain can be relieved by a combination of medications including muscle relaxants.

Use salt water gargling and do simple jaw exercises.Avoid opening the mouth too wide for a while.
If still persistent consult your oral and maxillofacial surgeon and plan the treatment.

Hope this was helpful.
Thanks and regards
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What Caused The Cracking Pop Sound Behind My Molar Work?

Thank you for contacting Healthcare magic. I believe your TMJ is stressed from keeping open for the procedure and amount of injections. You can reduce inflammation with acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Try warm compresses and a soft diet. Resting the jaw is the correct procedure to follow. Continue to use your night guard. Keep up with regular dental care and rinse with warm salt water to allow the gum to heal around the teeth. Your jaw should start to feel better and the sound should not continue as the inflammation allows you to return to normal function. Have your dentist check the function of the TMJ and the position of the disc that slides as the joint is in function if you still have discomfort or sounds such as a clicking. Make sure that you feel your bite is not high and that you do not contact the new fillings before other teeth. Please make sure there is not an interference when you slide your teeth together. This will continue to aggrevate your jaw. Call your dentist for an adjustment or if you are unsure about your bite, ask the dentist to check your bite. Keep your dentist informed of any changes. Deep fillings with an increase in sensitivity may need to be monitored for an infection. I hope you will feel better each day and am available to assist you further.