A dislocated jaw forces the mouth open into a locked position that can not be closed. The most common cause is when the condyle moves forward out of place. The condyle is a football shaped bone sitting on top of the lower jaw and fits into a dome formed by the temporal bone on the side of the skull. The condyle can slide forward, pivot to the right or left or open like a hinge. The jaw joint is called the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). There are two joints, one on the left side of the face and one on the right. If there is only one dislocation, the face twists on the opposite side of that joint. If there are two, the mouth stays open symmetrically. It may or may not be painful.
A dislocated jaw can occur when someone opens really wide. It can happen after long dental procedures, accidents, yawning, vomiting, yelling, sneezing or after laughing. It can also be caused after opening your mouth wide to bite on large pieces of food or even during passionate open mouth kissing.
The jaw dislocates because of damage from stretching of the jaw joint ligaments. Once the jaw joint ligaments are stretched they do not shorten back into place. The damage creates hypermobility or looseness of the jaw joint and this looseness can cause a TMJ problem. The damage makes the possibility of a permanent problem so the patient must learn to not open the mouth beyond the limits that trigger a dislocated jaw.
Manual reduction is the technique of repositioning the dislocated jaw back in place. The dislocated lower jaw is held firmly on both sides pushing gently downward and rocking backwards until a loud popping sound is heard as the jaw pops back into place. Dr. Mark Allan Padolsky and the dentists at the Atlanta Dental Group PC are dedicated to their patients' good health and well being. You are welcome to join our family of patients. Dr. P enjoys treating TMJ patients and has been offering this care since 1982. He offers several types of TMJ treatment and does not subscribe to just one treatment philosophy. If you would like a consultion with our TMJ Dentist, Dr. Padolsky, call 404-874-7428 for an appointment. It could be the very best thing you have ever done.