Have you been wondering why your jaw has started to ache? Your dentist Dr. Samuel Kim in Apple Valley, CA and serving patients in 
Lucerne Valley shares a few common causes of the pain.
Grinding
Grinding your teeth, or even clenching them, strains your jaw muscles while you sleep. As a result, you'll wake up with a stiff, achy jaw. Because grinding can cause enamel erosion and cracked teeth and restorations, it shouldn't be ignored.
Bite problems
A bite problem occurs when your teeth don't fit together as they should. A bad bite strains your jaw joints and muscles and also cause other unpleasant symptoms, such as gum disease, enamel erosion, difficulty chewing and trouble pronouncing words easily.
Bacterial infections
An abscess, a bacterial infection that affects tooth pulp, or osteomyelitis, a bone infection, may be responsible for your pain. If you have any of these symptoms, you may also develop a fever and swollen lymph glands. Both of these conditions are dental emergencies and require immediate treatment in our Lucerne Valley office.
Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD)
TMD, also called TMJ, causes pain in your jaw joints, muscles, ligaments or tendons. In addition to pain, you may experience frequent headaches, jaw locking, neck or upper back pain, ear pain and popping or clicking sounds accompanied by pain.
How is jaw pain treated?
Ice, heat and over-the-counter pain medication can be helpful if your jaw pain is mild. It's also a good idea to avoid eating hard foods if your jaw hurts. If your pain doesn't go away in a few days, is severe or is accompanied by a fever, call our office to schedule an appointment.
We recommend a variety of treatments that will help ease your pain. For example, a nightguard can help decrease pressure on your jaw caused by grinding, while orthodontic treatment will realign your teeth, eliminating bite problems. Abscesses are treated with root canals and antibiotics. Antibiotics are also needed if you have osteomyelitis. TMD pain can be relieved with an oral splint, a device that repositions your jaw while you sleep, reducing pressure and pain.
Interested in finding out how you can relieve your jaw pain? Call Apple Valley, CA dentist Dr. Samuel Kim serving patients in Lucerne Valley at (760) 247-6007.