What does pain in the jaw indicate?
Patient: Last year I had two of my teeth taken out which required me to have numbing injections and while my face was still numb I opened my mouth and something cracked or popped really loud in my right cheek but I couldn t feel any pain due to the injection. Several times after that the same cheek would crack and sometimes it would ache slightly but never anything too serious as it would go away by the next day. Today however it happened again but there is a lot of pain and it is aching a lot.Moving my jaw hurts a lot when i move it and when I stay still. I don t know if I ve injured it somehow or what? Doctor: Hi Dear,welcome to HCM.Understanding your concern. As per your query you have symptoms of  pain in the jaw which seems to be due to TMJ dysfunction and locking of jaw in a particular position. It could be due to insertion of injection in muscle which is leading to injury and difficulty in opening mouth.Need not to worry. I would suggest you to rest properly and don't bend frequently forward. You should take light food and avoid hard food from that side. You should relax jaw from locked position and bring it back to normal. For now take ibuprofen for pain and swelling. You should consult ENT specialist and oral and maxillofacial surgeon for proper examination and start treatment accordingly. Avoid excessive use of mobile from that side.Hope your concern has been resolved.Get Well Soon.Best wishes,Dr. Harry Maheshwari