Jaw injury

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Jaw injury

Jaw symptoms may be caused by:

• A dislocated jaw, which may occur when the lower jawbone (mandible) is pulled apart from one or both of the joints connecting it to the base of the skull at the temporomandibular (TM) joints. This can cause problems even if the jaw pops back into place.
• A broken jaw, which may cause difficulty breathing, speaking, or swallowing. You may have bleeding from the gums or between the teeth. A broken jaw may also cut or puncture the inside of your mouth or your face. Bacteria from your mouth can enter a cut or puncture wound and cause a serious infection. A broken jaw requires medical treatment.

When you injure your jaw area, mouth and dental injuries may also occur. A tooth may crack, chip, break, be knocked out, become loose, or jam into the gum. Your teeth may not fit together properly. Your lip or the inside of your mouth or tongue may get scraped, cut, punctured, or torn. You may need to have stitches. Call your dentist for an evaluation if you have had a dental injury.

A jaw disorder called temporomandibular disorder occasionally can begin after a jaw injury, although more commonly it occurs over time from jaw tension.

If you are having jaw symptoms that you think may be related to a jaw injury, call your health professional for an evaluation. Prompt medical treatment may help prevent complications.

Credits

Last updated:	May 15, 2007
Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer