Mouth pain, facial pain and tooth pain can all be caused by the jaw joint (Temporomandibular joint). Often patients seek help from their dental or medical practitioner for this pain and if unable to be corrected or thought to be coming from the jaw joint they are then referred for physiotherapy. Pain from this structure can be the result of a number of issues including concurrent neck pain/injury, teeth grinding or clenching (particularly at night), stress, traumatic or overuse such as post dental surgery where the mouth has been open wide for a long period of time. There are a number of contributing factors such as gum chewing, daytime clenching, excessive caffeine consumtion, stress, tension, frustration, depression, poor sleep, poor posture and widespread pain. These can be very painful conditions and can be very limiting, at times the jaw can click and lock which causes significant dysfunction and patients find eating hard food in particular such as french sticks difficult. They are conditions that can be helped significantly and in most cases resolved with simple treatments to target the individual causative factors.
