My jaw... *pop* *pop* *pop*

[Thorn]

Ok, let me start by saying I hate going to the doctor, but I've been having some serious problems with my jaw. It pops constantly, especially when I'm eating or chewing gum (which I do constantly). The sound seems to be getting worse (my wife cringes at dinner because of the noise) but it doesn't hurt. I know that it's probably TMD, but I really can't stand the thought of surgery. Funny thing is, I got hit quite hard in the jaw a couple months ago and the noise went away for almost 2 weeks. Maybe I just need to get hit harder next time.

Oh well, I guess it's just time for me to "bite the bullet" and go see the doctor... man this sucks.

 

[Viper GTS]

My dad's jaw does that too. It's annoying as hell, but apparently it doesn't hurt him.

Viper GTS

 

[bigbootydaddy]

my friends did it all the time, then he had some surgery, no luck. then i took his girlfriend. hehe.

 

[ManSnake]

You have yourself a little TMJ problem, if it doesn't really hurt, don't worry about it, but if it hurts or if your jaw locks shut then you may need surgery, anyways, good luck!

 

[SSP]

My jaw... *pop* *pop* *pop*

hahaha... thats so funny.

 

[Mday]

my neck, *snap* *snap* *snap*

 

[JayPatel]

that song Pop Ya Collar by Usher sure is catchy.....Doh!

 

[Frenchie]

Thats the way my jaw is after taking a nice hard self-inflicted accidental hit to the jaw.

 

[xodarap]

I have a freind that has this problem; I dont know the name of it of hand but she could give it to you. Not to get personal but were you a premature birth? This is one of about 90,000 illnesses associated with that. Anyway it can get serious. If its what my freind has I understaznd the following-1 It doesn't heal on its own it can only go worse. 2-The more you chew the worse it gets (My freind has been put on a special diet that allows only canned fruits). 3-Never heard anything about pian induiced healing but weather effects it temperaraly wait for the next cold front then youl feel the truth 4-"Surgery" involves placing a brce between your upper and lower jaw the brace will co$t a meir $1500, thats about the only way to fix it

I would see a Dr. these things get worse and your mouth gradullay gets more and more shut.

I wont scare you with anything else Im not qualified to talk about. Im sorry. God bless.

 

[NovaTerra]

You remind people of that old joke: A guy goes into the doctor and says it really hurts his hand when he slams his fist into walls, and the doc says "I have a cure. Stop hitting walls." If you stop chewing the gum, your teeth and your jaw may thank you. Go to the doc.
It is not that serious of an issue. It is not like you have cancer or anything.

 

[Thorn]

Stop chewing gum?!? Are you mad?!? :Q There's no way I'd get through the day without gum... without it I'd smoke like a fiend. Let's put it this way; without gum I'd go through 1-1 1/2 packs of cigs a day, with gum I smoke 1/2 pack a day (or less). That's a huge difference! And don't tell me I need to quit smoking either... I like smoking and yes, I can quit at any time (did it for 3 years but decided to go back because I enjoyed it so much). As long as I can keep the habit in check then I don't see that it's a problem. The problem is, if I smoke more than 1/2 pack a day I feel like crap all the time. So that means I need the gum.

Oh well, I guess I'll have to go and let the doc look at my jaw. At least I have awesome insurance.

 

[sandmanwake]

What's TMJ?

 

[xyyz]

a TMJ (tempo-mandibular join - i think) disorder baby... doctors dont really deal with this... oral surgeons do... you best sort it out now or you'll suffer in the future. this can result in some pretty nasty headaches for you.

don't hyper-extend your jaw when you chew... laugh... yell etc.

you stressin about something... because that's usually the biggest cause of this problem.

 

[Thorn]

I "stress" about EVERYTHING. I'm a hardcore worrier... which, from what I can gather, leads to me grinding my teeth in my sleep. Well, it's best for me to get it fixed now rather than wait for terminal lock-up or chronic pain.

 

[HiveTyrant]

Dude, its stress. I know because I had that problem while in my freshman year of college. With grades, money, girlfriend, and worrying if I had a place to live during the summer; I was majorly stressed out. It still happens everyonce and awhile. But its gone away for the most part. It didnt hurt and just felt wierd. Do something to relax your stress. Kickboxing worked for me, online quaking helped too... But do relax or it could become a very serious problem.
g'luck

 

[desy]

OK I had the jaw surgury to correct it.
Basically your bite is off. So they break your jaw and slid back or forward so your teeth line up.
Yes it hurts for about 2 months. Tylenol 3's were my best freind.
But if you put it off forever as my doctor said it will catch up with you as you age cause when you are young your body adapts by the time your in your 40's your going to have pain and your body won't heal as quick from the surgury either.
I had it done at 23 no regrets in '88.
Buck up
BTW
Tension in the Muscular Joint

 

[sandmanwake]

How do you know if you have TMJ or not? I may, I'm not sure. I don't hear any clicking when I chew, but I can rotate my jaw so that it does. I can also lock it it place or even disconnect it from the socket almost like a snake.

 

[Namuna]

Thx for that info Desy,

I, like Thorn and A LOT of people, suffer from TMJ (with the 'popping'). It comes and it goes...Depending on the level of stress in my life.

I've had it since my early teens and haven't done anything about it (after reading this thread I think I FINALLY will!). I'm almost 30 now and I have to admit that I have problems chewing on tough foods (Steak, dry chicken, taffy, etc...). Even if I don't get the popping, I can feel that my jaw isn't working the chew process right and it hurts. And I have to force myself to NOT yawn too hard or that'll hurt too!

Take it from a guy that's ALREADY feeling the ill effects of procrastination...Go see your Doctor/Dentist!!!

 

[ArkAoss]

i dunno bout you but that *pop* *pop* is driving me insane!!!!!!!!!!


My bro has under bite his bottom jaw sticks out half an inch from his top. . .and it pops.. . but that pop pop in your thread title is driving me insane!!! aaaaaaggggggggggghjhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[Balt]

You should go see a dentist first. I have the same problem, but it used to be a lot worse. A few months ago I went to the dentist and he heard my jaw popping when I opened my mouth, so he checked my bite and found one side was hitting before the other. He grinded down one of my teeth a bit to even the bite (not noticeable at all), and I've had much less trouble with it ever since.

Of course, this won't work for everyone, but it sure helped me.

 

[nippyjun]

Ok... Lets get started with some questions:

1. Do you ever have trouble opening or closing your mouth?
2. Is there pain associated with the popping?
3. Is the popping worse in the morning or does it get worse as the day progresses?

Some info for you:

1. Surgery is rarely needed. Do not, I repeat, do not, have surgery!!!!
2. What you have is most likely an "internal derangement" which means that the disk between the jaw bone and the skull bone is "a little loose" and goes into a forward position.
3. The treatment includes: Soft diet, no chewing gum, no nail biting, dental splint which you wear at night. Jaw exercises.

If you have any more questions please email me.....

 

[Thorn]

<< 1. Do you ever have trouble opening or closing your mouth? >>


No


<< 2. Is there pain associated with the popping? >>


No


<< 3. Is the popping worse in the morning or does it get worse as the day progresses? >>


It depends. It's pretty bad when I get up in the morning, then it gets better during the day, but then in the evening it gets worse again. This isn't the case sometimes though; some days it doesn't bother me at all (very quiet), while others it drives me nuts (very loud, even bothers my wife and coworkers).

 

[nippyjun]

The lack of pain is a very good sign. Actually popping without pain is now considered &quot;normal&quot; since a good percentage of the population has this. It's when you have pain that you worry. But still, the treatment is partially avoidance therapy, such as not chewing gum, eating a soft diet, and having a hard acrylic dental stabilization splint made. Don't get a soft splint, they tend to make you chew on them during the night and can make the problem worse.

Do not let anyone grind on your teeth, it's not a tooth problem. Do not have any surgery. You need to see a dentist that specializes in orofacial pain and dysfunction. Most dentists can make the splint, but that's about all they can do. They really don't know how to treat this. Oral surgeons like to do surgery so if you see one of them who claims to be a tmj specialist they may try to do surgery on you.

 

[kami]

My jaw used to pop all the time...haven't had a pop in several months now, though. I dunno how the hell it just disappeared but it did It never hurt but it sure sounded nasty.

 

[Wangel]

Pop, Pop, Pop???

I get the same noises out of my butt. Usually right after eating beans!

Pop, Pop, Pop!