What to do if your jaw makes noise when you yawn

The chin is mainly composed of the jawbone, and this part is generally not prone to problems. However, some people experience jaw noises when they yawn or open their mouths wide. It’s okay if it happens occasionally, but if it happens frequently, you should be careful as it may be caused by temporomandibular joint disorder. What should you do if your chin makes noises when you yawn? We must first understand the situation so that we can determine the subsequent response measures.

Causes

1. Mental factors

Psychological factors play a very important role in the occurrence and aggravation of temporomandibular joint disorder syndrome.

2. Traumatic factors

Many patients have a history of local trauma. Such as acute traumas such as external impact, sudden biting of hard objects, opening the mouth too wide (such as yawning); also frequent chewing of hard food, nighttime grinding of teeth, and unilateral chewing habits. These factors may cause joint contusion or strain and dysfunction of the chewing muscles.

3. Occlusal factors

Occlusion disorders can also lead to the occurrence or aggravation of temporomandibular joint disorder syndrome. Such as occlusal interference, excessive tooth wear, excessive molar loss, poor restorations, and low intermaxillary distance. Disorders in occlusal relationships can disrupt the functional balance between the internal structures of the joints and promote the occurrence of this disease.

4. Systemic and other factors

Systemic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, can also cause TMJ disorders. In addition, some iatrogenic factors, such as radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, can lead to structural and functional changes in the masticatory muscles and can also cause temporomandibular joint disorder syndrome.

Clinical manifestations

The main clinical manifestations of temporomandibular joint disorder syndrome include local joint soreness or pain, joint clicking and mandibular movement disorders. The pain may be located in the joint area or around the joints; it may be accompanied by tenderness of varying degrees. Joint soreness or pain is especially noticeable when chewing or opening the mouth. The snapping sound occurs when the mouth is opened. The sound can occur at different stages of mandibular movement and can be a crisp single sound or a series of fragmented sounds. Common movement obstacles include limited mouth opening, mandibular deviation when opening the mouth, and limited left and right mandibular movement. In addition, it may be accompanied by symptoms such as temporal pain, dizziness, and tinnitus.