Do You have Jaw Pain after Seeing your Dentist?

This week, we had five patients come in for adjustments because of jaw pain after seeing their dentist.  After taking care of them and helping to bring better movement to their jaws, we were moved to create this blog post to let you know that if you have jaw pain after seeing your dentist, chiropractic adjustments can help.

 The reality is that dentists and dental hygienists have to have an open mouth to do their work.  Holding the mouth open over long periods of time can create stiffness and pain in the jaw.  It is common to experience jaw pain or problems with chewing after a dentist appointment, and chiropractic adjustments can improve jaw movement.

 The jaw is a hinge joint – if there is muscle tension, or misalignment of the jaw (also known as the TemporoMandibular Joint, or the TMJ for short) after dentistry, people can experience:  

 ·     Opening or closing the mouth with pain
·      Not able to close the jaw properly
·      Pain on one side of the jaw
·      Pain on both sides of the jaw
·      Pain with talking
·      Pain with chewing

 If you have had recent dental work and you are experiencing jaw pain and you already see a chiropractor, make an appointment with yours as soon as possible!  Some of our patients book chiropractic treatments on the same day, immediately after their dentist appointment to avoid jaw pain. 

 If you haven’t yet been to a chiropractor, and you are suffering from jaw pain after dentistry, consider seeing a chiropractor.  We are great at helping people with jaw pain as well as any mechanical pain you might experience in your neck, midback, low back or pelvis. Adjustments are safe and gentle and we can help to improve your posture and the alignment and movement of the joints in your spine.

 Bottom line – if you have jaw pain after seeing your dentist, let a chiropractor help you get back to chewing without pain.

Dr. Melanie Beingessner is a pregnancy and pediatric-focused chiropractor, a breastfeeding counselor, a certified infant massage instructor and a mom of three awesome kids.