Duration of a lockjaw
The duration of a lockjaw is closely linked to the treatment of the cause and is usually accompanied by its therapeutic success. If, for example, the cause of the lockjaw is the head of the jawbone jumping out, the repositioning of the head in the joint pit by the dentist leads to the fact that the lockjaw also disappears immediately and the jaw can be closed again. The same applies to bone fractures. If these are surgically repositioned and fixed, the jaw can be closed again immediately, since the various causes always act as an obstacle to function. This means that the duration of an open mouth can vary from a few minutes to a few hours or days, which is why a general answer always depends on the individual case, the severity and the therapy.
Jaw lock and lockjaw – What is the difference?
Jaw lock and lockjaw are completely opposite. With a lockjaw, the mouth can no longer be opened; with a lockjaw, the closure of the jaw is impaired or not possible.In the case of a lockjaw, the causes are usually to be found in the jaw joint itself or jaw fractures. A lockjaw has many more possible causes, which makes it difficult to determine the location of the problem.
It can be caused by a harmless bruise of the muscle after anaesthesia before dental treatment, but it can also be caused by changes in the salivary glands or muscle cramps. In both cases the symptoms usually disappear very quickly with the treatment of the actual cause.