Side effects in addition to jaw pain

Jaw pain is often accompanied by earache or headache. A cracking jaw joint can also occur and unsettle the affected person. In rare cases, some jaw pains can also indicate a heart attack.

Diseases of the teeth, the periodontium or the temporomandibular joints do not exclusively produce symptoms that are restricted to the oral cavity. In many cases, jaw pain occurs in combination with painful sensations in the ear. Especially while chewing, biting or speaking, many patients experience jaw pain that extends into the ear.

This phenomenon is usually caused by overloading or incorrect loading of the temporomandibular joint. Furthermore, strong tension of the chewing muscles can also lead to jaw pain which radiates to the ear and is very stressful for the patient. In these cases, a targeted massage of the tense muscles is often perceived as soothing.

However, a long-term cure is rarely possible in this way. Both stress and tension-associated jaw pain involving the ear should be evaluated by a dentist. In many cases, the symptoms can be controlled quite quickly by simple means such as crunch splints or physiotherapy.

Headaches are usually associated with jaw pain and are particularly common when the problem has been present for a long time. Thus, the above-mentioned wear and tear of the jaw joint can lead not only to jaw pain, pain when chewing, speaking or yawning but also to headaches. Also the permanent incorrect load by crunching and pressing during the night or dental prosthesis work causing problems can cause headaches as a further side effect.

The individual parts of the body cannot be judged separately, but work together as a whole system. A cold can also cause headaches, e.g. through permanent sneezing. Wisdom teeth can also cause headaches in addition to jaw pain.

However, the accompanying headaches often lead to misdiagnosis, as the causes are widely scattered. The fact that jaw pain is often not limited to the jaw area due to its origin is also shown by the connection that jaw joint problems very quickly cause earaches. Temporomandibular joint noises (cracking) are in principle harmless in the majority of cases and do not necessarily have to be treated.

Nevertheless, patients who frequently experience clicking in the temporomandibular joint should consult a dentist to rule out a serious underlying disease. Especially if, in addition to the cracking, jaw pain and/or restrictions in the range of movement are observed, comprehensive diagnostics are useful. In the case of noises caused by the temporomandibular joint, a distinction must be made between so-called rubbing noises and the real cracking.

In many cases, rubbing noises do not require treatment, but can also be a first indication of a change in the shape of the joint head (for example, due to osteoarthritis). Furthermore, such rubbing noises can also be caused by the smallest cracks in the area of the cartilage disc (discus) of the temporomandibular joint. A crack in the temporomandibular joint, on the other hand, usually indicates a shift in the position of the cartilage disc.

Pain radiating into the lower jaw can actually also be an indication of a heart attack.The typical signs of an infarction are sudden and persistent pain in the chest, which often radiates into the left arm. They can also extend into the abdomen or between the shoulder blades. In addition, a pale complexion, cold, damp hands, cold sweat on the face, severe shortness of breath, which can increase to the point of death. If these symptoms occur in addition to the jaw pain, an ambulance should be alerted urgently.