What Does It Mean If My Jaw Pops All the Time?

Jaw popping can occur when you talk, yawn, or eat and is not always a cause for concern. However, when pain or other ailments accompany it, there may be a more serious reason behind the clicking or popping you hear.

At TLN Family Dental, our experienced team offers advice on what can cause jaw popping and how we can help you restore your jaw to its healthy state.

What is jaw popping?

Jaw popping is when your jaw cracks or clicks when you eat, talk, or yawn. It is often a symptom of a range of temporomandibular disorders (TMJ) disorders, though it can sometimes be from a shallow joint.

If a TMJ disorder causes your jaw to pop, one or more symptoms may accompany it:

Neck pain
Earaches
Jaw pain
Headaches

It is important to have your jaw looked at if you notice any of these symptoms occurring alongside your jaw popping.

What causes jaw popping?

While jaw-popping TMJ disorders are the most common reason for jaw popping, there are other reasons your jaw could be popping:

Biting your fingernails
Bruxism (Tooth-grinding)
Excessive gum chewing
Muscle tension
Misaligned teeth
Arthritis
Trauma
Skeletal abnormalities
Generational TMJ disorders

Due to how many reasons could cause your jaw to pop, it is important to have our team examine your jaw. If it is severe, you can treat it before developing other oral problems.

Jaw popping treatment options

Depending on the cause of your jaw popping, our team will recommend one of the following treatments. Sometimes, combining treatments offer the best results, especially if multiple causes are behind the issue.

For more severe jaw popping, our team will recommend that you receive jaw surgery to relieve the problem.

Common jaw popping treatment options include:

Home remedies

Mild jaw popping can often be treated by home remedies when combined with lifestyle changes. Some home remedies include:

Wearing a mouthguard
Using ice packs
Taking medication
Applying heat

If the jaw pain continues after making lifestyle changes and using these home remedies, our team can help identify other reasons for the jaw popping.

Nonsurgical dental treatments

When lifestyle changes and home remedies are not enough to treat your jaw popping, we recommend one of the following nonsurgical dental treatments.

Restorative dentistry
Trigger point massage
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation
Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD) physical therapy

If your jaw pops and is not relieved after a few days of lifestyle changes or home remedies, our team at TLN Family Dental can help you identify and fix the problem. Contact us today or schedule an appointment online at one of our Pearland or Houston, Texas offices.