Understanding How Your Jaw Operates
Your jaw operates like a hinge, and when everything functions normally, it allows you to open and close your mouth. These hinges are your temporomandibular joints located on the left and right sides of your face in front of your ears. Your TMJs are complex structures – they contain cartilage which acts as a shock absorber, ligaments that keep your joints stable, and a lubrication system that keeps them moist and well-nourished.
Muscles enable your TMJs to move. The reason you can open and close your mouth and move your jaw from left to right, forward and back are these muscles. When you don’t need them to speak, eat, or yawn, the muscles are typically in a resting position. But, when your jaw muscles become fatigued, inflamed, or begin to shorten in length due to contraction or spasm, your jaw motion can become limited to a small or significant extent. And, when there’s a disruption in your TMJs as well, the inability to open your jaw all the way, either in the morning or during the day, can occur.
At New York TMJ & Orofacial Pain, we help people like you get to the bottom of your jaw problems. Our compassionate and thoughtful philosophy of care will calm your nerves and provide the hope you need to start feeling better. Call us at 888-560-6674 to make an appointment at one of our three convenient locations in the NYC metropolitan area, or complete this quick
, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
What Is “Lockjaw”?
The clinical term “lockjaw” refers to a specific problem that causes the jaw not to open all the way or keeps people from being able to open their mouths wide. It can be a sign of Tetanus, which is a serious bacterial infection. Thankfully, the widespread use of the Tetanus vaccine in the U.S. has made it extremely rare for anyone to develop it in this country.
But the term lockjaw lives on. Today, it’s how most people describe the scary experience of waking up in the morning unable to open their jaw all the way or when they can’t open their mouth all the way during the day.
In most cases, this kind of lockjaw is caused by a disease but usually by fatigue and spasm in your jaw muscles or structural compromises in your TMJs. Either way, if your jaw won’t open in the morning or you can’t open your jaw all the way during the day, it’s normal to panic.
At New York TMJ & Orofacial Pain, our professional team is led by board-certified Orofacial Pain specialists, some of only a few in the country. We have three convenient offices in the NYC metro area: Manhattan, Westchester, and Long Island. To make an appointment, call 888-560-6674, or
, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
If you don’t live or work in the New York City area, you can seek the care of an Orofacial Pain specialist in the directory of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain. Look for the designation, Diplomate.
Click here to see New York TMJ & Orofacial Pain’s treatments for TMJ and related problems at New York TMJ & Orofacial Pain.