I was headed up to the pool yesterday and my jaw popped as I yawned. It made sort of a crackling noise as it did so and my jaw ached afterwards.
I’ve had this happen before, but not for quite awhile. When I was a kid I got diagnosed with TMJ – Temporomandibular Joint Disorder. Back then my jaw popping would be loud enough that other people could hear it, my lower jaw was canted to the side, and I could almost dislocate my jaw.
I cut out the gummy bears and chewing gum and tried to calm myself down so I wasn’t clenching my teeth so much – and while it didn’t go away, it got much better. My jaw will still hurt if I have to hold my mouth open for an extended period – like going to the dentist – but otherwise it’s not been much of an issue.
Apparently, even without the chewy foods, the teeth clenching as a result of increased stress lately has made my TMJ flare up again. Since I noticed this I’ve been trying to relax my jaw, but work and other stresses have been making that tough. Thinking about getting a mouth guard until things settle down a bit – I’m sure it’s also related to my headaches.
I’ve got a break coming up, hoping that will reduce some of the tension and help me relax a bit. I don’t want to go back to the constant jaw pain. And I really miss gummy bears.