Jaw would not close after procedure

[Jeffrey]

Hey all, quick question I was hoping I could get an understanding about.

I had a root canal done, tooth #2.

It's difficult to describe, but I'm sure most of you have experienced that when you open your mouth as wide as possible, there's a certain point where you have "clicking feeling".

Well, I had my mouth opened as wide as possible for a root canal, past that clicking feeling. For some reason I thought there was something in my mouth holding it open, so I did not relax my jaw for about 30 minutes.

When it was time for me to close, I couldn't. My jaw would get to a certain point, still very wide, and would simply stop, sharply, as if I were biting something solid. I was convinced there was something in my mouth.

Clearly I panicked. It took a solid 2 minutes of the Dentest massaging my temple area, and the dental assistant talking me down before it finally "popped" and I was able to close it.


Can someone tell me what was going on there?
I googled lock jaw, but only found information on jaws that would not open.

Any ideas on how to prevent this in the future?

Thanks!
Jeff.

 

[DDSSAW]

Jeffrey

This is a common situation that arises when a patient opens their mouth for long periods of time. Your lower jaw's joint is called the TMJ or temporomandibular joint. The TMJ is a complex joint that is associated with lots of painful problems in dentistry. Within the joint there is a small "disk" that your lower jaw uses to rotate and slide on. When you first begin to open your mouth your lower jaw (mandible) rotates, but as your jaw opens past a certain point your jaw will begin to slide forward down a slope. Your lower jaw uses this "disk" like a cushion to slide down this slope. It's similar to a person sliding down a slide on a inner tube. This disk is attached to a small piece of tissue that prevents it from sliding too far down this slope. Every once in a while your mouth will open so wide that lower jaw will slide down the slope further than the disk can travel.

A good way to think about this is you are sliding down a slide on a inner tube that has a rope attached to it. Now once the slack in the rope runs out the tube will stop, but you will keep moving and be thrown from the tube. The only way back to the top of the slide is by walking up the same slope you came down, but now there is a tube in your way. You must get back on top of the tube for the people at the top to pull you back.

What happened in your case was that your lower jaw opened further than your "disk" could travel. Your lower jaw opened so wide that it fell off the disk and was stuck in front of it. Now this is a scary thing when patients experience it for the first time and they often tense up their muscles. Your Dentist did the right thing by massaging your muscles and getting them to relax so that your lower jaw could "pop" back on top of the "disk" and resume normal function.

How to avoid this?

Next time ask your Dentist for a "Bite Block." It's a cushion that you can rest your teeth on while the Dentist works and should prevent this from happening in the future.

Hope this helps!

Dr. Steve