Six Common Causes of Jaw Pain – What Should You Look for?
- By Mary Marks
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- 18 Sep, 2020
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Are you experiencing jaw pain? Although quite common, jaw pain and discomfort can have one or more of a number of different causes. Some are benign, while others can definitely be a sign of concern that has to be addressed as soon as possible:
- Many dentists say that your jaw can become painful if you have cavities and gum problems associated with your lower set of teeth. Sometimes a bad tooth can be linked through nerves that are present throughout your jaws, causing the pain to get worse over time and may comprise of the need to get a sedation dentistry office procedure right away to resolve.
- Jaw pain may also be caused by injury. Make sure you haven’t chipped a tooth without noticing or that your bone wasn’t damaged while you fell and hit yourself. An x-ray could be necessary in some cases.
- Sinus problems are pretty common, but did you know that sometimes they can cause jaw problems? You might want to have a check up to rule out that possibility.
- Excess stimulation of the jaw joint can also become painful – for instance, after excessive chewing.
- Misalignment of the jaw can be pretty painful in some instances. You could experience discomfort and pain while you chew and you might need realignment surgery to get it back to normal.
- In some cases, jaw pain can also result from arthritis that affects the protective disc cushioning the jaw joint.





Although oral sedation dentistry Highlands Ranch is one of the optionsavailable for managing anxiety and discomfort during oral surgery, you certainly do not need to use it all the time. As a matter of fact, the exact type of sedation or anesthesia that you receive during oral procedures may depend on various factors, such as the complexity of the procedure, your medical problems, as well as your doctor’s preferences.
There can be several different levels of sedation that can be used in oral surgery. Local anesthesia is one of them. This involves injecting anesthetic medication into the specific area where the surgery will take place. It numbs the area and is often used for less invasive procedures.
Oral sedation involves taking medication in the form of a pill to induce a state of relaxation and drowsiness. The patient is still conscious, but he/she may not be fully aware of the procedure. At any rate, sedation helps him/her get rid of anxiety.
In the case of intravenous sedation, medication is administered through a vein, which induces a deeper state of sedation than oral sedation. Patients may still be conscious, but they are less aware of their surroundings and may not remember the procedure.




