My jaw hurts.

Yesterday I woke up with sharp pain in my head, but was convinced it was a weird/bad headache. This morning the pain is more localized and I can identify it is actually starting on the top joint of my jaw. I googled "pain on right side of jaw" and hundreds of sites came up. This is a crazy world we live in, but I'm thankful for the information. I think my problem is caused by stress, and possibly clenching my jaw during the night. Here's the best rundown of what I think is happening in my head. I can't help but think all the eating I did this weekend had something to do with my poor overworked jaw. :)

The temporomandibular joint connects the lower jaw, called the mandible, to the bone at the side of the head—the temporal bone. If you place your fingers just in front of your ears and open your mouth, you can feel the joints. Because these joints are flexible, the jaw can move smoothly up and down and side to side, enabling us to talk, chew and yawn. Muscles attached to and surrounding the jaw joint control its position and movement.

When we open our mouths, the rounded ends of the lower jaw, called condyles, glide along the joint socket of the temporal bone. The condyles slide back to their original position when we close our mouths. To keep this motion smooth, a soft disc lies between the condyle and the temporal bone. This disc absorbs shocks to the jaw joint from chewing and other movements.


The temporomandibular joint is different from the body’s other joints. The combination of hinge and sliding motions makes this joint among the most complicated in the body. Also, the tissues that make up the temporomandibular joint differ from other load-bearing joints, like the knee or hip. Because of its complex movement and unique makeup, the jaw joint and its controlling muscles can pose a tremendous challenge to both patients and health care providers when problems arise.