Are Jaw issues always a Jaw issue?

Do you often wake up in the morning with a headache on either side of the Jaw?

Or maybe above the ears on one or both sides of your head?

Does your jaw click when you yawn or chew?

Do you struggle to bite into something like an apple?

These are common signs that the jaw isn’t working as well as it should be. Here’s a super-quick overview…

• Up to 20% of the population battles with jaw pain at one time or another in their life.
• It affects women more than men.
• Usually presents with a wide array of symptoms.

But what actually causes the jaw to feel this way?

Are you struggling to bite into an apple?

Sometimes people might have had a direct trauma to the jaw, like being crunched playing football, netball or in a basketball game (there seems to be an awful lots of elbows being thrown around in “non-contact sports”). There are direct and indirect anatomical links between the 14 bones of the skull and the jaw. Which means even a knock to the front, side or back of the head may impact the jaw.

 The jaw can be affected when other parts of the body have suffered an issue. It may be that the neck isn’t functioning well, and the jaw has to do a bit more work to help it out.   If the neck is sore for a long period of time, the jaw may have to start leading the way when turning or tilting the head, this puts extra pressure on the jaw and may result in pain.