What Your Symptom Is Telling You

The muscles that control your jaws usually work in harmony, allowing you to open and smoothly and silently. But if the muscles are tired or overworked, or if you're chewing on a tough steak, they won't pull together evenly, One muscle pulls one way, another pulls in an opposite direction or doesn't move at all- and your jaw clicks.

Jaw clicking is very common, dentists say. The only reason it's so annoyingy noticeable is that it's right next to your ear.

Sometimes jaw clicking comes along with other symptoms, such as headaches, neck pain, stiffness,or difficulty opening and closing the mouth. More serious problems with the jaw joint are known as temporomandibular joint disorder ( TMD). Problems with this joint can develop when its supporting muscles and ligaments are overly streched and out of alignment, And if the bony portions of the joint don't align properly, bone will grind against bone.

Bruxism, the nightly clenching and grinding of the teeth, increases the potential for additional problems. Not only is it one of the most common dental problems, but nine out of ten people whose jaws click also gnash their teeth, which can cause the jaw to deteriorate.

 

SYMPTOM RELIEF

Jaw clicking is an irritant, primarily because it's s audible. But unless you also have facial pain or unless the jawbones and muscles are deteriorating doctors can't do much about it.

You can't fix it any more than you can fix a knee that goes out. It just gets dislodged, and then it goes back into place.

 

HERE'S HOW TO SILENCE SOME OF THAT RACKET

BAN THE BAZOOKA. Don't ever chew gum. That puts a continuous strain on your jaw joint and muscles.

 

AVOID STEAK.  You should never chew tough meat or vegetables.. And stay away from triple- decker sandwiches,. If you have jaw clicking or popping, that stresses your joints tremendously.

WATCH FOR WEAR. Tell your dentist about your jaw clicking and ask him to look for signs of bruxism-caused erosion on the chewing surfaces of your eeth.