Jaw pain is a common issue that affects millions of people in the U.S. Jaw pain may be mild or can be severe and affect your quality of life. Many factors can cause jaw pain, such as grinding your teeth, gum disease or a toothache. Jaw pain may also be a symptom of a serious issue, including a broken or dislocated jaw or a heart attack.

Jaw surgery, also known as orthognathic (or-thog-NATH-ik) surgery, corrects irregularities of the jaw bones and realigns the jaws and teeth to improve the way they work. Making these corrections may also improve your facial appearance. Jaw surgery may be a corrective option if you have jaw problems that can't be resolved with orthodontics alone.

What causes jaw pain? Most jaw pain is due to an abnormality or injury to the joint of your jaw, but there are other possible causes as well. Here are some of the causes of jaw pain: 1....

jaw, either of a pair of bones that form the framework of the mouth of vertebrate animals, usually containing teeth and including a movable lower jaw and fixed upper jaw (maxilla). Jaws function by moving in opposition to each other and are used for biting, chewing, and the handling of food.

Symptoms. Causes. Treatment. Complications. Diagnosis. Your jaw joints, or temporomandibular joints (TMJs), are found on either side of your head. A wide range of factors can affect the health of your jaw and cause jaw pain. While some types of jaw pain go away on their own, other types of pain need treatment to avoid more severe problems.

You have one joint on each side of your jaw. TMJ disorders — a type of temporomandibular disorder or TMD — can cause pain in your jaw joint and in the muscles that control jaw movement. The exact cause of a person's TMJ disorder is often difficult to determine. Your pain may be due to a combination of factors, such as …

Jaw pain, an aching pain in your jaw, ear, and/or face when chewing or attempting to open and close your mouth, can occur on the right or left side. Learn more. 8 most common cause (s) Otitis Externa. Tension Headache. TMJ Dysfunction Disorder. Myofascial Pain Syndrome. Salivary Duct Stones. Tooth abscess. Dislocation of the jaw.

A jaw that's too small, too large, or crooked can cause problems with chewing, speaking, breathing, and even sleeping. The shape of your jaws also affects the way your face looks. This sheet helps you understand how the teeth and jaws work. It also describes common jaw problems that may need treatment.

The jaws are a pair of opposable articulated structures at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term jaws is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serving to open and close it and is part of the body plan of humans and most animals. Arthropods.

5 min read. What Is Jaw Pain? Jaw pain can be a sign of something as common as a toothache -- or even something as serious as a heart attack. Your jawbone, also called a mandible, connects to...