SOLVED

Triple B

n/a

grungebox

Happens to me a lot. You probably grind or clench your jaw at night. Right now just take some OTC something (Advil works for me), and try a warm compress on the jaw. If it continues to hurt then obviously see a doctor.

Nitsuj82

You may indeed have bruxism (grinding in your sleep). If it gets really bad, you could need a mouthpiece.

The stiff clenching soreness happened to me in college because I would essentially chew gun constantly, and not change out pieces when they lost their flavor or got hard. So yeah...could be that too.

Mr_Anonymous

Another possibility is TMJ Syndrome, or Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome. It's a condition where your jaw joint on one or both sides doesn't function properly, resulting in some pain, and occasionally feeling like you can't move your jaw as normal. Usually your jaw feels pretty stiff too. It's aggravated by bruxism, and it's worth seeing a doctor if your bruxism/stiffness gets bad and you notice any awkwardness in the path of your jaw from closed to open and vice versa. I normally feel kind of a pop on the left side which is accompanied by considerable pain sometimes. For me, this comes in phases of a month or two of no pain followed by a month or two of pain.

tl;dr: Probably easily cured bruxism, but go to a doctor if it gets bad, because TMJ Syndrome is a bitch and I think if you catch it early it can be limited.

sdrawkcaB emaN

Nitsuj82 wrote: »

You may indeed have bruxism (grinding in your sleep). If it gets really bad, you could need a mouthpiece.

Alternatively, depending on your state laws, you might be a candidate for medicinal marijuana.

I know that at least in CA marijuana may be prescribed for bruxism and from what I've heard it's highly effective. Smoke before you sleep and no grinding.

Mr_Anonymous

Just realised too that rather than a doctor, see a dentist first. They normally handle this kind of stuff, a least they do here in Ireland.

grungebox

Mr_Anon brought up a good point. I have pretty bad TMJ issues (that's where my jaw pain comes from; it gets aggravated at night, hence the morning Advil). Real TMJ are somewhat rare, from what I understand, but I'm not at all a doctor.

FWIW, my jaw is easily dislocated (which hurts like a bitch), sometimes just from yawning. So, if the jaw pain is persistent, like I said go see a Doctor since it may be something semi-serious.

Mr_Anon: I saw an ear/nose/throat doctor, weirdly enough. That's what the hospital that fixed my jaw recommended