Lock Jaw

Former member started this discussion · 4/14/2009

hey guys, my mom is at work right now and so is my dad, LOL im such a little girl still, calling them up, so i'll write it on here- have any of you experienced lock-jaw before?? my jaw is literally so locked up right now i can't even fit a toothbrush in there. i tried to eat a twix candy bar (never mind that it's 830am) and it was so painful to chew!!! what the heck is going on with me!??!!?!?! and how do i prevent this or fix it??!? 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 😢 😢 😢

26 replies

azriel · 4/14/2009
OMG sascha, that doesn't sound good! you should call your doctor asap. When did this happen? and are you swollen? i know that this sometimes happens due to infections (and in rare cases can be purely psychological). Call either a dentist or general p. Hope it's nothing and that it goes away soon!
Trena · 4/14/2009
😲 Oh Sascha you need to go to a doctor! Dermot is a paramedic in training and he said a doctor will have to re-set your jaw. He says its only painful for the half a second that it takes to fix it and might be a little tender after.
Veena · 4/14/2009
I had that happen to me once and it was the day after our wedding 😲 I'm pretty sure it was from all the smiling and pretending to be happy and know a bunch of people who say their related. LOL I think stress can do it. For me I just relaxed and gently massaged the muscles around the jaw, it didn't last too long for me but I was scary. So try relaxing first? 🤔
Veena · 4/14/2009
Haha I just realized it sounded like I wasn't happy to be getting married ooops 😳 I was happy about that but not all the people, I wasn't a people person back then. 😉
Gsylass · 4/14/2009
Hi I've had this too, my dr sent me to the dentist, the dentist referred me to a specialist, who said all he could do was get my dentist to make a shield to wear at night so I didn't grind my teeth in my sleep, and if that didn't work he'd give me a muscle relaxant but he didn't want to as it would mean I'd lose control of dribble functions 🙁 The gum shield helped, and I used to massage it too, so all was ok for a few months then it came back. This time I got acupunture and it seems to be doing the trick. One of my pals had the same thing, she's been seeing an osteopath and says it's helped her. Hope you get it fixed soon, it's so uncomfortable isn't it! *hugs*
Caramel_Dlite · 4/14/2009
Sounds serious Sascha, hope you get to the doc soon and sort it out. And nothing wrong with having a twix in the morning, there's always time for a bit of caramel 😂
Rouge_LAmour · 4/15/2009
have you stood on anything rusty lately or got something like that under your skin / into a cut?? When was your last tetanus shot? OK, I'm going down the scary line, but merely ruling out stuff. Did you sleep weird on it? have you had a knock or fall to it lately? What stresses are there in your life that could be causing this? Exams, etc? Haven't had a locked jaw before, yours could have far too many different causes. Massage and a heat pack may help to start with, failing that, go see a Doctor.
Former member · 4/15/2009
azriel- you're such a sweetie 🙂 this started last night actually, i thought when i woke up it'd be gone, but it's still here 🙁 trena- dermot is your bf right?? having your jaw reset sounds scary, but i believe you that it'll be ok 🙂 veena- LOL!!!! "pretending to be happy", that was funny. it IS scary isn't it!?!?! i started freaking out last night! gsy- acupuncture?? omg! that scares me so much!!! caramel- thanks honey 🙂 im ALL ABOUT having candy in the morning 🙂 glitter- you're such a sweetie for texting me, thank you! rouge- im not sure when my last tetanus shot was, when we were little right??? that's when we get them right? i haven't stepped on anything rusty or anything like that; i sleep on the floor though (can't afford a bed, and it's actually pretty comfortable), so maybe i'm sleeping weird? i've been sleepin' on the floor though for over a year, so im not sure it could be that. i have A LOT of stressors going on right now though- it's the end of the semester and i have 8 MAJOR projects due in the next week- papers, projects, etc.....maybe that's why? i made an appt with my dentist for thursday at 2pm, so hopefully it'll be better by then, if not i guess ill have to go to a specialist. it sucks cuz all day i could only eat m&m's and sip drinks with a straw because my mouth wouldn't open up any wider to fit anything in.....what a freak i am!!!!! what's happening to me!?! lol
Trena · 4/15/2009
Sascha, do you like fruit smoothies? Try drinking some of those so you dont starve to death! 😲
Rouge_LAmour · 4/15/2009
was there a cold breeze last night? It's starting to sound like you slept funny. 👽 My neck gets very stiff and sore if it gets cold, don't say old age, I've had this since my teens. Tetanus shots should be every 10 years ish (says she who hasn't had hers for nearly 30 years.....) The stresses in your life could be the other contributing factor. Take a bath, if you can, with loads of lavender oil. Or put that into a burner or even on your temples. This apparently helps to relax people. Dentist is a good idea to ensure it's not a biggie, have your wisdom teeth come through yet? Mine made my jaw a little tender when they came through. (Iraq invasion, 1990, funny how you remember stuff) good luck!
Foxy_Rei · 4/15/2009
😉
Poledancefan · 4/15/2009
Taylor! I'm with Azriel...you should see a doc ASAP. Do not freak out or anything, because if it is Tetanus...that is certainly treatable with antibiotics, but you shouldn't let it wait. A key indicator you should try to determine is if FEVER is present. If you are running a temp, tht MIGHT be a sign of infection and you should really go to the doctor right away. Are you living alone? Try to get a buddy/friend to stay with you until situation is resolved so you are not by yourself. You are a grad student, right? Is there a campus health service that comes paid for with your tuition if health insurance is an issue? They will do a spatula test--basically they just stick a swab near the roof of the mouth--they can tell whether or not you gag--as a sign of the condition. They can also do a culture for the C.tetani bacillus. Usually tetanus IS associated with a wound or puncture, however... Take care, sweetheart...Now I'll be worried crazy about you until you let us know you are OK! Joel
Fleur · 4/15/2009
I have TMJ (temporomandibular joint syndrome) and it caused me to have great pain in my jaw and I was unable to open or close very much, could not eat anything hard even bread with crust, etc. Maybe it's something like that? Seems more likely than tetanus...but I don't know. I think you should go see a dentist. For me it occured when I was very stressed and the muscles in my jaw just got so tight. I was referred by my dentist to a specialist and he gave me anti-inflamatories which relieved the pain and muscle relaxers to ease the tightness. I was given some excercises to do and did massage therapy and it is completely gone now. Do you know if you grind your teeth at night? The fact that you woke up with it is a telltale sign...That is apparently what caused mine. If so, they can make a night guard for you that will protect your teeth and keep you jaw form locking like that at night. Don't buy the premade ones at the store though, they won't fit your teeth/jaw correctly and can cause more trouble. Anyway, I don't know if this will help but just thought I should let you know since I've had a similar experience. Hope you feel better soon! Fleur
Nadia · 4/15/2009
Sascha, TMJ as Fleur mentioned is muscle stiffness, the same stiffless we would get in our shoulders if we had a long, hard work out on the pole! 😮 Grinding teeth and TMJ symptoms, (I have been told) are often relieved by Tums which are calcium antacid tablets that coat our stomaches. Since you cannot open your mouth to eat a twix 😉 , I would try making a type of smoothie with fruits as most fruits have calcium. Oranges are high in calcium, I know spinach is too.. and believe it or not.. an ex-boyfriend used to put spinach in our smoothies! Bananas, kiwi, strawberries, blackberries...any fruit. I hope this helps your poor little muscles and fills your tummy. I am not a nurse, doctor, or a nutrionist, just trying to help. Please a dentist asap! Feel better soon.
Fleur · 4/15/2009
Not sure about the calcium thing, don't know how that would help relax the muscles or reduce the inflammation in the joint but pain killers/anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants, massage therapy, and a night guard fixed it for me!
Rouge_LAmour · 4/15/2009
All of the brassica family are very high in calcium. Cabbage, broccoli, cauli etc. Roasted Brussels sprouts rock. Dairy isn't so good on the calcium, it leaches more out of your system than it puts in. The dairy industry doesn't like that to be known, funnily enough... I want to know how the dentist went today so do tell us all later. Hopefully it's an easy fix.
Former member · 4/15/2009
thank you so much guys 🙂 you guys have shown so much compassion and empathy, thank you thank you 🙂 ive been drinkin' a lot of liquids and "go-gurts" LOL! the good thing is that i get to leave my internship early tomorrow to go to the dentist 🙂 trena- i drank a milkshake from mcdonalds for breakfast today and thought of you 🙂 rouge- thank you!!! i should probably look into that tetanus shot thing...ive had my wisdom teeth out already so it can't be that...hmm. jaqc- LOL all those shots for school, i kind of ignored them and never got them all- my bad. maybe i should have ogtten them 🙂 no worries, i'll be all good for the road trip!!!! 🙂 i can't wait! joel- your post made me smile so big, you're such a kind person!! i don't have a fever, so that's good; and my roomie is in mexico right now, but im ok on my own for now. i never thought about the student health center, if it gets worse today i'll go there- but im seeing the dentist tomorrow so it'll all be ok. thank you joel!! 🙂 fleur- thank you so much honey, you described exactly what im feeling, i bet it IS tmj; that's scary though! im so glad you posted, i feel much better knowing this is what it might be and that it'll go away 🙂 nadia- thank you so much for suggesting all of those yummy ideas for smoothies!!! im running to the store right now to get some stuff! thank you all so much everyone!!!!!! i really appreciate your concern so much, ive said it before but i dont have many friends here where i live, so you all mean so much to me! thanks for your kindness!
drkfaery · 4/15/2009
Awww you poor thing!! Sounds like you're getting great advice and taking care of yourself. Hopefully after you see the dentist you'll have a better idea of what's happening. Feel better soon!
azzwoo · 4/15/2009
Aww bless you, poor thing, that sounds rubbish! I hope it clears up soon! It does sound like it could be TMJ, but see your doc to rule out other things like dislocation. I would see your doc to get some painkillers, if you have pain or injury around a joint the muscles around it often go into spasm to protect it, if you can get rid of the pain it might facilitate the relaxation. A heat pack over the joint may also help relax it, plus gentle massage. Calcium plays a big part in muscle fibre contraction, it causes the muscle fibres to contract not relax. Its sometimes used in ICU to increase the contractility of cardiac muscle... I would ask your doc before taking any calcium rich things as it could theoretically have the opposite effect to relaxing the muscle? Hope you feel better soon x
Former member · 4/17/2009
thank you guys 🙂 your comments meant so much to me!!! 🙂 i went to the dentist today and he said i have tmj; he gave me some muscle relaxers and so far they're not really helping, but im supposed to go back in a week or so, so he can check me out and see if it's loosened up a bit. i went to dinner with my cousin tonight and she said my face looked gaunt from not eating in 3 days LOL! i was able to eat some french fries and drank a fruit smoothie, hopefully this will pass soon......thank you everyone for your concern and compassion!!
adamseve · 4/17/2009
Sasha, it's so good to hear that you know what's causing the jaw to lock. I really hope those muscle relaxants start to work soon so you can eat. I know you must be famished. Take care of yourself and let us know how things are going soon OK. Hugs & Kisses. Tracey
Foxy_Rei · 4/17/2009
😀
Caramel_Dlite · 4/17/2009
Hahahaha Foxy Rei, I loved your post!!! Maybe you can make a video of it and post it here for us to learn how to puree food! Oh Sascha, I hope you don't starve yourself, I don't want you losing your beautiful face and figure!
Gsylass · 4/17/2009
Oh Sascha sweetie, I really feel for you! As the others have said you must eat, Foxy that was a really interesting and useful post! And I know you're scared at the thought of acupuncture but I am terrified of needles myself and can say that my doctor who is actually Chinese and fully trained in acupuncture as well as medicine, was so kind and gentle that I could close my eyes and listen to the music and never know what was happening. The needles are so fine that they get to body temperature really fast and you can't feel them. Not like injections or blood extractions at all, which I can't stand, to put it mildly. I really do recommend it as an alternative therapy if you have a respectable acupuncturist over there. I do hope the muscle relaxants work for you. Massaging the jaw joint helps with mine, especially with easing the pain. Now go eat/drink something!!
Foxy_Rei · 4/18/2009
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