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Lock Jaw
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??!? https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cry.gif https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cry.gif https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cry.gif
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26 Replies
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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!
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https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif 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.
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I had that happen to me once and it was the day after our wedding https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif 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? https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_scratch.gif
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Haha I just realized it sounded like I wasn’t happy to be getting married ooops https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_redface.gif I was happy about that but not all the people, I wasn’t a people person back then. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif
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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 https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif 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*
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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 https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_lol.gif -
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. -
azriel- you’re such a sweetie https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif this started last night actually, i thought when i woke up it’d be gone, but it’s still here https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif
trena- dermot is your bf right?? having your jaw reset sounds scary, but i believe you that it’ll be ok https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif
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 https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif im ALL ABOUT having candy in the morning https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif
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
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Sascha, do you like fruit smoothies? Try drinking some of those so you dont starve to death! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif
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was there a cold breeze last night? It’s starting to sound like you slept funny. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/alien.gif
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!
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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
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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
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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! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_surprised.gif 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 https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif , 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.
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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!
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