The past couple of weeks I've had pain in my jaw where it connects. It started when I was eating a large sandwich for lunch and I was trying to take a bite and I got a pain when I bit down. How long does something like this take to heal or go away? It hurts a bit when I wake in the morning. Should I just switch to soft food to let it heal?

I'm concerned that it will be a recurring problem. I like to eat salads and crunchy foods.

Like many car accident survivors, I've got TMJ. It's a bummer.

In addition to the pain while chewing, do you hear popping and/or grinding noises? Has your ability to open your mouth wide and move your jaw from side to side been compromised?

If it's TMJ, giving your jaw a rest is important. Chondroitin is also often suggested for this problem. However, you should still probably consider seeing a dentist who specializes in the problem as many patients find they need a bite plate and/or PT.

While this is almost certainly some sort of dental/joint issue, I think that all gals should know that jaw pain can be a sign of an impending heart attack in women. I'm not trying to panic you, but if you have cardiac problems or risk factors you might want to consult your doctor.

Cheers

Thanks Hockey,

My heart is good and I've had it checked out several times. I think I know what caused this and maybe if I rest my jaw it will help. Also, if I take ibuprofen for the inflammation it might help too.

I eat a heart healthy diet and exercise regularly because I'm really sort of fixated on controlling my health.

I've been doing face exercises to look younger (just started a new job a month ago) and I'm sure that helped to trigger this.

Thanks for the info though. If it doesn't start to clear up I'll call the dentist.

Yep, you've probably strained something with the exercises. What we won't do to ourselves to look youthful....

I only mentioned the jaw/heart connection because so many women are unaware of it. Most medical studies are done on men, so they stress the heart attack warning signs common to them, like arm pain. Women are more likely to experience jaw than arm pain. As heart disease is the #1 killer of women in my country, I wish more was done to educate us about the specifically female signs of impending trouble.

Anyway, don't burn out your food processor with your new (and hopefully short) soft food diet.

Cheers

Wiz,
You might have popped the joint when you felt it the first time...NSAIDS for the inflammation and resting the joint by not grinding your teeth, chewing too much, etc might help it heal more quickly.
Make sure you don't grind your teeth at night...that's where most TMJ begins. I had a nightguard made when I began getting it; my DS32 has major grinding problems, and he wears both upper and lower guards at night.

Hope you feel better soon

It's starting to get better slowly. If necessary, I'll get the jaw guard. I woke last night with jaw pain and I had been clenching while I slept. It's amazing to me that I started doing this at this stage in my life, but I started a new job and it has a certain amount of stress because of my newbie status.