Dislocated jaw

Introduction to a dislocated jaw

A dislocated jaw is a facial injury in which the lower part of the law moves out place and comes out of either one or both of its joints.

It is an incredibly painful injury in which the mouth is in an open position and is locked into this position an unable to be moved or closed.

The jawbone is the only part of the face that can move and it becomes dislocated when the bones are moved out of place. When this occurs, the muscles tighten and do not allow the jaw to close back up.

When this occurs, a person will have problems performing activities that are associated with the mouth, such as eating. There will also be a blockage of airways, pain in the jaw, teeth, and mouth as well.

Causes

This condition usually occurs as the result of a trauma or injury of the face. It can happen in a car crash or a sports injury but can also happen if a person is punched in the jaw violently or gets hit by a heavy object in the face.

It can also sometimes occur from opening the mouth to much when yawning, yelling or biting something. Symptoms

The main symptoms of a dislocated jaw include bleeding under the skin of the jaw, facial numbness, jaw stiffness, abnormal ligament alignment, protruding jaws, drooling, trouble speaking, trouble eating, a swollen jaw, pain in the jaw and teeth and of course, the inability to close the mouth.

Treatment

This is an acute condition that needs to be treated immediately. It is very serious because a person could have serious problems with their breathing because bleeding in this area can obstruct the breathing passages.

It is important to hold the law gently in place and to not try to move it on your own. The best thing to do before going to the doctor is to wrap a bandage over the top of the head and under the chin in order to support the jaw and keep it in place.

Ice can be applied as well in order to relieve the pain and swelling.

It is also important to check circulation and to make sure that a person is breathing. If they are not breathing, CPR must be administered immediately. The person needs to receive medical attention immediately.

It is then up to the doctor to put the jaw back into place and to fasten everything together and bandage the jaw up so that it can heal.

It is a fairly complicated procedure and local anesthesia will be needed to perform it.