Do You Hear Clicking Sounds in Your Mouth?

Signs show that something could be wrong in a person’s mouth. Sensitivity, pain, swelling and redness can signal something seriously wrong with a person’s oral health.

People don’t typically think about sounds. People who hear an occasional clicking noise in their mouth probably attribute it to something nearby or food being chewed. It doesn’t occur to many people that these clicking noises can be a sign of a more serious problem until it becomes too late. Knowing what these clicking sounds can mean and taking the appropriate steps for treatment can help you maintain your health as a whole.

The Cause of Clicking
The clicking sound that can manifest when someone opens or otherwise moves his or her jaws can be a sign of temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD). The temporomandibular joint is the part of the body that connects your jaws to the rest of your skull, and when this “hinge” becomes displaced or otherwise shifted, clicking sounds can ensue. Doctors and oral surgeons call this dislocated condition a “temporomandibular joint disorder.”

Unfortunately, medical professionals aren’t sure exactly what causes TMD. However, they’ve narrowed down a few fields that can exacerbate the movement, including:
Blunt trauma (for example, hitting something when you fall)
Teeth grinding (it puts excess pressure on the joint)
Arthritis in the area
Stress/teeth clenching (which can also put pressure on the joint)

Symptoms of TMD
We’ve already discussed clicking noises as one symptom of TMD, but a variety of other signs of dislocation exist. Symptoms of TMD can include the following:
The clicking sounds mentioned above (although note that this clicking doesn’t have to be painful)
Pain or tenderness of any sort in the region (particularly when you move your mouth)
Problems with chewing or speaking
Jaws that appear to “lock” in certain positions and cannot be easily moved
Swelling anywhere in the region
Tiredness after moving your mouth
Other pains and aches (like toothaches, neck aches, etc.)

TMD Treatment
If you experience any of the symptoms above and they don’t appear to be normal, make sure to consult the top emergency dentist in Chicago to get a medical professional’s diagnosis. While some of these symptoms might not directly point to TMD, they can indicate other oral health problems that need to be checked. A dentist’s careful evaluation is the crucial first step to any form of treatment.

Depending on what sort of disorder the dentist observes in your temporomandibular joint, different treatments might be necessary. For example, if the problem happens only when you move your mouth in certain ways, your dentist might prescribe a night guard to use to protect your teeth and keep them in a proper position. This can prevent excess pressure from being placed on the joint and allow the region to return to normal.

Different types of medication can help. If the joint is primarily plagued with teeth clenching for stress, for example, dentists can prescribe anti-anxiety medication to relax the region and prevent painful swelling, functionally treating the root of the issue rather than the intermediate result. Pain medications can help along with more advanced treatments to prevent the problem from impacting daily life.

Of course, dental work also is an option. If the TMD is caused by an improper bite or a missing tooth, top emergency dentist in Chicago can correct the problem by installing dental implants or crowns to readjust the teeth to their proper configurations. Orthodontic solutions can be pursued as well because techniques like rubber bands can gradually shift the positioning of the jaw to be more natural.