The displacement of the bones of the jaw’s temporomandibular joint, which causes soft-tissue damage to the joint capsule and to the ligaments. Muscles connected to the joint may be strained, resulting in painful muscle spasms in the area of the jaw. When the jaw is dislocated, it is often impossible to close the mouth. The condition may be treated by manipulating the joint back into proper position, sometimes with the use of an anesthetic. Once the jaw has been properly realigned, a bandage may be used to hold it in place. A person whose jaw has been dislocated repeatedly should consult with a maxillofacial surgeon for possible treatment.
The lower jaw can become dislocated from one or both of the temporomandibular joints (that link the jaw to the skull’s base), typically due to an impact or even yawning. Pain typically emerges in front of the ear on the impacted side, and the jaw juts forward. This misalignment makes it hard to fully close the mouth, complicating eating and speaking. While surgery can be used to secure the joint, there’s a tendency for the dislocation to happen again.