I cannot open my mouth fully. Is it due to grinding my teeth while sleeping?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am unable to open my mouth fully. I have jaw pain for a week. It hurts a lot when I open my mouth wide. My mum tells me that I clench my teeth and grind them while sleeping.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Kindly upload an image of the jaw. You can have a third molar eruption and so you have pain and reduced jaw opening as common findings. Kindly ask your mum whether you have clenching and grinding on a regular basis. Stress, pain, or trauma, stimulations such as coffee can initiate bruxism. So special care has to be taken for it. It can lead to serious dental issues causing severe sensitivity and decayed tooth. When your pain and reduced jaw opening gets resolved, try to have a mouth guard by consulting a dentist for preventing upper and lower jaws from touching during sleeping. Stress-relieving activities like yoga, gym, and listening to music can be followed.

Kindly upload an image of the lower jaw to know whether you have a third molar eruption. For now, you can take capsule Sporidex 500 mg (Cephalexin 500 mg) twice a day for five days. You can take tablet Ibuprofen twice a day for five days, and tablet Omeprazole twice a day before meals for five days. Use Betadine mouthwash and gargle it with lukewarm water two to three times a day.