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Why does the lower jaw hurt?

Pain in the lower jaw is a multi-factor phenomenon. Pain in the lower jaw can accompany dental, neurological problems, be the result of systemic diseases of the musculoskeletal system, be generated by infections of various origins, or appear due to injury to the temporomandibular joint and / or lower jaw.

Dental diseases that cause pain in the lower jaw:

Periostitis is a purulent inflammation of the periosteum of the lower jaw. A sign of periostitis is not only a pain symptom, but also a swelling visible with the naked eye in the area of the mucous membrane covering the alveolar process of the lower jaw, which, when pressed, causes pain, but without some effort from the outside is accompanied by aching pain.
Osteomyelitis of the lower jaw (inflammation of the bone tissue) is accompanied by pain in the area of both the affected area of the alveolar ridge and the lower jaw along its entire length. With such a disease, problems begin with the mobility of the lower jaw.
A newly pulped mandibular tooth or tooth extraction in the mandible may cause pain for some time as a sign of complication.
Acute pulpitis of the lower jaw tooth is often accompanied by pain in the nearby areas of the lower jaw or along its entire length.

Problems in the temporomandibular joint area provoke pain in the lower jaw:

Rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis is often the cause of pain in the temporomandibular joint, and pain can radiate to both the temple and the mandible.
Contracture of the masticatory muscle (right or left), which occurs when the mandibular anesthesia is unsuccessfully performed (anesthesia of the mandibular nerve on the right or left), is a rather painful phenomenon. With contracture, the muscle contracts sharply and makes it impossible to open the mouth.
Subluxation and dislocation of the temporomandibular joint can cause pain in the lower jaw and interfere with closing the mouth.
Pathological flattening of the head of the temporomandibular joint disrupts movement in the joint and can cause pain, extending, among other things, to the lower jaw.

The infectious disease actinomycosis causes destruction of the bone tissue of the lower jaw. The lower jaw hurts on the right or left (right or left corners of the lower jaw).

Tumors of the lower jaw, benign (ameloblastoma of the lower jaw, Epulis) or malignant ( (cancer of the lower jaw, Burkitt's lymphoma, osteosarcoma) cause pain in the lower jaw at certain stages.

Neuritis of the facial nerve can cause pain in the lower jaw, due to the fact that one of the three pairs of its branches also innervates the lower jaw.

Injuries to the lower jaw (fractures and cracks) cause pain when the jaw is moved and touched at the fracture sites.