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Why doesn't my mouth open completely?

Sometimes a situation happens that is frightening in its unusualness: the mouth does not open completely, it is impossible to eat normally and you have to talk with your mouth half-open, and any attempts to open your mouth to the desired width end in acute piercing pain in the mandibular joint or pain radiating to the temple.

The reason that causes difficulty in opening the mouth is the contracture of the muscles or periarticular tissues of the temporomandibular joint.

Contracture of the lower jaw involves a sharp restriction of mobility in the joint responsible for the movement of the lower jaw as a result of pathological changes in tissues (muscle, ligamentous) caused by trauma, disease or reflex sharp contraction.

There are several reasons why it suddenly becomes impossible and painful to open the mouth:

contracture of the muscle of the lower jaw, which occurred as a result of injury to this muscle (for example, upon impact), stretching of the muscle (for example, with prolonged wide opening of the mouth in connection with a visit to the dentist);
trauma to the branch of the trigeminal nerve during mandibular or torusal anesthesia in connection with the treatment or extraction of teeth in the lower jaw;
myositis of the muscles of the temporomandibular joint (associated with hypothermia or infectious diseases);
inflammatory process in the articular apparatus of the temporomandibular joint associated with rheumatic diseases;
injury to the temporomandibular joint and adjacent structures;
subluxation of the joint of the lower jaw;
periostitis of the alveolar process of the lower jaw and the associated inflammatory process, which has spread to the structures and ligaments of the temporomandibular joint;
purulent processes ( abscess, phlegmon) of the lower jaw, causing inflammation in the areas of the joint or muscle that move the lower jaw adjacent to the purulent focus.

All of the above factors can provoke a situation in which the mouth does not open completely, and the opening width can fluctuate within one - one and a half centimeters.

What to do if your mouth won't open?

To eliminate the problem with opening the mouth, you need to consult a dentist who will examine the condition of the temporomandibular joint, find the source of inflammation or another cause of contracture and prescribe treatment. The effectiveness of treatment will depend on the complexity of the pathology that caused the contracture and on the time that has passed since its onset.

There are two approaches to the treatment of jaw contractures: conservative and surgical. They usually start with conservative methods: anti-inflammatory drugs, pain relievers, physiotherapy and therapeutic exercises aimed at gradual forced opening of the mouth.

Contractures of the mandibular muscle associated with overstretching of this muscle, as well as with complications of mandibular or torusal anesthesia, can resolve on their own within a few days. Otherwise, going to the doctor is inevitable.

If the contracture of the jaw is associated with the presence of adhesions, scars, tissue adhesions, surgical intervention is performed in order to excise the altered tissues that have lost elasticity with the possible replacement of the lost extensive areas of tissue with the corresponding flaps.