Should I be Concerned About the Popping in My Jaw?

Jaw Popping

The popping comes from the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ), which is made up of the muscles and bone of the fossa and condyle with a disc that cushions and separates them. So yes, there is reason for concern. 

When the jaw muscles are working overtime there is extra stress pulling on the disc. This continuous tension will cause the disc to stay out of place. When you open your mouth, the disc pops back into place and when you close your mouth, the disc slips back out. Therefore, over a long period of time, the disc will wear down enough that the popping can stop. It does not stop because it is better, but because it is so broken down it will not go back.

Eventually, with no cushion, there will be wear on the bone which leads to more breakdown of the joint. As the TMJ breaks down, the bite changes even more causing breakdown of teeth and bone surrounding the teeth. It is important to catch this in the early phase to prevent a more expensive and painful problem. 

About the author

Stacey Sparkman Hall, D.D.S.

Dr. Stacey Hall brings her unique outlook on dental care and her personable optimism to the Williamsburg Center for Dental Health. With nine years of solid dental expertise as a dentist in Williamsburg, she decided in early 2011 to branch out and open her own local practice. After completing her undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech in 1998, Dr. Hall graduated from VCU’s MCV School of Dentistry in 2002, receiving her D.D.S. She is a member of the Academy of General Dentistry, the American Dental Association, and was awarded member fellowship to the International Congress of Oral Implantology in 2008. She leads the elite Tidewater Dawson Study Club and is a scholar with the interntaionally renowned Dawson Academy. As a Dawson ambassador, Dr. Hall also assists in the training of students in the Dawson Academy. Stacey and her husband Michael have been blessed with three beautiful girls, Lanie, Gracie and Abbie. She is a loyal Virginia Tech Football fan, and enjoys Bible study and missions work.