Dislocation of the jaw is an injury that is almost impossible to anticipate. Even if a person leads a calm lifestyle, does not engage in power sports, he can easily get this damage. Sometimes yawning or excessive chewing results in a dislocation. This is not a frequent occurrence, but information about trauma, causes and symptoms should be known to every modern person. Of course, it is better to provide treatment to a qualified traumatologist, but knowledge of a medical nature has not bothered anyone yet. Agree, it is easier to deal with the problem if you know its cause and how to fix the situation.
The structure of the jaw
As you know, the human jaw is divided into upper and lower. The first is fixedly connected to the bones of the skull; only a heavy blow with a hard object, etc. can lead to its damage. The lower part is attached to the temporal bone by two joints that participate in its movement. What is a jaw dislocation? In simple words, this is a displacement of the surfaces of the joints. They consist of tubercles and heads.
Let's look at a dislocation from an anatomical point of view. In the normal state, the articular tubercle serves as the only limiter. If the head slips, it ends up on the front slopetubercle, due to which the jaw cannot function normally. This is the dislocation. In most cases, the head moves forward, less often there are shifts back and to the side.
Dislocation of the lower jaw
Joints are deformed as a result of injury, causing discomfort. The ligament-capsular construction of the jaw also relaxes. It is worth noting that dislocation of the lower jaw is not so common. However, no one is immune from this injury, so you need to know all kinds of information about its causes and treatment.
As a result of jaw dislocation, the structure and shape of the interarticular discs changes. It is easy to guess that the normal functioning of the body should be forgotten for a while. According to statistics, this type of damage is most often observed in middle-aged people: from 25 to 45 years. Moreover, the fair sex is more prone to injury than men.
Classification
There was a dislocation of the jaw: what to do? When any disease or injury occurs, it is first necessary to determine their nature, type. This injury is no exception. There are several classifications, consider the main ones.
So, jaw damage could be:
- Single sided. This species is characterized by a displacement of the jaw to one side. As a result, the joint cannot function normally, the patient is unable to close his mouth. As an additional symptom of this type of jaw dislocation, ear pain is distinguished, which is felt more strongly onside of injury.
- Double sided. This damage is observed more often, a person in the presence of an ailment can open his mouth, but the jaw involuntarily moves forward. In the process of swallowing and talking, the patient experiences discomfort. As a result of damage to the joints and disruption of their functioning, an increased secretion of saliva is found in a person.
Posterior and habitual dislocations
In addition to the classification discussed above, there are two more types of injury that occur most often. The most painful and dangerous is the posterior dislocation. Damage is observed in the event of a strong blow to this area. The jaw goes back, and in most situations, more serious injuries are also observed: a fracture of the walls of the ear canal or a rupture of the articular capsule. The main symptom of a dislocated jaw in this case is bleeding from the ear. It is urgent to deliver the victim to a traumatologist, because surgery will be required.
Dislocation, which is called habitual, occurs in people with disorders of the structure of the jaw. For example, there is a flat articular tubercle, a weak ligamentous apparatus, or a stretched articular bag. It is almost impossible to protect yourself from such an injury. This is exactly the case when a person gets injured as a result of sneezing, coughing, chewing, etc. The advantage of such a dislocation is that it is easily reduced. In some of the simplest situations, you can insert the jaw yourself.
Why does a dislocation of the lower jaw occur?
The causes of such an injuryenough. If we talk about the most popular, we can note a blow to the chin or joint area. This situation is accompanied by a rupture or overstretching of the ligaments. Much depends on the direction of the blow. The jaw can move forward, and the main sign will be the exit of the head beyond the slope of the tubercle. The joint may also lean back if the blow was very strong and accurate.
In addition, you can dislocate the jaw when trying to bite off a large piece of food, yawning, etc. Sometimes damage occurs as a result of severe vomiting and unprofessional dental intervention. As already noted, the anatomical structure affects the risk of injury. If a person initially has disorders in the functioning of the mandibular joints, then dislocation during life is difficult to avoid. The problem of organ deformity is solved by surgery.
Mandibular dislocation symptoms
The signs of the development of this damage are so vivid that the patient can self-diagnose this problem. Quite often there are clicks in the joints, pain in the lower jaw and temples. When talking or eating, the jaw makes abnormal movements, for example, involuntary displacement forward, sideways, etc. If the dislocation is strong enough, then the pain in the damaged area is acute and radiates to the ear or back of the head. These symptoms manifest themselves in the process of chewing or simply opening and closing the mouth.
To the patientyou need to know that often a dislocation of the lower jaw can be asymptomatic. Therefore, in some situations, a person does not immediately notice any damage in himself. If you discover an injury late, it's best not to self-medicate and see a professional.
Diagnosis
Of course, a person can find a dislocation on his own, but what to do next? If the injury occurred for the first time, be sure to make an appointment with a specialist, in this case, a traumatologist. How to straighten a dislocated jaw on your own? An inexperienced person is not recommended to engage in such matters, it will be much safer if a professional is allowed to do his job.
You can determine the nature of the injury by the following signs:
- clicks in the joints, if the disease is asymptomatic, they are less pronounced, but with a careful attitude they cannot be overlooked;
- incorrect and uncontrolled movement of the jaw back and forth and left and right;
- painful aching sensations in the temple and lower jaw;
- pain in the joint when making certain movements.
When these symptoms are detected, a person can confidently say that he has a dislocated jaw. In this case, you should find a qualified traumatologist as soon as possible and make an appointment with him.
Dislocation Therapy
Treatment of jaw dislocations is aimed at one result - returning it to its normal position. If there are no additional difficulties and complications, this procedure can be performed independently. But suchthe method is fraught with unpleasant consequences, so it should be resorted to only as a last resort.
Treatment should be carried out by a qualified doctor, and the task of the victim and his loved ones is to provide first aid until hospitalization. The main thing is to fix the joint correctly. This can be achieved with a scarf, scarf, or just a wide piece of dense fabric. This is where the first aid ends, now you should carefully deliver the patient to the traumatologist, who prescribes the therapy. Then a special bandage is applied to the jaw, which fixes a certain position in order to avoid new injuries.
The bandage is usually kept for two weeks, during which time it is better for the patient to exclude solid food from the diet. It is best to eat soups and cereals, which are guaranteed not to bring additional stress to the joints.
Injured jaw reduction procedure
As already noted, in the event of an injury, you must immediately get to the traumatology, where the specialist will treat. The reduction of a dislocated jaw can also occur in a dental clinic if a doctor is qualified. If the patient has a bilateral injury (the most common), the doctor performs a mini-operation on the spot. After landing the victim in a chair, the doctor grabs the lips, while simultaneously grasping the lower jaw. Depending on the direction of the dislocation, the doctor makes a sharp movement, thus inserting the joints into place.
Then, a fixing bandage is necessarily applied for 3-5 days, in case of complications or slow healing, the doctor puts another bandage. As already mentioned, it is not recommended to eat solid food while wearing, thereby allowing the jaw to recover faster. The main thing when receiving damage is not to panic and not try to set it yourself if you are not a professional. The traumatologist will treat the dislocation of the lower jaw, this is his job. Then the risk of complications will be reduced to a minimum.
Special case - chronic dislocation
Injury of this kind occurs as a result of untimely treatment or unqualified therapy by the attending physician. If the joint is not repositioned immediately after injury, serious problems can occur. After contacting a traumatologist for a patient with chronic dislocation, the doctor sets the joint only if it is provided with anesthesia. If the mini-surgery is successful, the person will need to wear an orthopedic appliance for another three weeks, which fixes the jaw better than a bandage. Usually the result of treatment is positive, but this depends on the severity of the damage and the qualifications of the attending doctor.
In particularly difficult situations, surgical intervention is required, after which the performance of the jaw will be restored within a few weeks or even months. An operation is also necessary when a habitual dislocation is running. Then it will be necessary to deform the joint, and the consequences can be very different.
Prevention
BIn our material, we examined the symptoms and treatment of a dislocated jaw. But in order not to have to use this information, you should follow some recommendations for preventing injuries:
- when playing sports, be sure to use personal protective equipment, in production, do not forget about safety rules;
- if you have deformity of the joints, it is necessary to control the processes of yawning, opening and closing of the mouth;
- avoid solid food if possible, you can grind it so as not to put additional stress on the joints.
Using the simple rules of prevention, you can protect yourself from possible dislocations of the jaw as much as possible. Be more attentive to your he alth, and then diseases will bypass you.
