Creaking Jaw??

[ouisel]

Had a bit of a search in the forums and can only find posts about creaking teeth. I recently started elastics and a week later I've had constant creaking in my jaw. It almost feels like it's happening near my ear. Has anyone else had this and does it go away/is it a serious problem??

[daniken9]

Because you mention thesensation near your ear,it leads me to believe that it is your masseter muscle (jaw/cheek muscle) and/or other facial muscles tightening or stretching in response to the pressure from the braces. You should mention to your orthodontist and perhaps see an oral maxillofacial specialist to be sure everything is okay with your joints,etc. It's amazing how connected all these things are!

[ouisel]

[quote="daniken9"]Because you mention thesensation near your ear,it leads me to believe that it is your masseter muscle (jaw/cheek muscle) and/or other facial muscles tightening or stretching in response to the pressure from the braces. You should mention to your orthodontist and perhaps see an oral maxillofacial specialist to be sure everything is okay with your joints,etc. It's amazing how connected all these things are![/quote]

That makes sense! Will definitely look into the specialist. It's so weird though - when I tilt my head in the opposite direction, the creaking will stop immediately.