History
Patient was experiencing sensitivity of a tooth, consulted her dentist and was told she needed an old filling replace requiring her to keep her mouth open for 45 mins. Following the dental procedure, the patient experienced pain around the area of her right jaw and felt as if her ‘bite was out’. She returned to her dentist who filed down the filling and diagned the pain as being from muscular spasm either from the nerve block during the procedure or as result of the filling being too high. The patient then reported the bite as feeling better but the pain persisted.
The patient continued to experience pain and some jaw dysfunction and presented for very specific physiotherapy treatment 3 weeks after the first dental procedure.
Examination
Mouth opening was reduced at 31mm (average opening = 45mm) and painful on the right side with the jaw pulling to the right when opening. There was tenderness along the jaw joint and associated muscles. Clinical diagnosis was that the disc of the right jaw joint (TMJ) was dislodged blocking normal opening movement (closed lock), with subsequent pain and spasm of the muscles.
Response to very specific Physiotherapy Treatment
The patient responded very well to the first treatment to unlock her right joint, achieving 40mm of opening. Treatments progressed over a 3-week period (6 treatments in total) achieving a pain free function and opening of 49mm.
NOTE: if you suspect your jaw may be partially locked (can’t open more than 2 fingers width) – please don’t delay in seeking qualified help. There is roughly a 2-week window within which to unlock the jaw.
Call us on 9824-8868 TODAY and mention your jaw is locked.