Yesterday I felt some tightness in my jaw on the right side and I thought I must have been clenching it in my sleep the night before. I woke up today and had extreme tightness in both sides of my jaw. I can open my mouth fine but my ear seem a little plugged and the pain is pretty bad. What is causing this? What can I do to relax my jaw?
Hi. Thanks for the query. It looks like you have severe muscle spasms causing tight feeling in the jaw. It can be due to clenching of the teeth and teeth grinding habit. It is the common cause for muscle spasms over the jaw. So my suggestion is to consult an Oral Physician and get evaluated and a thorough clinical evaluation and x-ray can help in diagnosis and treatment can be planned accordingly. You can be advised mouth guards along with Physiotherapy and stress relieving exercises. As of now take a combination of muscle relaxant like Chlorzoxasone and pain relievers. Massage the side of the jaw with fingertips. Hope this helps. Regards.