Virginia Beach TMJ Dentist

Limited Jaw Movement and Jaw Locking

A very common symptom of temporomandibular disorder (TMD / TMJ) is limited jaw movement or the locking of the jaw. You may feel that your lower jaw is catching when you open or close your mouth. There may be times where you cannot open your mouth wide enough to adequately place food in your mouth. In severe cases, patients puree food or eat only soft foods because of limited jaw movement. In Virginia it is not uncommon that a patient with a locked jaw must move the jaw to one side or the other in order to open the mouth to eat or chew. We often hear that a patient needs to “pop” their jaw in order for the jaw to open fully.

Limited jaw movement or locking jaw is often a result of malocclusion or bad bite. When the jaw is not properly aligned, it may cause problems with the disc in the jaw joint (TMJ). You may hear popping or clicking or have neck pain, upper back pain or headaches.

A Neuromuscular Dentist is trained to test, diagnose and treat patients who suffer from limited jaw movement or locking of the jaw.

Dr. Carol F. Morgan, DDS, can help your symptoms associated with TMJ disorders whether you live in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, York County, Williamsburg or any other surrounding city in Hampton Roads.