Why Does My Jaw Pop When I Open My Mouth? When it’s normal and when to pay attention
Jaw popping or clicking when you open your mouth is common and does not always indicate a problem. This article explains why the jaw may pop, how painless popping differs from symptoms that warrant attention, and what factors can contribute to jaw symptoms.
For people experiencing jaw pain, locking, tension, or other symptoms alongside popping, physical therapy may help address contributing factors involving the jaw, neck, muscles, movement, and daily habits.
When your jaw pops or clicks every time you open your mouth, it’s hard to ignore. Eating, yawning, and laughing suddenly become reminders of something weird going on in your jaw. Maybe you’ve experienced jaw popping for years, or maybe it is a newer occurrence.
Even if it isn’t painful, jaw popping when you open your mouth can feel really weird and make you wonder if something is wrong with your jaw.
Jaw popping and clicking is pretty common, and is something we frequently see in our office. Honestly, jaw popping doesn’t always mean there is damage or something is wrong, especially if there is no pain associated with it.
For our clients who come to us with jaw popping or clicking, we look at the whole picture, including pain, movement, locking, and patterns over time.
If you’ve been wondering, “Why does my jaw pop when I open my mouth?,” we will break it all down for you as if you were sitting across the table from us.
In this blog, we are going to answer the following questions:
Why does my jaw pop when I open my mouth?
Is jaw popping normal?
What causes my jaw to pop or click?
Does jaw popping mean I have TMJ?
When should I do something about my jaw popping?
Can physical therapy help with jaw popping and clicking?
Why does my jaw pop when I open my mouth?
To answer this we need to very briefly talk about jaw anatomy.
The jaw is made up of the “socket”, which is part of the temporal bone of the skull, and the “ball” which is the rounded part of the jaw bone, or mandibular condyle. In between these two bony surfaces is something called the intraarticular disc. The disc is connected to the jaw joint capsule, other soft tissues, and even one of the jaw muscles (it’s the lateral pterygoid for you fellow nerds).
As you open and close your mouth, the disc moves with the bony part of the mandible to allow for smooth joint motion.
Check out this video to see the jaw in action.
Sometimes, the disc can get out of sync with the bony movement of the joint. It can slide forward off the bony surface of the mandible, and when this happens, you hear a pop or click. When it slides back onto the bony surface of the mandible, you hear another pop or click.
So very simply, jaw popping or clicking is the disc moving out of sync with the joint.
Is jaw popping normal?
It can be! The out-of-sync disc movement we just talked about may sound scary, but it really doesn’t have to be. It can be a normal thing to happen and is not always concerning.
In a perfect world, nobody’s jaw would pop or click, however we don’t live in a perfect world, nor do we have to be perfect to be functional and normal.
The times that jaw popping and clicking is not concerning are:
There is no pain or discomfort associated with the pop/click
There is no jaw locking
You can control when it pops/clicks or not
There are no other pain or symptoms in the head, neck, or jaw
What causes the jaw to pop or click?
As we described above, the jaw pops or clicks when the disc inside the joint moves out of sync with the bones. It is common for the disc to slide forward off of the mandibular condyle (aka the “ball” part of the joint). This causes a pop or click. Sometimes it reduces back on top of the condyle, causing another pop or click, though sometimes it doesn’t.
Triggers for your jaw to start popping or clicking include:
Stress
Tension held in the jaw and face
Prolonged jaw opening, as with dental procedures
Clenching or grinding
Repetitive habits such as chewing gum or biting nails
Changes in bite or alignment
Previous injury or trauma
Know that the jaw does not operate in isolation, and other body parts, as well as life circumstances, can absolutely impact the jaw.
Does jaw popping mean I have TMJ?
Let’s first clarify something really quick. Everybody has TMJ! Two to be exact. The TMJ refers to the temporomandibular joint, aka the jaw. Everyone has two TMJs, one on each side of the head, which allows us to open and close our mouths.
When you have a problem with your TMJ, then you have TMD, or temporomandibular disorders.
Temporomandibular disorders can include things like:
Jaw popping, clicking, or locking
Jaw pain or tension
Grinding or clenching (day or night)
Pain with chewing or opening the mouth
Headaches
Tooth pain without an actual tooth problem
Ear pain, fullness, or ringing
So, know that everybody has two TMJs, and if your jaw pops or clicks, you may have TMD, but it also may not be a problem.
If your jaw pops or clicks but is not painful, doesn’t limit your daily activities, and you can control it to not make it pop, this is something I wouldn’t be concerned about!
We do recommend some joint protection strategies to our clients with painless popping and clicking. These includes:
Avoid maximum opening to the point where the jaw pops (aka control a yawn if you can, don’t open your mouth all the way if you don’t have to when eating).
Your jaw popping is not a party trick. Don’t go around popping your jaw just because you can.
Keep your tongue in its normal resting position, which is the tip of the tongue on the roof of the mouth just behind the front teeth, as if you were going to make the “n” sound.
When should I do something about my jaw popping?
If you have any of these symptoms, it is time to do something about your jaw popping:
Jaw pain or tenderness
Pain with chewing and eating
Limited ability to open your mouth
Jaw locking or catching
Pain associated with the pop or click
Frequent headaches or facial tension
Symptoms progressively getting worse
While these symptoms are common, they are not normal. There are basic strategies and accessible resources to help you!
Can physical therapy help with jaw popping and clicking?
Absolutely! Though not all physical therapists are trained in treating the jaw, our physical therapists here at Empower Physio and Wellness love helping people with jaw problems.
The first step is an evaluation. During the initial evaluation we assess:
Your history and life events surrounding your symptoms
Lifestyle factors like stress, nutrition, and exercise
Sleep quality, patterns, sleep disordered breathing
Habits such as clenching, grinding, gum chewing, or nail biting
Jaw, tongue, and neck movement
Jaw, neck, and facial muscle tension
Posture
Breathing patterns
Core activation and strength
Based on what we find, we use manual therapy strategies and potentially dry needling to calm down irritated or tense muscles. We then teach you mobility and movement retraining techniques to optimize the way your jaw, tongue, and neck move. These body parts are all intimately connected!
Additionally, if stress is a contributing factor to your jaw popping and clicking, we implement strategies to support the nervous system and help you relate to and process stress more productively. Unprocessed stress gets stored in the body, and the jaw is a very common place for stress to manifest.
If you are wondering if stress could be related to your jaw popping and clicking, take our free nervous system quiz! You’ll receive our Empowered Nervous System Recalibration Guide to help you better process and relate to stressors in your life.
Where to find physical therapy for jaw popping and clicking when you open your mouth
Have you tried managing jaw symptoms on your own and want more individualized support?
If you are located in or near Westerville, Ohio we can help you with physical therapy to improve your jaw popping when opening your mouth!
You can get started right away by learning more about our physical therapy services, TMJ treatment, or getting in contact with us.
We also offer virtual coaching throughout the world to empower you with your health and get to the root of what is holding you back. You can learn more about our virtual coaching program here.
If you have additional questions, we would love to talk with you, hear your story, answer all your questions, and see how we could help.
You can call or text us at (614) 423-9731 or schedule a free discovery call. You can also learn more about Empower Physio and Wellness + our team or check out other services we offer.
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