Trouble Eating Difficulty Chewing
Unfortunately, there is not just one reason why you may be struggling to chew your food or to eat your meals. The discomfort can be traced back to permutations in the jaw bone, jaw muscles and tendons, or other tissues of the face. No matter if the problem is traced back to a behavior like teeth grinding or a medical issue like an infection, there are usually other accompanying symptoms to help the doctor or dentist to diagnose the origin. Once you start experiencing difficulty chewing or swallowing, it is important to seek professional medical attention to prevent the conditioning from worsening or other issues from developing.
Possible Causes of Pain with Chewing
After you have been in an accident or suffered from trauma to your face or jaw, subsequent pain is typical. You may even have issues chewing if you have dislocated your lower jaw. The joints, bones, and muscles of the face and jaw can all individually lead to pain associated with chewing. Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis can develop in the jaw joint, but pain in the joint can also result from grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw. The temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, is where issues like bruxism or other disorders (TMD) can result in pain when eating. Dental specific issues like tooth decay, gum disease and even dry mouth can lead to interference with normal mastication. Tooth loss, oral cancer and infections in the mouth all can prove problematic when trying to chew normally in more rare instances. Typically, when you are struggling to chew normally, your mouth is hiding disturbances in your gums or in one or more teeth whether it is a small crack or abscess.
Related Symptoms Can Help Identify the Problem
You may notice that the issues with chewing have been accompanied by other issues. These changes in your mouth and body are important to note and to share with the dentist or doctor. The complete picture will help determine the cause and the subsequent treatment for your disturbed mastication. If the pain also includes a bad taste in your mouth, then the consultation with the dentist can help determine the specific dental condition. If the pain also includes tenderness in the jaw, joint, earaches, or headaches, then you may be unknowingly grinding your teeth or suffering from a different temporomandibular joint disorder. If the discomfort chewing co-occurs with weight loss, the doctor may need to look to more serious pathology-related causes. If the difficulty chewing also includes difficulty swallowing, then immediate medical attention is important to avoid malnutrition.
If You Experience Pain When You Chew
Any complications chewing and especially swallowing should be addressed by professional medical or dental experts. While the pain when eating may not seem to be a serious issue and may even have a non-serious cause, only professionals can determine the exact reason. Whether your neuromuscular system needs treatment or a nearly invisible crack in your tooth is the source, the dentist can use x-rays to diagnose the problem and prevent further damage and complications. Until your appointment with the dentist, take care to eat soft foods and stay hydrated to help your body heal quickly.