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Dr. Andrew Rynne
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Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Pain In Ear, Jaw. Taking Ibuprofen. Grinding Teeth While Sleeping. What Is Happening?

Hi! For the past three weeks I have been waking up in the morning with pain in my ear and jaw. It is painful to yawn. Have been taking ibuprofen 1-3 times a day depending on how bad it bothers me. I did notice that I've been grinding my teeth while sleeping so I just went out and bought a mouth guard to help with that problem and to save my teeth. Can you help me figure out what's happening. I don't have health insurance or dental so any help you would give would really help. Thank you!
Thu, 2 May 2013
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Dentist 's  Response
Hi,

Thanks for asking the query,

Bruxism is the habit in which patient grind his teeth specially in the night .
Habit will harm his teeth like wear on the teeth surfaces , muscle pain , jaw pain after waking up and also tooth sensitivity .

Treatment is with mouth guards which will redistribute the dental forces , prevent tooth surface wear off , gradually helpful to stop the habit .

Follow the instructions given by the dentist properly.
Continue with the course of analgesic.


Hope this helps out.

Regards...
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2 Doctors agree with this answer

Dentist Dr. Farah Hussain's  Response
Hello and welcome.

Thanks for writing your query.

Pain in front of the ears and jawline can be seen due to several reasons such as:

TMJ problems like dislocation of the joint, fractures ,inflammation in the TMJ area or disocclusion.

Altered biting habits may lead to pain in front of ears. This makes mouth opening, biting and swallowing difficult.

Night grinding of teeth known as BRUXISM leads to occusal disharmony and TMJ problems and causes pain and discomfort.

These are the possible reasons, but exact diagnosis can be made only after clinical examination. So please visit a dentist and get the evaluation done.

You may need an OPG radiograph done for you, which will help in ruling out the problem. Accordingly treatment can be planned.

NIGHT GUARD is the prosthesis which helps in minimizing the effects of bruxism habit.

Meantime, you can start with analgesics with anti inflammatory drugs to relieve pain.

I hope this helps.

take care.
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Dentist Dr. Bindiya Bhaskar's  Response
Hello,

Thanks for posting your query.

The pain in ear and jaw may be due to tmj tenderness or dislocation.
The grinding of teeth can be minimised using night guards while sleeping.
Also get your malaligned teeth corrected after consulting with your orthodontist.
THE TMJ HAS TO BE EXAMINED and if required it has to be immobilised.
avoid mouth opening too widely.Also check for clicking/popping noise from the tmj.

Take pain relieving medicines.
Hope this helps.
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Orthopaedic Surgeon, Joint Replacement Dr. Saurabh Gupta's  Response
Hello,
Thanks for writing to us.
If stress is causing you to grind your teeth, ask your doctor or dentist about options to reduce your stress.
Avoid or cut back on foods and drinks that contain caffeine, such as colas, chocolate, and coffee.
Avoid alcohol. Grinding tends to intensify after alcohol consumption.
Do not chew on pencils or pens or anything that is not food. Avoid chewing gum as it allows your jaw muscles to get more used to clenching and makes you more likely to grind your teeth.
Train yourself not to clench or grind your teeth.
Wishing you good health...
Regards.
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2 Doctors agree with this answer

Dentist Dr. Benley George's  Response
Hello,
The habit of Bruxism is causing problems for you. The related pain in the ear and TMJ is due to Bruxism. Bruxism is the wear of teeth which leads to alteration in the occlusion of teeth and vertical dimension causing TMJ disorders. Consult a Prosthodontist and you would require a splint.
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Dentist Dr. Shefali Gupta's  Response
hi,
grinding teeth in night during sleep is nouturnal bruxism.It is unconcious snd involuntary clenching of teeth.It can lead to sever wearing of teeth and also tmj discomfort or pain ,pain in ear and jawand also difficult in chewing food due to tmj discomfart, cliking and popping sound and difficulty in wide mouth opening.It is the belief that bruxism occur due to stress so try to reduce it , use night gaurd as it distribute the force over all the teeth and reduce the effect of bruxism, you can also take antiankiety drugs and analgesic.You should also go to dentist and check for occlusion of tooth ,if there is malocclusion get it corrected and also get checked for tmj dislocation.
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Dentist Dr. Neha Sumra's  Response
Hi
Welcome to HCM

I would like to tell you that pain in ear can be due to TMJ problem like dislocation or occlusal disharmony.

Night grinding habit is known as bruxism which can be due to stress or psychlogical.
To correct you need to wear night guards.
Consult orthodontist for further problem.
Continue with analgesic if pain persists.

Take Care
Regards
Dr.Neha
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Pain In Ear, Jaw. Taking Ibuprofen. Grinding Teeth While Sleeping. What Is Happening?

Hi, Thanks for asking the query, Bruxism is the habit in which patient grind his teeth specially in the night . Habit will harm his teeth like wear on the teeth surfaces , muscle pain , jaw pain after waking up and also tooth sensitivity . Treatment is with mouth guards which will redistribute the dental forces , prevent tooth surface wear off , gradually helpful to stop the habit . Follow the instructions given by the dentist properly. Continue with the course of analgesic. Hope this helps out. Regards...