locking jaw

[notabob]

Every time I dive I come out of the water with my lower jaw locked at about a third open. Or rather not locked, but blocked from opening any further. There is no pain whatsoever, I just can't open my jaw wide enough to take a good bite out of a post-dive burger (which might actually be a good thing, now that I think about it ). This condition tends to disappear after about a day and everything is back to normal. Occasionally it'll just kick in in the middle of the day for no reason. While it's dissipating, my jaw will make a clicking sound if I open my mouth all the way. Also, while the jaw is in the blocked state, it will tend to shift slightly toward the side that is locking (in my case left) when I open it. I'm not sure if it's TMJ since thre is never any pain. Has anyone ever heard of this condition? I'd be curious to find out exactly what it is and whether it's treatable.

-Roman.

 

[DocVikingo]

Sounds very much like a form of temporomandibular disorder.

Prolonged biting on a scuba reg can cause or exacerbate such conditions. The typical mouthpiece fits between the front teeth, being gripped between the incisor & canine teeth. In order to grip, the lower jaw often has to be jutted forward, resulting in the back teeth having little or no support, and uneven loading of the tempromandibular joints & biting muscles. Biting this way for a 25-60+ minute dive several times a day, often over multiple days, can considerably stress the jaw joints & muscles, and they can take a while to recover.

Folks with such problems frequently find relief in custom mouth pieces, such as those manufactured by RiteBite http://www.ritebite.com/ & SeaCure http://www.seacure1.com/ .

A diver with this type of complaint will want to be examined by his or her dentist.

This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual, and should not be construed as such.

Best regards.

DocVikingo

 

[chepar]

notabob once bubbled...
Also, while the jaw is in the blocked state, it will tend to shift slightly toward the side that is locking (in my case left) when I open it. I'm not sure if it's TMJ since thre is never any pain.

People with TMJ do not necessarily have pain all the time - I have had TMJ for years and years - and I've probably have had pain on only 2 occasions, for reasons which are unknown to me (but it wasn't caused by any diving activities). On each occasion, the pain has lasted only a couple days and gone away on its own with no treatment.

Sometimes I do find I have jaw fatigue after diving - but it hasn't been enough of a problem for me to consider getting a custom mouthpiece yet.

If it bothers you, see your dentist.

 

[notabob]

Thanks Doc and Chupar. I'll ask my dentist for more info/options when I'm in for a cleaning later this month.

-Roman.

 

[DocVikingo]

You may feel free to share my post with the dentist.

Let us know what s/he has to say following your appointment.

Best regards.

DocVikingo

 

[kystork]

I had the same problem you have. I got a seacure mouthpiece and it helped alot. My jaw still locks right after the dive, but it only last about 5 minutes and everything is back to normal. Good Luck...

 

[notabob]

seems to be the easiest way to control the symptoms, I'll try that. Of course, we'll also see what the tooth fairy, ahem... I mean my dentist , has to say about it.

-Roman.

 

[Laurence Stein DDS]

Notabob,

Check out the link to Dive Medicine Online. I just wrote a piece for the Scubadoc about this subject. There is a link within the article to an even more detailed dental site. http://scuba-doc.com/lkdjw.html

Hope this gets better

Larry Stein

 

[notabob]

Laurence Stein DDS once bubbled...
Notabob,

Check out the link to Dive Medicine Online. I just wrote a piece for the Scubadoc about this subject. There is a link within the article to an even more detailed dental site. http://scuba-doc.com/lkdjw.html

Hope this gets better

Larry Stein

Thanks, Larry. I think I've ran into this article since posting the initial message. It's very informative, seems to finally explain the physiology of what's happening in there. Will see what the dentist suggests this week in the ways of a potential treatment. By the way, I got a SeaCure mouthpiece and tried it out yesterday. Can't tell if it helped or not, though, since the morning of the dive I woke up with the jaw already locked and it didn't let up until the next morning. Will need to wait until the next time I dive (which may not be soon, the wetsuit season is just about over up here) to find out if the new mouthpiece makes much of a difference. Thanks again!

-Roman.

 

[DocRCH]

I also argee with the other 2 DDS. It would seem to be a muscle problem and the custom bite Seacure should help. A friend of mine who is GUE trainned has had difficulty in holding a reg for 2 or 3 hrs. Usually, a TMD problem is self limiting and needs only palative care. Again, the Seacure should help.

Robert:doctor: