(08) 7008 7566
(08) 7118 5399
physio@upplus.com.au
177 Trimmer Parade, Seaton SA 5023Restricted Jaw Opening
Reduced jaw opening — trismus — makes eating, dental treatment and sometimes speaking difficult. It follows prolonged dental work, wisdom tooth removal, jaw injury, or a locked joint. It responds well to graded stretching and manual therapy, and the earlier it is addressed the more straightforward it is.
What causes it
- Prolonged dental procedures or wisdom tooth extraction
- A locked joint where the disc is not reducing
- Muscle spasm following injury or infection
- Scarring after surgery or radiotherapy to the head and neck
- Longstanding untreated jaw dysfunction
What you might notice
- Opening limited to less than about three finger widths
- Difficulty eating anything that requires a wide bite
- Pain at the end of the available range
- The jaw deviating to one side as it opens
- Difficulty tolerating dental examination
How we treat it
- Establishing the cause, since a locked disc and muscle spasm need different handling
- Graded stretching and controlled opening work
- Manual therapy and dry needling to the chewing muscles
- Heat and soft tissue work through the jaw and neck
- Diet advice through the restricted phase
- Referral back to the dentist or a specialist where indicated
This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Symptoms overlap between conditions, so the right treatment depends on an assessment. If your pain followed a significant injury, is getting worse, or comes with numbness, weakness or unexplained weight loss, please see your GP.
Easier to treat early than late
Jaw restriction after dental work usually responds quickly if it is addressed within the first weeks. Left for months it takes considerably longer.
Or call us on (08) 7008 7566 — we see patients across Seaton, Modbury and Stepney.