Jaw pain

Jaw pain has many causes, and most are local to the jaw itself. The commonest is a problem of the jaw joint and its muscles (temporomandibular disorder, or TMJ), often linked to teeth grinding, clenching or stress, causing aching, clicking and pain on chewing. Dental problems — a decayed or abscessed tooth, gum disease, or wisdom-tooth trouble — are another frequent source. Sinus infection can cause pain felt in the upper jaw. Less commonly, jaw pain arises from nerve conditions (such as trigeminal neuralgia) or, in older adults, from giant cell arteritis (an inflammation of blood vessels that can cause jaw pain on chewing and needs urgent treatment to protect vision). The most important cause to recognise, though, is the heart: jaw pain can be a form of 'referred' pain from a heart attack or angina, because the heart shares nerve pathways with the jaw and arm. This is especially important when jaw pain comes on with exertion, or alongside chest discomfort, breathlessness or sweating, and it can be a leading symptom in women, in whom heart attacks more often present without classic chest pain. So while most jaw pain is dental or muscular, new jaw pain with cardiac features must be taken seriously.

• Jaw joint and muscle problems (TMJ disorder) — often from grinding, clenching or stress; the commonest cause.
• Dental problems — a decayed or abscessed tooth, gum disease, wisdom teeth.
• Sinus infection — pain felt in the upper jaw.
• Nerve pain — such as trigeminal neuralgia.
• Giant cell arteritis — in older adults; jaw pain on chewing, needs urgent care to protect vision.
• Referred pain from the heart — a heart attack or angina, especially with exertion, chest discomfort, breathlessness or sweating.

Jaw pain is usually assessed by its cause: dental and jaw-joint problems are diagnosed by a dentist or doctor through examination, not blood tests. Blood tests come in when a specific cause is suspected. If the heart is a concern — jaw pain with chest discomfort, breathlessness, sweating, or on exertion — troponin (a marker of heart-muscle injury), an ECG and urgent assessment are the priority. In an older adult with jaw pain on chewing, headache or scalp tenderness, inflammatory markers (ESR and CRP) are checked urgently for giant cell arteritis. Mediora.AI can surface a raised troponin or inflammatory pattern that fits a serious cause, but jaw pain with any cardiac features needs urgent in-person assessment, and most jaw pain is evaluated clinically by a dentist or doctor.