My jaw keeps locking and seems to pop-out when I try to open my mouth to eat or speak, is this serious or will it go away?

Yeah, I have this. For me, it never went away. Mine is caused by my clenching/grinding at night, so if I were you, talk about it with your dentist next time you’re there. You may be clenching at night without even knowing it. And if you are grinding, you could chip a tooth (like I did. Go me.). Your dentist can fit you with a mouth guard if you are grinding, or help you out with the clenching. It could get worse, so talk the dentist as soon as you can.

Yes, and try to deal with whatever is stressing you out as soon as you can. I went through the same thing six months ago and the grinding went away once I dealt with the issue.

Seems to be worst toward the end of the day though. Usually dies down after sleeping. But willing to try anything. However, I am under a lot of stress at the moment so maybe I am grinding without knowing it.

You have TMJ, go see your doctor, your GP can help you too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temporomandibular_joint_disorder

I had a similar problem which resulted from having my mouth open too long during a dental visit. I actually went to a chiropractor and it went away. Mine wasn’t from grinding my teeth so I thought I’d offer a different perspective.

TMJ for sure.

Thanks so much everyone. It definitelysounds like TMJ my jaw feels set back and pops forward if I try to open my mouth – eek I’m really worried now. Plus I have an interview next week and it’s hard to speak!

Don’t Speak till the interview. Not only would it be interesting to those around you but it might help you out :)

Yeah I had it for a while, especially bad in the mornings, and when biting into food. If I didn’t have my jaw lined up right it would pop or snap painfully. Then randomly I felt a ripping – not great – while I was eating a burger and since then it’s been fine.

I try not to think about it too much.

Yep, TMJ sounds right to me. See a dantist that specializes in it. It’s no fun. I’ve had to go to the ER twice because my mouth got stuck open, and they had to manipulate it back into place. Your dentist may suggest a bite guard to wear at night to help. If he does, get it custom fitted. the over the counter ones don’t work as well.

i have it when i eat hard, chewy food like bagels. i wasn’t sure what caused it, now i’ll look into TMJ. I just deal with it, hope nobody can hear it (i think they can).

My wife just informed me that I do grind my teeth in the night! She is also very pleased with @Emdean1 suggestion of not talking until my interview. She even suggested continuing with the silence after I recover :D

Ah, then the night guard will do you a lot of good! That is probably the cause of most of your problems. My daughter’s TMJ was so bad that the unviversity of Florida’s Facial Pain Department treated her for free if we agreed to allow them to use her for studies. They flew doctors in from all over the country just to take a look at her.

They molded an orthotic (the night guard I mentioned earlier) for her, and it helped her quite a bit. Before going to those specialists, she couldn’t even chew Oatmeal. She still isn’t completely healed, and going to the dentist for something as simple as a cleaning is a HUGE ordeal, but she gets by much better than before the orthotic.

I think it’s in your best interest to see a specialist before it gets worse. Good luck, and I hope you feel better

@jca: I tested with some friends, they could only hear it if they were within four inches of my jaw. You hear it a lot louder because your jaw is right up next to your ear. :)

Thank you to all of these answers! I’ve had it happen to me a couple of times- usually wears down with the day- and I’ve never known the cause, but my boyfriend informed me I do, in fact, grind my teeth at night. Thanks, I’ll start wearing an orthotic!