What is dental trismus?
There are situations in which some people have certain difficulties when opening their mouth normally. A mouth that opens and closes normally should be able to open approximately 40 to 50 millimeters. In the case of people with trismus, in a great part of the patients, it is a mild pathology that does not cause problems, although in certain occasions it can cause some problems in the daily life of the patient.
The trismus or trismus occurs when the muscles responsible for chewing suffer some involuntary contraction, generating a difficulty to open the mouth, preventing in some cases that the person can separate their teeth, affecting for example when eating or speaking.
Prognosis of the disease
The duration of trismus will vary depending on a number of factors and can last from days to months. In this case, a contraction of the jaw has occurred, although it is recommended not to force the temporomandibular joint and to take the necessary time for recovery.
As such, it is not a serious disease, but it generates a disorder and discomfort in the patient for as long as it lasts.
Normally, with mouth opening and closing exercises the problem can be controlled.
Post-extraction trismus is common, which occurs when the extraction of a dental piece -usually a wisdom tooth- generates an aggression or a traumatic process on the tissue that supports the tooth and its adjacent muscles can cause muscle contraction.
On other occasions, an incorrect use of anesthesia can cause muscular inflammation, producing dental trismus.
A trismus can have multiple causes.
Symptoms of dental trismus
The symptoms of dental trismus are as follows:
- Difficulty opening the mouth normally.
- Jaw stiffness
- Jaw swelling and/or pain
- Discomfort when chewing and/or swallowing
- Difficulty in speaking
- Difficulties or discomfort when trying to perform normal oral hygiene.
These are local discomforts that can have a direct impact on the general state of health, since the first consequence of trismus in more severe cases is the limitation or impossibility of eating properly.
As food is not chewed correctly, the nutritional contribution of the food may vary.
There are also limitations when performing oral hygiene, since for example the toothbrush can not comfortably enter the gaps or holes of the teeth, so that an accumulation of dental plaque can occur.
Medical tests for dental trismus
The diagnosis of dental trismus is made by physical examination and may be accompanied by other tests such as imaging tests in cases where you want to rule out the presence of a tumor.
What are the causes of dental trismus?
There are various causes of dental trismus. The most common are:
- Infections: some infectious processes, such as otitis or tetanus, can cause contractions in the facial muscles.
- Trauma: a strong trauma affecting the facial area or the jaw.
- Bruxism: TMJ overload due to bruxism can cause severe pain when trying to open and close the mouth.
- Surgical procedures in the adjacent area, such as the neck, face or jaw.
- Tumor in the jaw area
- Problems in the temporomandibular joint.
- Central nervous system dysfunctions and/or neurological problems.
Treatments for dental trismus
The treatment(s) for dental trismus will vary depending on the origin of the problem. Thus, the origin of the problem will be the key to start the treatment. Thus, the first step is basically to look for the origin of the pathology.
Normally, the treatment consists of a series of exercises supervised by a professional aimed at unblocking the jaw, helping the patient’s mouth opening to regain a normal size.
In the event that, for example, the trismus has been caused by an infection, the specialist will try to perform drainage and may also prescribe antibiotics to treat it.
In more severe cases, it is usual to include analgesics and muscle relaxants to alleviate the discomfort caused.
In the case that the trismus is originated in an oral cancer, a surgical process will be necessary to completely eliminate the problem.
What specialist treats dental trismus?
The person in charge of diagnosing and treating dental trismus will be a specialist in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery or a Dentist.