Popping, pain or locking up in the jaw with yawning, eating, biting and chewing can be common, but it’s not normal and is very treatable.
We often hold our stress in our faces, and this can translate to clenching the jaw and/or grinding the teeth during the day and even in our sleep.
Jaw pain can radiate into the ear, neck and even the shoulder blade.
You can also experience the jaw locking when you open or close your mouth.
This can be quite painful and require manual assistance to release.
You may also be unable to chew or bite into hard foods and are restricted to a “soft diet” to avoid symptoms.