There's a little cartilage disc in the TMJ. If it gets displaced and then pops back in to place, you get that noise. Mine does that too.

Keep an eye on it. If it starts hurting or locking up, go see a TMJ specialist.

It just means there's some deviation in the joint.

Monitor it closely and make sure to relax if you're tensing up, the important thing is to make sure there's no underlying problem that is making the condition worse. Are you clenching or grinding your teeth? Maybe try out a night guard.

Consult the dentist in your next cleaning/checkup, again, just to rule out any dental problem that might need treatment.

Otherwise it's just a thing you live with, like acne scars and having a bad shoulder.

Clicking and popping of the jaw is due to a membrane within the jaw joint (TMJ or temporomandibular joint) called the articular disk becoming dislocated when your teeth come together and popping back into joint when you open. This is called reciprocal clicking and is diagnostic of a TMJ disorder.

The most common causes are a bad bite, a deep overbite (overclosure of the jaws), Class II jaws (aka retruded chins), a history of head trauma, whiplash, and having premolars pulled when traditional orthodontics was done.

Hey, I have pretty advance TMJD on the right side too, to me this sounds like TMD coming from someone who has had it for a while. Also my doctor told me stress is actually the leading cause of TMD so yes stress can absolutely be a factor especially health anxiety. The pain and tension flares that comes from TMD do tend to go away pretty quick if you’ve never really had an issue with this before. I would say definitely keep an eye on it though, as if left unchecked this is something that can be pretty mentally debilitating if it gets bad. The best piece of advice I think I could give you is to allow the joint to rest, don’t over exert it and absolutely try to avoid cracking it, the cracking noise is usually the disk inside your jaw moving about, harmless if it’s only occasional. Alternatively, ear infections can actually sometimes mimic symptoms of TMD, so maybe you’d wanna explore that avenue, if that’s the case curing it is as simple as a course of antibiotics. Hope you feel better soon.

It was once my jaw started locking for me, I would yawn and my jaw would get stuck open, I had to force it closed

I had jaw clicks for years before I got tmj. Jaw clicks are apparent in many many people it doesn't necessarily lead to tmj.

Please note that advice here isn't from medical professionals; always seek guidance from qualified sources. Remember to stay on topic and maintain respectful discussions. For more information, please refer to the subreddit rules.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

i heard clicking in jaw can lead to future tmj problems…

trust your gut, not just your first diagnosis.

Never ignore these clicks

Should never ignore these clickz

Dr. Mrunal Burute resolved my jaw pain and restored confidence

I have TMD and this is how it started lol. Ended up in the ER once bc my mouth locked open, they shot a muscle relaxer in my jaw and a piece of some kind of tissue was removed. Funnily enough, I wasn't diagnosed by my dentist (who missed it) but by my ENT when I got a CT for my sinuses. If your dentist is competent and can read imaging beyond the teeth (mine has teeth tunnel vision) then I recommend getting new imaging, however if not, then see an ENT.

I've had this since junior high. You're probably clenching and/or grinding your teeth when you sleep, and it's fucking up one or both of your jaw joints.

That popping can get very painful, and may eventually lead to your jaw locking at the point where it pops. Dentists usually deal with these problems, but I ended up having to go to a TMJ specialist and a physical therapist to get the locking under control.

It's your TMJ, don't keep doing that or you'll fuck yourself up.

I ended up having two surgeries that resulted in half of my face being temporarily paralyzed. The other sidw of my jaw is now doing the same thing but I'm ignoring it & hoping it goes away.

I have the same thing happening to me! It doesn't happen every single time I open my jaw but I don't know what to do about it... I already had a doctors appointment this week due to a swollen lymph-node. (It's been swollen for over a month now...) I don't want to keep going back to the doctor.

Uh check with a dentist! I grind my teeth at night and it makes my jaw pop. So I sleep with a mouth guard and it helps.

What you're noticing is probably the jaw popping in and out of the temporomandibular joint. To avoid this, you should pull the jaw slightly forwards prior to doing that. This is not the same as protruding the jaw to the point of causing tension; only protrude it as much as needed to allow you to drop the jaw without popping.

It is hard to say without seeing and hearing you, but here are a few questions. When you drop your jaw, is it coming forward? Is the action stiff? are you over-dropping it? I have a couple of videos on jaw position and jaw tension that may help you, whether speaking or singing. I will post below.

Jaw Tension While Singing - GREAT EXERCISES AND TOOLS HERE! https://youtu.be/aK47QINYyto

Jaw Position Singing - SOUND BETTER IMMEDIATELY! https://youtu.be/GP8LdXiDKM4

Hope this helps!

Healthy Vocal Technique - Victoria's Victorious Vocal Tips

Thanks for posting to r/singing! Be sure to check the FAQ to see if any questions you might have have already been answered! Also, remember to abide by the rules found in the sidebar. Any comments found to be breaking these rules will result in a deletion of the comment thread starting from the offending reply. If you see any posts or replies that you feel break the rules of the sub, then report them and do not respond to them.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

I have TMJ it’s the cause of that for me

Yeah, I’m the same. It’s made me really anxious too. I hate it. Can’t speak or eat as I used to. Doctor I saw kinda brushed my concerns aside considering that there’s no pain. I get it, but it doesn’t make the feeling any less terrible. Apparently there isn’t anything to do but surgery, but they’re not likely to resort to that even with people that have pain. Hope it somehow gets better for both of us, anyway. This might not be of any comfort, but I completely get your worries and feel the same way.

I would try fixing your airway issues and botox/trigger point injections into the masseters to get rid of your muscular tension. Your disc being displaced might be what's causing tension in your later pterygoid since the pterygoid is directly connected to the disc. The only thing that might get rid of the clicking is physical therapy and surgery. The only surgeries I would consider are arthroscopic discopexy and discectomy with a fat graft to target the disc recapturing "click." You shouldn't do surgery until everything has failed.

Welcome to r/trigeminalneuralgia it's an absolutely shit situation but there are things that help manage it. The short version is the nerve in your face that goes down the jaw, across the cheek, and above the brow has a main cluster right between the TMJ and ear. Well now everything lower on the damage can sometimes flair up in extreme pain for no reason at all. If you think this is what you have please message me I've had it since I was 14.

Does your scalp hurt? Is it tender?