Weird Jaw Popping and Pain

So I didn't sleep at all last night, but I did wear my mask the whole time I was laying down, about 6 hours. I just took my mask off and it was very difficult for me to open my mouth. When it finally opened, my left jaw popped loudly and painfully. It is still quite sore and continues to pop, though not as forcefully as the first pop. Is this familiar to anyone?

Thank you everyone for being a wealth of knowledge to me,
Kat

TMJ... and yes it's familiar.

How tight are you wearing your mask?

It wasn't very tight. I never went to sleep, so it stayed just tight enough to keep its seal. On the nights when I do sleep, I end up losing my seal throughout the night when I move so I adjust it during the night, but that wasn't the case. It was almost like my jaw locked up on the left side because I had my mouth closed for so long. That was the longest I've ever worn the mask.
Usually I wake up with a leak once or twice during the night so I take it of for a bit then put it back on (after using the restroom or getting water, etc.) so the most I've worn it at one time (before last night) is around 2 hours.

If it continues... go and see your dentist and tell them about it.

I know that I have issues when there's pressure pushing my lower jaw back. There are some masks that I just can't handle, as the pressure to keep the seal is too much for my jaw.

You may want to consider another mask.

Addercatter wrote:So I didn't sleep at all last night, but I did wear my mask the whole time I was laying down, about 6 hours. I just took my mask off and it was very difficult for me to open my mouth. When it finally opened, my left jaw popped loudly and painfully. It is still quite sore and continues to pop, though not as forcefully as the first pop. Is this familiar to anyone?

Thank you everyone for being a wealth of knowledge to me,
Kat

Hi Kat!

My guess is that you are clenching your teeth very hard at night. I went though a hard times and, through this, actually cracked two of my large cuspids in my lower jaw - eventually lost them. I have no cavities and they are my only teeth lost at age 58.

Besides the usual "lower stress if possible" suggestion I would like to add that eucapnic breathing re-training (in my case mostly pulse oximeter guided breathing using Buteyko techniques for control) has greatly aided me in dealing with stress and, after a year, enabled me to use about half the pressure to eliminate Sleep Apnea as before.

Have a great week!

Todzo

Thanks Todzo. I will look into the breathing techniques you mentioned. I have enough health issues as it is without adding some weird jaw thing into the mix. (I'm 33 and not overweight but have more health problems than most people ever do in their lives) it's like once I start to find a way to manage one problem, another comes along. This is frustrating.

Addercatter,

I'm thinking once you get good sleep for a while, hopefully some of the medical issues will stop, or at least subside greatly. I never had a scan of my heart, but I'm sure it was quite enlarged from decades of sleep apnea. I've read that heart enlargement happens sometimes. But then after going about a year with good sleep (for me), I don't believe my heart is thumping nearly so bad, and even the fast heart rate with the few apneas I get has subsided greatly--not sure what that's about, but glad the terrible pounding heart has stopped. I'll keep you in my prayers.

Addercatter wrote:So I didn't sleep at all last night, but I did wear my mask the whole time I was laying down, about 6 hours. I just took my mask off and it was very difficult for me to open my mouth. When it finally opened, my left jaw popped loudly and painfully. It is still quite sore and continues to pop, though not as forcefully as the first pop. Is this familiar to anyone?

Thank you everyone for being a wealth of knowledge to me,
Kat

What you have is common.

'Go to a drugstore or even Walmart get a Doctor's Night Guard. It's $20 to $30 and by putting it in boiling water for 50 seconds it softens and you then mold it to your upper teeth. Use it when sleeping because it:

1. Reduces jaw clenching and nocturnal bruxism
2. Reduces stress on your TMJs (temporal-mandibular joints ---- the "jaw joint")
3. Eliminates enamel wear
4. Greatly reduces dental cracking, reducing the need for fillings and root canals
5. Can reduce or eliminate headaches caused by the masseter (at angle of jaw) and/or temporalis (at the temple) muscle strains.

Dentists will charge $800 to $2,000 for a night guard which will not feel as comfortable. I really enjoy this device. It's like a trampoline for the lower jaw. I buy a new one every 4-12 months.

Hi Kat....I have that same problem...mine was caused from clenching my teeth together.......I was going to suggest everything "physician" suggested.

All the best to you!
Janice

Addercat - just sent you a PM.

Thank you Julie!

So, I got one of those mouth guard things that you boil to fit your teeth/palate. I just formed it, strange little device lol. I will try it out tonight and see if it helps!