Too Painful to Chew
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Try one of these related symptoms.
Pain when I chew
It hurts when I chew
Pain when chewing after filling
Ear pain when I chew
Pain when I bite down
Tooth pain after chewing gum
Hard to chew
About the Symptom
Describes pain during chewing that makes it difficult to chew, eat, or swallow. It is often due to issues with the jaw, muscles of chewing, throat pain, or even dental problems. Causes include infection, inflammation, and tumors or masses.
When to See a Doctor
Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms
- Abnormal sensation (tingling, prickling)
- Palpitation
- Numbness of the body
- Dizziness
- Fever
- Numbness / sensory disorder
- Muscle weakness in the limbs
- Headache
Possible Causes
Generally, Too painful to chew can be related to:
- Spinal Canal Stenosis
Narrowing of the canal surrounding the nerves. It can be caused by normal wear and tear of the spine or by a previous injury to the region.
- Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy
Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) or chronic relapsing polyneuropathy happens when the immune system attacks the myelin sheaths (protective fatty coverings) around the nerves. The exact triggers are unclear but could be systemic conditions like liver disease, diabetes, infections, cancer, immune system disorders, etc.
Related Serious Diseases
Sometimes, Too painful to chew may be related to these serious diseases:
- Mumps
A highly contagious infection caused by the mumps virus. Swelling of the salivary glands on the face usually starts within a few days of catching the virus. There may be pain or tenderness around the swelling as well.
Doctor's Diagnostic Questions
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:
- Is chewing painful for you?
- How has your chewing difficulty changed since it started?
- How long have you experienced difficulty chewing due to pain?
- How often do you experience difficulty breathing due to pain?
Reviewed By:
Eric A. Gantwerker, MD, MMSC (Otolaryngology (ENT))
Pediatric Otolaryngologist at Northwell Health and Associate Professor of Otolaryngology at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. He holds a Master of Medical Science (MMSc) in Medical Education with a special focus on educational technology, educational research, and game-based learning from Harvard Medical School and a Master of Science in Physiology and Biophysics from Georgetown University. He has a special interest in faculty development and has been a speaker or faculty at hundreds of local, national, and international courses and conferences. He is also an active blogger and podcaster for several organizations, including the Harvard Macy Institute (HMI), Harvard Medical School CME Online, and BackTable Innovations. He has been featured in the news and print for media outlets such as USA Today, Businesswire, The Washington Post, Nature Medicine, Fox News, and KevinMD. He was also the Vice President, Medical Director of a medical video game company, Level Ex from 2018 to 2023 that utilized game technology and psychology to create interactive experiences for healthcare professionals. | He is recognized as an expert on the implementation of educational technologies and gaming with a foundation in educational theory for health professions education. He was honored to be inducted as an Associate Member of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Academy of Master Surgeon Educators and as an Associate Fellow of the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE).
Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal Medicine)
Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.
Content updated on Feb 6, 2025
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
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Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1References
Tooth Pain - American Association of Endodontists
https://www.aae.org/patients/dental-symptoms/tooth-pain/Kumar N, Daigavane P, Jain S, Mantri N. Review of Various Clinical Assessment Indices and Orthodontic Management for Temporomandibular Joint Disorders. Cureus. 2022 Oct 19;14(10):e30492. doi: 10.7759/cureus.30492. PMID: 36415405; PMCID: PMC9674566.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36415405/Matheson EM, Fermo JD, Blackwelder RS. Temporomandibular Disorders: Rapid Evidence Review. Am Fam Physician. 2023 Jan;107(1):52-58. PMID: 36689971.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36689971/