Difficulty Opening Mouth
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Try one of these related symptoms.
Jaw pain
Jaw pain on one side
Ear and jaw pain
Jaw stuck open
Jaw locked on one side
Jaw locks when i yawn
About the Symptom
It refers to the restriction of the range of motion of the jaws and difficulty in opening the mouth fully, often referred to as trismus. It can be due to any number of reasons including trauma, infection, or inflammation.
When to See a Doctor
Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms
- Visual field defect
- Impossible to walk normally
- Difficulty breathing / breathlessness
- Abnormal sensation (tingling, prickling)
- Muscle weakness in the limbs
- Unilateral blindness
- Recent weight loss
- Disorder of consciousness
- Numbness of the body
- Altered mental status (delirium)
- Headache
- Seizure attack
- Head injury
- Fever
Possible Causes
Generally, Difficulty opening mouth can be related to:
- Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritis (TMJ)
This degenerative condition affects the jaw (temporomandibular) joint, causing changes and degeneration of bone structure, leading to joint inflammation and pain. The condition is more common in females than males. Risk factors include grinding or clenching teeth, dislocations or fractures, and genetics.
- Scleroderma
Scleroderma is a connective tissue disorder that causes the skin to thicken and harden, though it may also affect other organs. It is categorized as localized or widespread (systemic scleroderma). It is a disorder where the immune system mistakenly attacks its own body.
- Dental Caries
Dental caries occur when the hard outer layer of your tooth, the enamel, gets destroyed, sometimes forming small holes or cavitations. Common causes include eating and drinking sugary foods, frequent snacking, dry mouth and poor oral hygiene.
- Acute / Chronic Tracheitis / Bronchitis
- Muscular Dystrophy
Related Serious Diseases
Sometimes, Difficulty opening mouth may be related to these serious diseases:
- Tetanus
A life-threatening infection caused by a bacteria called Clostridium tetani. The bacteria releases toxins that affect the nervous system and cause muscles in the body to contract and "lock up". The bacteria are everywhere in the environment and enter the body through open wounds. Risk factors include being immunosuppressed, not being vaccinated against tetanus (or not keeping up with booster shots), and having open wounds or cuts.
- Mumps
- Cerebral Infarction
- Peritonsillar Abscess / Deep Neck Abscess
- Cerebral Hemorrhage
Doctor's Diagnostic Questions
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:
- Are you having difficulty opening your mouth?
- When did you first notice difficulty opening the mouth?
- Is it hard to open your mouth because of pain?
- Have you had trouble opening your mouth before?
- How has difficulty opening the mouth changed since it started?
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 Jan 31, 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
Trismus - StatPearls
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493203/#:~:text=Trismus%20is%20commonly%20referred%20to,mouth%20opening%20from%20any%20cause.Dhanrajani PJ, Jonaidel O. Trismus: aetiology, differential diagnosis and treatment. Dent Update. 2002 Mar;29(2):88-92, 94. doi: 10.12968/denu.2002.29.2.88. PMID: 11928347.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11928347/tris