Difficulty Opening Mouth
Free Symptom Checker
with Physician-supervised AI
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 Sep 6, 2024
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
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Try one of these related symptoms.
Jaw pain
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Jaw locks when i yawn
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How Ubie Can Help You
With a free 3-min Difficulty Opening Mouth quiz, powered by Ubie's AI and doctors, find possible causes of your symptoms.
This questionnaire is customized to your situation and symptoms, including the following personal information:
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People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
- Difficulty opening the mouth
- Difficulty in mouth opening
- Opening the mouth is hard
- Hard to open the mouth
- Mouth is hard to open
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Try Free Symptom QuizAbout 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:
- Muscular Dystrophy
Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a group of diseases causing progressive weakness and muscle wasting. It is caused by mutated genes that normally allow healthy muscles to form. Different types of MD can appear at different ages, ranging from childhood to adulthood, and also present different levels of severity and clinical manifestations.
- Spinal Cord Tumor
A spinal tumor develops within the spinal canal or spine bones. It can be life-threatening and cause permanent disability. Causes include environmental toxins and inherited syndromes like neurofibromatosis 2 and von Hippel-Lindau disease.
- Parkinson's Disease
A progressive nervous system disorder affecting movement. It occurs due to nerve cell damage in the brain. The exact cause for PD is unknown. Risk factors include genetics, male gender, old age, and exposure to certain toxins and environmental factors.
- Ear Infection
- Acute Tonsillitis / Pharyngitis
- Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
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.
- Cerebral Infarction
- Cerebral Hemorrhage
- Pneumonia (Lower Respiratory Tract Infection)
Doctor's Diagnostic Questions
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:
- Is it hard to open your mouth?
- How long have you had difficulty opening your mouth?
- Have you had trouble opening your mouth before?
- How has difficulty opening the mouth changed since it started?
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Try Free Symptom QuizFind Similar Symptoms
Similar symptoms or complaints
Symptoms from similar body parts
Symptoms treated by the same specialty
References
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
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.
What People Say about Ubie?
Male, 30s
I got more answers in one minute through your site than I did in three hours with Google.
(Sep 29, 2024)
Male, 20s
My experience was great. I was worried, but the symptom checker helped me narrow down what it might be. I feel a little relieved compared to when I first started, and it gives me a starting point for what my symptoms could mean.
(Sep 27, 2024)
Male, 50s
The questions asked and possible causes seemed spot on, putting me at ease for a next-step solution.
(Sep 26, 2024)
Female, 40s
I was actually very impressed with the results it provided because, although I didn’t mention it during the questionnaire because I thought it was unrelated, it suggested I may have something I’ve actually been diagnosed with in the past.
(Sep 25, 2024)
Just 3 minutes.
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Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1