Jaw dislocation occurs when the joint moves past the slope that slows it down and moves forward.
A young British woman who was flying to Malaga had an accident in mid-flight: in a yawn his jaw dropped. He shared the experience on the networks, and made this scare go viral.
It’s dangerous yawn on an airplane? Not exactly. There jaw dislocationwho is called, can arrive anywhere And not just yawning. I’m sure you’ve heard of laugh until your jaw drops.
Why does the jaw drop?
“There joint dislocation occurs when the joint overcomes the slope that slows it down and is placed in front“, explains the dentist Núria Noguerón, specialist in oral rehabilitation.
Dislocation is more common in women who have more elasticity in the joints
Already you can’t shut your mouth, certainly not. A situation that, if you have never experienced it before, can be scary.
“I felt no painjust a discomfort“, Told Isabella Prusak-James, the 21-year-old British girl who suffered the accident on the plane.
“It is likely that this girl your ears will get blocked during the flight. He wanted to discover them with a yawn to decompress and that caused the dislocation», emphasizes the dentist.
It can happen to you when you open your mouth wide. Not only when yawning, but also when eatAt to vomit or in the dentist consultation.
jaw dislocation occurs more in women
It may be a specific problem. But there are usually some characteristics that make the person is more inclined suffer this accident.
“Jaw dislocation usually occurs at the hypermobile people; that is, they have an excess of elasticity in the ligaments“explains the doctor. There are profiles of people in whom this hyperlaxity is seen more.
- It’s more common in women,”since it seems that it is also related to hormonal changes”.
- And in young peoplebecause over the years the joints become more rigid.
How do I know if I am one of these hypermobile people? Some details can help to discern if we are part of this group:
“These are the people who they twist their ankle with some easewho extend their arm and appear to rotate it, or who can easily touch their arm with their thumb“, enumerates the doctor.
What are the risk factors for a jaw problem?
The problem may be broader and this disorder may be part of a general dysfunction of the chewing joints and muscles. For example, because we squeeze a lot and we have a bruxism problem.
If your jaw makes noise when you eat, it may be a sign that you are at greater risk of it becoming dislodged.
Those most at risk also tend to give previous signsits the problem occurs:
- Articular noises. “The person may notice a jaw clicking while eating“says the doctor.
- the pains appear in the joint or a more generalized headache.
Another more specific case is that of people who have suffered an accident and who already a previous injury This makes it easier to move the jaw.
What to do if the jaw is dislocated
There is a maneuver when it happens to you to recover the joint and shut your mouth. It’s not particularly complicated. “What happens is that when this happens it is normal for the person to be overwhelmed and It’s very hard that only she can do it», emphasizes the dentist.
In the case of young Isabella, she enlisted the help of a friend and an air hostess who, through a consult a specialist They learned what to do. As she herself said, It wasn’t the first time it happened and remained calm.
If mishap doesn’t catch you far from a medical center, the logic is that you should go to an emergency specialist.
“Normally, those who deal with this type of problem are the maxillofacial surgeons. However, there is dentists specializing in the temporomandibular jointwho is the affected one, which can also solve the problem”, says Dr. Neguerón.