Jaw Injuries and Disorders

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• No links available

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

Your jaw is a set of bones that holds your teeth. It includes:

• The maxilla, which is the upper part of your jaw. It holds your top teeth in place and doesn't move. It also supports the muscles involved in chewing and facial expressions.
• The mandible, which is the lower part of your jaw. You move it when you talk or chew. It also holds your lower teeth in place.
• The temporomandibular joints (TMJs), which are two joints (one on each side) that connect your mandible to your skull.

Jaw problems can include:

• Fractures (broken bones).
• Dislocations, which are joint injuries that force the ends of your bones out of position.
• Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), which are conditions that affect your TMJs.
• Osteonecrosis, which happens when the blood flow to part of your bone is disrupted. It can cause the bone to break down.
• Jaw tumors, which can be benign (not cancer) or cancer.
• Jaw defects, which are birth defects in which your jaw could be missing or deformed.

Diagnostic imaging tests are often used to diagnose jaw injuries and disorders. Your treatment will depend on which jaw problem you have.

Diagnosis and Tests

• Panoramic Dental X-Ray (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Chin augmentation - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Corrective Jaw Surgery (American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons)
• Treatment of Facial Injury (American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons) - PDF

Related Issues

• Bisphosphonate Therapy (and Osteonecrosis of the Jaw) (American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons)

Specifics

• Fractures of the Jaw and Midface (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
• Jaw Dislocation (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
• Malocclusion (Misaligned Teeth) (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
• Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ) (American College of Rheumatology) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Auriculo-condylar syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumor syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Jaw Diseases (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Jaw Fractures (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Mandibular Diseases (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Maxillary Diseases (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Fatty Degenerative Osteonecrosis of the Jaw: Bridging Molecular Insights and Clinical...
• Article: Evaluation of the Efficiency of Ultrasonography and Color Doppler in Diagnosis...
• Article: Giant Cell Granuloma of the Jaws and Keratin-Positive Giant Cell-Rich Tumor...
• Jaw Injuries and Disorders -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Find an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon (American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons)
• National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Broken or dislocated jaw (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Malocclusion of teeth (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Micrognathia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Prognathism (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish