My jaw has been popping hard a lot. It connects your jaw to the skull. The cause may be difficult to determine. Contributing factors can be whiplash, a direct blow to the jaw, chronic tooth grinding, clenching or gum chewing, arthritis, chronic muscle tension due to stress or teeth that do not fit well together. A dentist can tell you if there is a dental cause for your discomfort or if wisdom teeth may be causing the problem.
Treatment is usually conservative, with surgery a later option.
You did not say what you have tried in the way of home treatment. If none of these things seem to make any improvement, consult an oral surgeon. 882-7000 to make an appointment with a University of Missouri Health Sciences Center physician. Recently I began scraping my tongue to eliminate bad breath. Now my tongue is a trap for food and bacteria.