This article is from the book, The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Seniors , by The Editors of Prevention Health Books for Seniors. To send a link and summary of this article to a friend, click here . If anything, the term serves as a reminder of the foods, stresses, or health problems that can be a real pain in the jaw for older Americans. Jaw pain is very common among people over age 60, says Paul A. Andrews, D.D.S., dentist in Maitland, Florida, who practices therapeutic management of head, neck, and facial pain.
Seniors are simply more susceptible to arthritis or falls that can injure the jaw.
Often, jaw pain is a progressive problem that sneaks up on you. In fact, even if your jaw was injured in your forties or fifties, the symptoms may not cause noticeable problems until 15 or 20 years later when osteoporosis and other diseases set in and compound the damage done by that old injury. In studies, up to 75 percent of people have signs of TMD, including muscle pain and clicking, popping, or grating noises in the jaw, Dr. Andrews says. Often, TMD and other forms of mild jaw pain are temporary and can be relieved by these simple home remedies, Dr. Andrews suggests. Try This First Give your jaw a break.