Jaw Pain on One Side: Left or Right, Causes and What Helps

01Clues

Clues from where it hurts and what triggers it

• In front of the ear, worse when chewing or yawning: jaw joint or chewing muscles (TMD).
• In a tooth or gum, worse when biting or with hot and cold: a dental problem.
• Upper jaw and cheek, with a blocked nose: sinusitis.
• Under the jaw, with swelling at mealtimes: a salivary gland.
• Brief electric-shock pains: trigeminal neuralgia.
• Left jaw with chest pressure or breathlessness: the heart, an emergency.

02TMD

Temporomandibular disorder (TMJ problems)

Temporomandibular disorder affects the jaw joint and the muscles that move it. It often affects one side more than the other. Typical symptoms are pain in front of the ear, a tired or stiff jaw, clicking or popping, difficulty opening wide, headaches and earache without an ear infection. It is more common in women and between the ages of 20 and 40, and often comes and goes with stress.

See TMJ symptoms and jaw clicking when chewing.

03Clenching

Clenching, grinding and chewing on one side

Clenching or grinding the teeth (bruxism), during the day or at night, overloads the chewing muscles. People often wake with a sore jaw, headache or worn teeth. Chewing mostly on one side, for example because of a painful tooth, a missing tooth or habit, makes that side work harder and can cause one-sided pain. Gum chewing, nail biting and resting the chin on a hand add strain.

04Teeth

Dental causes

• Tooth decay or a cracked tooth: pain on biting or with hot, cold or sweet foods.
• Dental abscess: throbbing pain, swelling of the gum or face, a bad taste and sometimes fever.
• Wisdom teeth: pain and swelling at the back of the jaw when they are coming through or impacted, sometimes with difficulty opening the mouth.
• Gum disease: sore, bleeding gums.
• After dental treatment: the jaw can ache for a few days after keeping the mouth open for a long time.

Dental pain often spreads to the jaw, ear or temple on the same side, which makes it hard to locate. A dentist can find the cause.

05Ear

Jaw pain with ear pain

The jaw joint sits just in front of the ear, so TMD often feels like earache. Ear infections, swimmer’s ear and ear pressure problems can also cause pain that spreads to the jaw. If the ear looks normal, the jaw joint is a likely source.

See jaw and ear pain and pain in the ear when chewing.

06Sinus

Sinusitis

Inflammation of the maxillary sinus, just above the upper back teeth, can cause pain in the cheek, upper jaw and teeth on one side, often worse when bending forward, with a blocked nose and thick mucus. It often follows a cold.

See sinus infection symptoms.

07Glands

Salivary glands and lymph nodes

A stone in a salivary gland causes pain and swelling under the jaw, typically at mealtimes. An infected gland causes swelling, tenderness and sometimes fever. Swollen lymph nodes under the jaw, from throat or dental infections, can also feel like jaw pain. Mumps causes swelling in front of the ear on one or both sides.

See swollen tonsils.

08Nerves

Nerve pain

Trigeminal neuralgia causes sudden, severe, electric-shock-like pain in the face, cheek or jaw on one side, triggered by touching the face, eating, talking or brushing the teeth. Attacks last seconds to minutes. It needs medical assessment and is treated with specific medicines.

09Heart

Left jaw pain and the heart

Pain from the heart can spread to the jaw, usually the left side or both sides, as well as to the arm, neck or back. Angina typically comes on with exertion and settles with rest. A heart attack causes pain or pressure in the chest that may spread to the jaw, with breathlessness, sweating, nausea or feeling faint. Women, older people and people with diabetes may have less typical symptoms. Jaw pain with any of these signs is an emergency: call emergency services.

10Other

Other causes

• Temporal arteritis: in people over 50, jaw pain on chewing, a new headache, scalp tenderness and sometimes vision changes; needs urgent assessment.
• Injury: a blow to the jaw can cause bruising, dislocation or a fracture.
• Arthritis of the jaw joint: osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis.
• Rarely, a growth: a lump or ulcer that does not heal needs checking.

11Self-care

What helps at home

• Eat soft foods and cut food into small pieces.
• Avoid gum, hard or chewy foods and opening very wide.
• Apply warmth, or ice wrapped in a cloth, to the sore side for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Keep the teeth slightly apart and the jaw relaxed, with the tongue resting on the roof of the mouth.
• Chew on both sides once pain allows.
• Use painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen if suitable.
• Manage stress and improve sleep.

12Exercises

Gentle jaw exercises

• Relaxed opening: with the tongue on the roof of the mouth, open slowly and close, 5 to 10 times.
• Massage: circle the chewing muscle in front of the ear with the fingertips for a minute.
• Chin tucks: improve neck posture, which affects the jaw.

Exercises should not cause sharp pain. A physiotherapist or dentist can guide them.

13Treatment

Professional treatment

Most TMD improves within weeks with self-care. A dentist can provide a night guard for grinding and treat dental causes. Physiotherapy, relaxation techniques and, sometimes, cognitive behavioural therapy help persistent jaw pain. Injections or surgery are rarely needed. Sinusitis, gland and nerve problems are treated according to the cause.

15Summary

Key points to remember

• Jaw pain on one side usually comes from the jaw joint, the teeth or clenching.
• Sinusitis, glands, ear problems and nerves are other causes.
• Left jaw pain with chest symptoms is an emergency.
• Soft food, warmth, relaxing the jaw and exercises help most TMD.