Cosmetic Dentistry: Before and After Slideshow Pictures Take the Dental Health Quiz

Medical Author:

Samuel M Keim, MD

Coauthor:

Doug Smith, MD

Medical Editor:

Brian F Chinnock, MD

Medical Editor:

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD

Medical Editor:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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Broken Jaw Symptoms

• The most common symptom is jaw pain.

• You may feel that your teeth do not fit together correctly (this is called a malocclusion). You may be unable to open your jaw all the way, have problems speaking, or notice swelling of the jaw.

• Your chin or lower lip may be numb because of damage to a nerve that runs through the mandible.

• Inside the mouth, you may see bleeding or find a change in the normal lineup of teeth. There might also be bruising under the tongue or even a cut in the ear canal due to movement backward of the broken jawbone.