What Happened to my teeth?

Question

To start off with, I got my wisdom teeth out probably the first week of august, in case that's relevant. i can basically eat normal food now.

but today i was eating an oatmeal cookie and i was chewing i sort of heard a crack in my jaw. i freaked out and spat out all of the cookie that was in my mouth- didn't see any tooth-parts.... brushed my teeth and checked them... they all seem to look normal. now all that happens is that whenever i bite down where i heard the crack, i kinda just hear a tiny little noise, as if i might be biting down on something that you can hear from within my gums. does anyone have any idea what could have happened, before i contemplate seeing the dentist?

Answer 1

Heh- don't worry.  I haven't had my wisdom teeth out yet, but I can do the smae thing with my jaw.  It's harmless.  In your case, it might go away, but if it doesn't, you still don't need to worry.

Answer 2

Hello, What you hear that you describe as being a "cracking" sound is probably your jaw joint.It's fairly common for the jaw joint to produce such sounds after wisdom tooth extractions...During the extraction procedure the jaws are forced farther open than they would normally be and they are kept there for an extended period of time. As a result, some people find that the jaw joint muscles and ligaments pop when eating until they resettle back into their normal position and relax....If the popping continues, over say, the next three months you need to see your dentists and find out if you have developed what is called TMJ problems...TMJ relates to the jaw joint.

Answer 3

This is your jaw joint cracking or popping. This is especially common after wisdom teeth surgery b/c you have to have your mouth open so wide and for a long time. This can cause some dislocation of the jaw or disc that lies between the jaw head and skull base. It is normaly and fine as long as it doesn't get worse and you don't experience a lot of pain. It may or may not go away. Teeth grinding or clenching can make it worse and you might require a nightguard in that case. If your bite is off, it will most likely get worse and require treatment, this is something your dentist can check. Try to avoid opening really wide for anything including eating. Avoid frequent chewing of things such as gum or chewy candies.