What are possible causes of jaw pain on one side?

Question

I understand there are a lot of causes for jaw pain, but I'm hoping someone can help narrow down a cause. The pain is on one side of the head, not both, right where the jaw connects to the rest of the skull. It only hurts when the jaw is opened wide. It seems more like joint pain rather than muscle pain, but I can't be sure. No physical trauma to the jaw.

Answer 1

It sounds like you have a mild case of TMJ.  That stands for "Temporomandibular joint disorder."  You can read more about it in the web link.