Know What Your Jaw Pain Needs Before You Lose Another Week
Jaw pain in Grand Prairie, TX can start in a tooth, a chewing muscle, the joint, or outside your mouth. Dr. Behrooz Khademazad, DDS, has practiced here since 1987 and runs Grand Prairie Family Dental. He holds Texas License #15515, and he starts every jaw pain visit by finding the source. You’ll learn the three signs no one should wait on and how to tell where your pain starts. You’ll also get a simple log to bring to your exam.
Most people fear two things: something serious behind the ache, or months of bouncing between doctors. Both fears make sense, since jaw pain overlaps with ear, sinus, heart, and headache problems. Waiting carries its own risk, because an infected tooth can spread. About 35 percent of new patients here arrive after anxiety or a bad experience elsewhere, so nobody gets rushed. When the joint is the problem, our TMJ treatment in Grand Prairie starts with the least invasive step.
Does Your Jaw Pain Need Same-Day Care?
Three signs mean you need care today: bleeding, extreme pain, or major swelling. Dr. Khademazad treats those three as a true dental emergency. Jaw pain with chest pressure, sweating, nausea, or trouble breathing can signal a heart attack instead, so call 911 first.
Everything else can usually wait for the next open appointment, even when the ache is miserable. Most jaw pain falls into this group. He adds three more reasons to come in soon: something embarrassing, a problem partway through treatment, or anything unusual. A fever with facial swelling is different. It belongs at urgent care or an ER if your dentist can’t see you that day.
How Many Adults Live With Jaw Pain?
About 11.8 million US adults, or 4.8 percent, reported jaw or face pain in a three-month window. The pain had to last a full day or more to count. The figure comes from a National Academies analysis of 52,159 people surveyed in 2017 and 2018. If your jaw aches, you’re far from alone.
Jaw pain often travels with other pain. That’s why your dentist asks about more than your jaw. Among adults with neck pain, 17.0 percent had jaw or face pain, against 2.5 percent of adults without it. For severe headache or migraine, the split was 15.9 percent against 2.8 percent. So mention every ache in your head and neck, even the ones that seem unrelated.
Source: Slade G, Durham J. Appendix C, Temporomandibular Disorders: Priorities for Research and Care. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, March 12, 2020. National Health Interview Survey, 2017 to 2018.
Who Gets Jaw Pain Most Often?
Women report jaw or face pain about twice as often as men, at 6.2 percent against 3.2 percent. Age matters too. Rates climb from 4.2 percent at ages 18 to 24 to a 5.4 percent peak at 45 to 54. They ease to 5.1 percent at 55 to 64 and drop to 3.7 percent at 65 to 74.
The NIDCR says TMD is most common in women between 35 and 44. A large study of Hispanic adults found the same split, with 6.7 percent of women against 3.4 percent of men. Those midlife years are also when work, kids, and aging parents compete for your time. That’s how a nagging ache slides down the list for months.
Source: Slade G, Durham J. Appendix C, National Academies, March 12, 2020 (National Health Interview Survey 2017 to 2018, and Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos 2008 to 2011). NIDCR TMD page, last reviewed September 2026.
