# Clicking jaw

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-jaw/406655>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 4, 2007, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-jaw/406655 "2007-06-04T04:33:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-jaw/406655/1 "2007-06-04T04:33:02Z")

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My jaw makes a clicking noise when I chew. I don’t know when it started or if it has always been that way. A friend of mine pointed it out and said I should get it checked out because it could be a serious problem? What serious problem could it be and who would check such a thing out a dentist? doctor?

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**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-jaw/406655/2 "2007-06-04T04:43:08Z")

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Dentist.  
Go visit one. They can take x-rays and diagnose. We can only guess. 🙂

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**Author:** ![WoodenTaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/45deac/32.png) [@WoodenTaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WoodenTaco)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-jaw/406655/3 "2007-06-04T04:46:54Z")

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My jaw was clicking and sometimes painful right around my temples. Turned out to be [TMJ](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temporomandibular_joint_disorder), a rather annoying joint problem.  
I don’t know enough about it to speculate on whether you have this specifically. I’m just mentioning it to say that yes, it could be a problem (although TMJ isn’t too serious).

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**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicking-jaw/406655/4 "2007-06-04T04:56:35Z")

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\<mod\>

Any competent medical professional will not try to diagnose what’s causing your problem over a message board.

Any non-medical person on this board can only provide guesses.

I’ll second what **Rick** said. See your dentist.

In the meantime… \<\<click\>\> this thread is closed.

\</mod\>