SOUNDING OFF

The strange noises your body makes

This week: Clicking jaw OUR jaw bones should move freely up and down and side to side. When the joint is working correctly, the bones of the lower and upper jaw do not touch because there is a thin disc of cartilage in between, held in place by ligaments and muscle.

However, wide yawning, being hit on the jaw or having to keep your mouth open for a long time can all slightly dislocate this disc so it no longer works smoothly. The ligaments around the joint may also become inflamed due to teeth grinding at night. This can cause jaw bones to be pulled out of alignment and click when they move. ‘The vast majority don’t need treatment apart from an anti-inflammatory to calm things around the joint,’ says David Howe, an ENT consultant at Birmingham’s Heartlands Hospital. In older people, jaw clicking may be a sign of arthritis on the joint, if it’s accompanied by swelling and pain.