Why Does My Jaw Hurt on One Side?

One-sided jaw pain can come from a chewing muscle, the jaw joint, a tooth, or a nerve. Ear or salivary-gland problems can also cause pain near the jaw. The side is a clue—not a diagnosis. The timing, triggers, accompanying symptoms, and examination help identify the source.^{6, 10, 12, 13}

My starting question is not, “Which appliance should we make?” It is, “What best explains this particular pain?”

First: when jaw pain needs urgent care

Call 911 for jaw discomfort with possible heart-attack symptoms, such as chest pressure, shortness of breath, a cold sweat, nausea, or lightheadedness. Heart-related discomfort can involve the jaw, and a heart attack does not always include chest pain. Do not assume that right-sided pain rules it out.²

Seek emergency care for difficulty breathing or swallowing, or rapidly spreading facial or neck swelling. A jaw stuck open that you cannot close also needs urgent medical attention; do not force it back into place yourself. These are not situations to manage through an online appointment request.^{3, 4}

Contact a dentist urgently for facial swelling, fever with dental pain, or severe and worsening tooth or jaw pain. New, marked difficulty opening your mouth—particularly when eating or drinking becomes difficult—also needs prompt assessment. An abscess requires treatment rather than watchful waiting.³

New headache and chewing-related jaw fatigue after age 50 need particular attention. When a new headache or scalp tenderness accompanies jaw aching or fatigue while chewing, seek same-day medical assessment. This can be a warning pattern for giant cell arteritis, an inflammatory condition that can threaten vision. Any accompanying new visual disturbance warrants immediate emergency assessment.⁵

What can cause pain on one side of your jaw?

Chewing-muscle pain: a tired or aching cheek or temple

The muscles that move your jaw can produce an ache that feels broader than a single tooth. Pain may involve the cheek or temple and can be felt in nearby areas, including teeth. Chewing or sustained clenching may aggravate it.^{6, 21}

However, soreness by itself does not prove that you grind your teeth at night. A useful examination considers the history and whether carefully testing the muscles reproduces your usual pain—not simply whether firm pressure feels uncomfortable.^{16, 17}

Jaw-joint pain: often near the front of the ear

You have a temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, on each side. TMD refers to disorders involving these joints and associated chewing muscles; “TMJ” is not the name of one specific disease.¹

Joint-related pain may increase with chewing, opening, or yawning. Some people also notice catching, restricted opening, or a change in how the jaw moves. Either one or both sides can be involved. These findings help guide the examination, but they do not identify a particular disc or joint problem on their own.⁷

A painless click is different from painful clicking or locking. A sound without pain or restricted movement often does not require treatment. For a jaw that gets stuck, read our guide to what to do when your jaw locks.¹

Tooth-related pain: sometimes experienced as “jaw pain”

A cracked tooth can cause intermittent pain with chewing or sensitivity to temperature. Sometimes the discomfort occurs as biting pressure is released. A dental infection may produce throbbing, swelling, a bad taste, or fever. These patterns deserve a dental examination, not an assumption that the jaw joint is responsible.^{3, 8}

The painful area may be difficult to pinpoint. Before recommending a root canal, extraction, or another irreversible procedure, the clinician should establish whether a tooth actually explains the symptoms.^{8, 16}

Antibiotics are not a substitute for treating the source of a dental problem. Whether they are indicated depends on the diagnosis and signs of spreading or systemic infection.⁹

Nerve-related pain: brief, electric, or shock-like attacks

Trigeminal neuralgia can cause severe, sudden attacks on one side of the face, including the jaw or teeth. Attacks commonly last from seconds to about two minutes and may be triggered by light touch, brushing teeth, talking, or chewing.¹⁰

That pattern needs a different assessment from an aching chewing muscle or infected tooth. Suspected trigeminal neuralgia warrants medical or neurologic evaluation; specialist guidance includes imaging as part of the diagnostic workup. It should not automatically lead to dental treatment simply because the pain seems to come from a tooth.¹¹

Salivary-gland problems: pain or swelling around meals

A blocked salivary duct can cause intermittent pain and swelling under the jaw or around a gland, often becoming more noticeable when eating. Fever, redness, or persistent swelling can indicate infection and needs clinical assessment. Meal-related swelling is a useful clue to report—not a reason to probe the area with a tool.¹²

Ear and sinus conditions: nearby pain, but a different source

Ear pain with drainage, fever, or a hearing change deserves a medical assessment. Sinus inflammation can cause cheek pressure and upper-tooth discomfort, typically alongside nasal symptoms. Neither should be diagnosed solely from where the face hurts.^{13, 14}

Sudden hearing loss is time-sensitive. Seek immediate medical assessment rather than assuming that a new hearing change is caused by TMJ trouble or earwax.¹⁵

What should a careful jaw-pain examination include?

I want to understand when the pain began, whether it is constant or episodic, what triggers it, and whether it follows an injury or dental treatment. Tooth symptoms, swelling, sensory changes, sleep, and the effect on daily activities help direct the next steps.

A focused assessment checks the teeth and oral tissues, jaw movement, chewing muscles, and joints. For suspected muscle or joint pain, an important question is: “Does this reproduce the pain you came in with?” Familiar pain is more informative than tenderness alone. Other findings may point toward a medical or neurologic referral instead.^{16, 17}

Does one-sided jaw pain require an MRI or a scan?

Not automatically. Imaging should answer a specific clinical question. Dental imaging may help investigate a tooth; CT or cone-beam CT can assess bony structures; MRI is useful for the joint disc and other soft tissues. The choice depends on the examination and whether the result would change care. A scan is not a replacement for that assessment.¹⁸

What can you do while waiting for an evaluation?

For mild symptoms without the warning signs above, temporarily choose foods that are easier to chew, take smaller bites, and avoid gum, very chewy foods, and exaggerated opening. Let your teeth rest apart rather than holding them clenched. Gentle warmth or a cold pack wrapped in cloth may help; protect your skin.¹⁹

Do not repeatedly test a painful movement or try to force a locked jaw open or closed. Ask your dentist or pharmacist which nonprescription pain medicine is safe for your medical history and other medications. These measures are temporary comfort strategies—not treatment for an infection or an unexplained worsening problem.^{4, 19}

Before your appointment, note when the pain happens, how long it lasts, and whether chewing, tooth temperature, meals, or light touch triggers it. Record observations; there is no need to deliberately provoke an attack.

Why treatment should not automatically start with a night guard

Treatment follows the diagnosis. A tooth problem, nerve disorder, blocked salivary duct, and painful jaw muscle are not interchangeable conditions.

For TMD pain lasting three months or longer, a 2023 clinical guideline supports approaches such as education, supervised jaw exercises, selected manual therapies, and cognitive behavioral therapy. It conditionally recommends against routinely using reversible occlusal splints for chronic TMD pain. That guideline does not cover acute TMD pain, and it should not be applied as though every sore jaw has the same history.²⁰

A guard intended to protect teeth from grinding serves a different purpose from treating unexplained facial pain. Any appliance recommendation should include its goal, expected benefit, monitoring plan, and instructions about worsening symptoms.^{1, 21}

Permanently changing the bite is not a routine answer to TMD. Grinding down teeth, placing crowns, or moving teeth solely to treat TMD lacks supporting evidence and may make symptoms worse. Those procedures may have separate dental indications, but jaw pain alone does not establish one.¹

Common questions about one-sided jaw pain

Can TMD affect only one side?

Yes. Muscle or joint symptoms can be one-sided. But one-sided pain does not confirm TMD; tooth, nerve, and other causes still need consideration.^{7, 8, 10}

Why is my jaw sore when I wake up?

Clenching or grinding during sleep can contribute to tired or sore jaw muscles. Morning soreness alone, however, is not enough to diagnose sleep bruxism or decide that a night guard is the correct treatment.²¹

Should I see a dentist or a physician?

Tooth sensitivity, biting pain, or jaw-movement pain makes a dental assessment a reasonable starting point. Electric-shock attacks, hearing changes, or systemic warning signs may require medical care. Emergency symptoms should go directly to emergency services rather than wait for a routine appointment.^{7, 8, 11, 15}

How long should I wait before getting it checked?

Seek assessment sooner when pain is severe, worsening, recurring, or interfering with eating and drinking. Do not wait with swelling, fever, locking, or the emergency signs above. A persistent mouth sore or lump, or unexplained numbness, also deserves evaluation; a sore lasting more than two weeks should not be ignored.^{3, 19, 22}

A diagnosis-first approach to jaw pain in Issaquah

You do not need to arrive with a diagnosis. It is enough to describe what hurts, when it happens, and what it prevents you from doing.

At Highlands Dentistry in Issaquah, the starting point is understanding the source of the pain and whether dental care, conservative jaw treatment, or referral is appropriate. Learn about a TMJ and orofacial pain evaluation or request an evaluation.

The goal is not to give every sore jaw the same appliance. It is to match the care to the condition.

This article provides general education and cannot diagnose your symptoms. For urgent symptoms, use the emergency guidance above rather than an online request form.

About the author

Ray Besharati, DDS, DMD practices at Highlands Dentistry in Issaquah, Washington. He earned his DMD at Tufts University and a Master of Science in Orofacial Pain at the University of Southern California. His clinical work includes general dentistry and the evaluation of TMJ and orofacial pain conditions.²³

Clinical references

1. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Temporomandibular Disorders (TMDs).
2. American Heart Association. Warning Signs of a Heart Attack.
3. NHS. Dental abscess.
4. MedlinePlus. Broken or dislocated jaw.
5. MedlinePlus. Giant cell arteritis.
6. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD).
7. Mayo Clinic. TMJ disorders: Symptoms and causes.
8. American Association of Endodontists. Cracked Teeth.
9. American Dental Association. Antibiotics for Dental Pain and Swelling Guideline.
10. NHS. Trigeminal neuralgia.
11. Bendtsen L, Zakrzewska JM, Abbott J, et al. European Academy of Neurology guideline on trigeminal neuralgia. Eur J Neurol. 2019;26(6):831–849. DOI: 10.1111/ene.13950. PMID: 30860637.
12. NHS. Salivary gland stones.
13. NHS. Ear infections.
14. NHS. Sinusitis (sinus infection).
15. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Sudden Deafness.
16. Schiffman E, Ohrbach R, Truelove E, et al. Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD). J Oral Facial Pain Headache. 2014;28(1):6–27. DOI: 10.11607/jop.1151. PMID: 24482784.
17. Peck CC, Goulet JP, Lobbezoo F, et al. Expanding the taxonomy of the diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders. J Oral Rehabil. 2014;41(1):2–23. DOI: 10.1111/joor.12132. PMID: 24443898.
18. Mallya SM, Ahmad M, Cohen JR, Kaspo G, Ramesh A. Recommendations for Imaging of the Temporomandibular Joint. AAOMR/AAOP position statement. J Oral Facial Pain Headache. 2023;37(1):7–15. DOI: 10.11607/ofph.3268. PMID: 37036439.
19. NHS. Temporomandibular disorder (TMD).
20. Busse JW, Casassus R, Carrasco-Labra A, et al. Management of chronic pain associated with temporomandibular disorders: a clinical practice guideline. BMJ. 2023;383:e076227. DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-076227. PMID: 38101929.
21. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Bruxism.
22. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Oral Cancer.
23. Highlands Dentistry. Meet Dr. Ray Besharati: education and clinical background.