Sudden jaw pain during Invisalign treatment - normal?

Question

I've just gotten onto my seventh set of aligners. Prior to this tray, I've had almost no pain, just sensitive teeth for the first few days of each new aligner. It's been two days since I've started wearing the seventh set, and I'm feeling a lot of pain in the left hand side of my jaw, to the point where opening or fully closing my mouth is difficult. I'm unsure if this relates to my wisdom tooth, however my dentist said it shouldn't have any effect. Is this normal?

Doug Jopling, DDS · Answer

It would be highly unusual for Invisalign therapy to be the cause of this jaw pain. You should go be evaluated. Have you had anything out of the ordinary happen recently such as an accident that resulted in a blow to your jaw, have you slept on it or rested your hand on your chin for an extended period of time, or have you eaten food such as chewy bagels, gum etc. that may have over-worked your jaw.Doug Jopling, DDS

Emery Cole, DMD, FAGD · Answer

Everybody has a "pain threshold" but your pain sounds more like a TMD type of pain which needs to be checked by your dentist.  A little tooth soreness 2-3 days after starting a new aligner can be common but yours sounds different than just that.

Sudden jaw pain during Invisalign treatment - normal?

Answers (2)