Why does the cheekbones on the face shrink? 6 dental reasons

September 22, 2020

Some people complain that their cheekbones are cramped. Typically, such a phenomenon cannot be classified as a specific diagnosis. Discomfort and pain in the cheekbones are, rather, a sign of various pathologies of the body. Which ones? Often we are talking about dental problems. The editors of the UltraSmile.ru portal have collected the most common of them in one article.

Some people complain that their cheekbones are cramped

Purulent infections in the mouth caused by advanced dental diseases

When the cheekbones and jaw are cramped, first of all, it is recommended to pay attention to the condition of the oral cavity. After all, an alarming symptom often indicates the following dental pathologies: acute periodontitis, gumboil, large cyst and granuloma, abscess, osteomyelitis and phlegmon.

During the development of these diseases, an inflammatory process occurs, severe swelling of the tissues, and pain and discomfort often spread to all nearby areas and do not have a clear localization. Unpleasant sensations manifest themselves even more strongly when pressing on a sore tooth, eating hard, hot and cold foods.

Recommendations

If this phenomenon occurs against a background of elevated temperature, you should urgently go to the surgeon. This may be an exacerbation, complicated by internal suppuration. The only correct action is surgery.

If the pain is sharp and boring, you will need to be examined by a neurologist. Apparently the trigeminal nerve is affected.

For malocclusions that cause bruxism, the patient will receive real help if the dentist installs splints and dentures. This way you can stop the progression of the disease and prevent it from developing even stronger in the future.

Thus, the main advice is the help of professionals. And the sooner the better.

Eruption of third molar

So it’s not easy to immediately answer the question of why the cheekbones on the face are cramped. But if your wisdom tooth on the upper jaw begins to erupt, then it is very possible that this unpleasant phenomenon is associated with this. The fact is that third molars erupt very difficultly and for a long time, they have to pierce the jawbone, and their roots can touch the nerve endings, which leads to discomfort and cramps in the facial area.

The eruption of “figure eights” can cause this symptom

Against the background of the eruption of the “eight”, an acute inflammatory process can develop, when the gums above it become very swollen, red and sore. Often this is also accompanied by purulent pericoronitis, if bacteria and food debris penetrate under the mucosa.

Pain in the cheekbone area of the face can occur due to the fact that the “eight” does not have enough space on the jaw and it grows incorrectly, for example, it begins to oppress the seventh unit. As a result, this leads to compression of the roots of the “seven”, to the fact that it, in turn, begins to move towards neighboring teeth. Such movements provoke malocclusion, crowded teeth, dysfunction of the maxillofacial apparatus, and muscle spasms.

Why are cheekbones cramped?

Don’t know why your cheekbones are cramped ?
Find out why this happens and what treatment is needed if your cheekbones are cramped. Sometimes when yawning, an unpleasant phenomenon such as a muscle spasm can occur. It is impossible to identify the cause of this disease on your own. A dentist, surgeon, otolaryngologist or neurologist will help you understand and help find out the cause, as well as overcome it. The consequence could be an old trauma, thus reminding of itself. Then a compress can help. But among completely harmless factors there are sometimes very serious ones.

Doctors use the term “cramp” to mean a spontaneous contraction of the muscles of any part of the body as a result of overload or under the influence of other factors. It manifests itself as a sharp pain, which, as a rule, passes quickly. Cheekbone cramps are not exclusive to people of a certain age; absolutely everyone is susceptible to this.

Tooth extraction and other surgical procedures

If, after visiting a dental office to remove a tooth and undergo large-scale surgical procedures in the oral cavity (multiple implantations, bone augmentation, vestibuloplasty), you have a headache, cramped cheekbones and jaws, and general weakness, this can be considered quite normal.

After complex removal, it can also reduce cheekbones

Firstly, you experienced nervous tension and stress. Secondly, they sat for a long time with their mouths open (especially if the procedure was complex), and accordingly, during this time the muscles became numb and tired. Thirdly, during the surgical intervention a traumatic effect was exerted on the tissue, after which a normal physiological reaction occurred. At the same time, unpleasant sensations in the first day after medical manipulations often radiate to the head, jaw, and face.

If after 1-3 days the cheekbones cramp and the jaw hurts, other alarming symptoms also appear and increase (swelling, bleeding, increased body temperature), then the reasons should be sought in postoperative complications: alveolitis, gumboil, abscess, phlegmon. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Diagnostics: what to do if your cheekbones are cramped

First of all, you need to remember what causes convulsions and what causes them.

You should not postpone a visit to the doctor if:

• spasms are accompanied by an increase in temperature; • swelling is observed, even if only minor; • spasms are accompanied by severe pain; • the eye begins to hurt; • the pain does not subside even when massaging the cheekbones; • throbbing pain.

So, it is almost impossible to independently identify the cause of cheekbone spasm. The doctor will examine the patient, prescribe what tests should be taken, and select the necessary examination methods.

In most such cases, doctors refer you for a computed tomography scan, prescribe an x-ray of the nasal sinuses, and you should also take a general blood test.

Based on it, the number of leukocytes and erythrocyte sedimentation rate can suggest the presence of diseases such as:

Malocclusion

When aching pain in the cheekbones of the face and jaw occurs on a constant basis (they always seem to be present in the general background), this may signal that you have a malocclusion. If abnormalities are not corrected for a long time and treatment by an orthodontist is not performed, this leads to asymmetric contraction of the muscles of the jaws and neck, and uneven distribution of the chewing load. The cheekbones and temples begin to shrink, headaches, a feeling of tension and discomfort in the face appear.

An incorrect bite can also lead to this problem.

“When I first got braces, when I put pressure on my teeth, at first there was such a sharp pain that it made my cheekbones cramp and brought tears to my eyes. True, as soon as the pressure disappeared, everything immediately returned to normal. During the first month, I probably felt tension all over my face and jaw, but my doctor said that this was normal and would pass soon. And indeed, gradually these sensations stopped bothering me, I got used to it!”

Renakona Elena, review from 32top.ru

Unsuccessful dental treatment and prosthetics

Why else do the cheekbones on your face shrink? From fillings and orthopedic structures installed in the oral cavity that do not correspond to the individual anatomical characteristics. In this case, again, the load is distributed incorrectly, certain areas are overstrained, the normal functionality of the maxillofacial apparatus is disrupted, muscle hypertonicity and even jaw trismus occurs.

The presence of orthodontic structures in the mouth can provoke a problem

To avoid the problem, you need to go to clinics where experienced doctors work, and also carry out comprehensive functional diagnostics (ideally, if digital!) immediately before treatment. All this allows us to create not only beautiful, but also the most convenient and comfortable restorations for the patient, which will eliminate the occurrence of additional problems and help correct the slightest pathologies and deviations in the functioning of the jaw.

Sometimes the cause of the problem is simply unskilled and too traumatic actions on the part of the doctor performing medical procedures. The specialist could give an incorrect injection of anesthesia, have too strong an effect on the surrounding tissues, or perforate the root or even the maxillary sinus during a particular procedure.

Bruxism or involuntary jaw clenching

When doctors explain to patients why the cheekbones on the face are cramped, many are surprised that the causes of the pathology may lie in bruxism. Although there is nothing unusual about this. This disease causes involuntary clenching of the jaws, overexertion, overload and spasms, pain and discomfort in the muscles.

Bruxism manifests itself in full glory while you sleep. But in the morning, many patients with this diagnosis feel tired, they have a headache and jaw pain, and there is a feeling that their teeth and cheekbones are cramping. A dentist will help you get rid of the problem by prescribing special mouth guards that relax your muscles while you sleep. But in order to cure the disease itself, it is recommended to undergo examination by a neurologist, since neurological causes often lead to the development of bruxism.

Bruxism can also cause discomfort

Bruxism is not exactly a dental disease. But in some cases it can be triggered by pathologies in the oral cavity: malocclusion, the presence of decayed teeth, poorly fitting crowns and fillings. Bruxism also leads to a number of dental problems if left untreated: cracking, pathological abrasion and hypersensitivity of enamel, deformation of artificial crowns and other prostheses.

Prevention measures

If, due to genetics, you are not prone to problems with enamel, you can try to prevent other causes. Experts in this regard recommend maintaining hygiene, monitoring oral health, and regularly visiting the dentist for preventive care. It would also be a good idea to review your diet and diversify it with foods high in vitamin A: eggs, carrots, liver, dried fruits and fresh apricots.

Calcium and fluoride are important microelements for the health of hard tissues of the oral cavity. The first is found in high concentrations in hard cheeses, fish, dairy products, cabbage, and leafy greens. Fluoride is found in seafood, seaweed and nuts. But you will have to give up carbonated sweet drinks - they have an extremely negative effect on the condition and density of the enamel. It is also worth limiting the consumption of too acidic fruits and juices, sweets and simple carbohydrates.

To strengthen your teeth, you should eat foods rich in calcium and fluoride.

When teeth come together with a certain frequency, especially for no apparent reason, it is better not to ignore the symptom, but to immediately consult a dentist for advice. The phenomenon may be pathological in nature and indicate certain dental problems, diseases of the soft tissues of the oral cavity, or even disturbances in the functioning of internal organs and systems. The sooner you seek qualified help, the easier and faster it will be possible to stop the pathological process.

Fadneva O.V. Clinical manifestations of increased sensitivity of hard dental tissues, 2001.

Non-dental reasons

We looked at the main dental pathologies that may explain why the cheekbones on the face are cramped. But there are also many diseases and problems not related to teeth and the oral cavity. We list them below:

injuries, bruises and blows received in the area of the face and maxillofacial apparatus: if the injury is very severe, for example, a fracture, then you may experience a feeling of cramping of the cheekbones and nausea,
sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity: a number of researchers have come to the conclusion that with reduced physical activity, a person’s blood circulation is impaired, and this can lead to periodic cramping of the cheekbones, jaw and temples,
hypoparathyroidism1: a disease caused by dysfunction of the parathyroid glands, leading to disruption of the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus in the body. It not only causes cramps in the jaws and cheekbones, but also causes muscle cramps in the lower and upper extremities,
vegetative-vascular dystonia and other pathologies of the cardiovascular system,
nervous tension, fear and stress, panic attacks,
inflammation of the trigeminal and auricular nerves,
ENT diseases: sinusitis, otitis, sinusitis,
hypertensive crisis,
frequent yawning,
arthritis and arthrosis,
osteochondrosis,
oncology.

A blow to the jaw can cause a problem.
The problem does not always arise against the background of some serious pathologies, although, of course, its systematic appearance, or the persistence of a symptom for a long time, should be a reason to consult a doctor. Sometimes there is a feeling that your cheekbones are cramping after eating very acidic foods and drinks, because then salivation sharply increases and a reflex contraction of the jaw and parotid muscles occurs, which leads to a similar phenomenon.

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Farkhutdinova L.M., Ivanova M.A., Tunik V.F. Hypoparathyroidism: modern concepts and analysis of a clinical case // Archives of Internal Medicine. – 2021.

Expert “Advanced dental diseases often lead to ENT pathologies, since bacteria from the mouth easily move to adjacent organs, where they provoke inflammatory processes. Why, for example, do some patients have cramping cheekbones when they have diseased teeth in the upper jaw? The reasons may lie in damage to the sinuses and the development of odontogenic sinusitis. It arises from deep caries, pulpitis, cysts, periodontitis. Against this background, swelling of the surrounding tissues, numbness, pain and spasms appear, radiating to all parts of the face and jaw.” Dentist-therapist Elena Vladimirovna Orlova

Comments

My wisdom tooth is coming out because I feel a lump under my gum in that place. This seems to be causing my jaw to ache all the time lately. Is it really because of this that it will have to be removed now?

Dilyara (02.10.2020 at 16:15) Reply to comment

Editorial staff of the portal UltraSmile.ru (06.10.2020 at 10:20) Reply to comment