Reduction of Mandibular Dislocation

Your doctor may recommend TMJ surgery if: 

• You feel consistent intense pain or tenderness when you open or close your mouth
• You cannot open or close your mouth all the way
• You have trouble eating or drinking because of jaw pain or immobility

The possible risks that come with the reduction of a mandibular dislocation are as follows:

• Damage to dental hardware such as dental implants and braces
• Fracture of the mandible bone
• Injury to the adjacent nerves or arteries

Problems due to sedation, such as

• low blood pressure,
• irregular heart rate,
• apnea (cessation of respiration) and
• allergy.

Reduction of a mandibular dislocation is a procedure that aligns the mandible bone correctly—back to its original place—and corrects the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) by pushing or pulling the mandible.

Acute episodes of a mandibular dislocation can be managed with manual reduction (externally), whereas recurrent dislocations require surgery.

The steps in manual reduction are as follows:

• Your doctor will give you painkillers and sedatives to ease your pain and local anaesthesia into your jaw to numb it before the procedure.
• Your doctor or dentist will wrap his/her fingers with gauze.
• Subsequently, they will put their thumbs inside the mouth on the lower back teeth and the rest of the fingers around the bottom of the lower jaw.
• They will then press downwards on the back teeth and, at the same time, keep pushing the chin upwards until the mandible bone returns to its normal position.

Your doctor or dentist may apply a Barton bandage (special bandage) for two-three days to limit the motion in your temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Your doctor will ask you for an X-ray of your jaw to confirm the success of the reduction procedure.

You may have to wear a soft neck brace for some days. Moreover, you can apply warm compresses to your jaw and take painkillers to ease the pain. You need to limit opening your mouth for six weeks for certain actions such as yawning, laughing, and during dental procedures.