The jaw is the bony structure that surrounds your mouth and teeth and moves up and down when you chew. When injured, it can break or move out of position.

The upper jaw is called the maxilla; the lower jaw is called the mandible. Only the lower jaw bone moves. The two parts of the jaw bone are connected to the skull by a joint in front of the ears (temporomandibular joint). Strong muscles run from the jaw to the skull.

A broken or dislocated jaw is a common injury. A dislocated jaw means the lower part of the jaw has moved out of its normal position at one or both temporomandibular joints. A fractured jaw means there is a break in the jaw bone.

A broken or dislocated jaw usually heals completely after treatment. However, the jaw may become dislocated again in the future.

Complications may include:

• Airway blockage
• Bleeding
• Breathing blood or food into the lungs
• Infection of the jaw or face
• Recurrent dislocated jaw
• Jaw joint (TMJ) pain and other problems
• Difficulty talking (temporary)
• Difficulty eating (temporary)
• Problems aligning the teeth

The most common cause of a broken or dislocated jaw is injury to the face. This may be due to a motor vehicle accident, industrial accident, recreational or sports injury, assault, or other injury.

Symptoms of a dislocated jaw include:

• Pain in the face or jaw, located in front of the ear on the affected side, worse with movement
• Inability to close the mouth
• Drooling because of inability to close the mouth
• Difficulty speaking
• Jaw may protrude forward
• Teeth may not align normally
• Bite feels "off" or crooked

Symptoms of a fractured (broken) jaw include:

• Jaw tenderness or pain, worse with biting or chewing
• Jaw stiffness
• Difficulty opening the mouth widely
• Severe fracture limiting any movement of the jaw
• Lump or abnormal appearance of the cheek or jaw
• Numbness of the face (particularly the lower lip)
• Facial swelling
• Facial bruising
• Loose or damaged teeth
• Bleeding from the mouth