I can't chew! My jaw hurts. Now what?

You woke up and you couldn't open your mouth much. You bit down on some food or day old

pizza crust and now your jaw hurts and you can't close your mouth comfortably. You had a

recent surgery to your joint or your face and chewing is painful. Had a recent dental procedure and your mouth is so sore.

Eating is so much more than just nutrition. Eating is a social activity. Eating around the table or with family is where we share our stories, share our days, validate feelings, and connect with others. When we lose the ability to chew comfortably, we lose so much more than just nutrition.

Have no fear. Just because you can't chew well right now doesn't mean it will stay this way. Craniofacial Physical Therapy can help you get back to moving well and reducing your pain. The underlying reasons and restrictions need to be addressed. In the mean time, let's discuss what you can do to keep your nutrition and enjoy your family/friend time as well.

Soft foods are a great start. We want to prioritize good fats and proteins for your bodies nutritional needs. Even though vegetables may be something we have to avoid because of how hard they are, we can use them in other mediums life smoothies. Think yogurts, protein powders, smoothies, and casseroles, Think egg salad or chicken salad. Think of adding the protein powder to soups as a thickener. Many protein powders can be flavorless (not vanilla or chocolate). Good fats such as avocados can be soft and can help with fullness and good energy. Tried to avoid things that have heavy sugar as your only option. Ice cream can be helpful for the soft and the cold when you are in pain; however, the sugar will not satisfy for long.

The time of soft food eating should be a week to two at the most. Post-surgical may have different needs and we can always discuss prolonged nutritional changes as required. Once you can start tolerating more, you want to slowly work into harder foods. Avoid crunchy or chewy until the very end. You wouldn't start lifting weights with 25 lb weights? So think of the foods as exercise and we want to work up to crunchy and chewy. Think fish instead of beef. As you are tolerating more, you can slowly work into the others.

Don't avoid eating on the painful side unless instructed by your health care practitioner. Avoiding chewing on that side will cause more problems with the joint. Start with the soft on that side and make it the first chew or two and then move to the other side.

You can do this! Your jaw doesn't have to hurt. Please reach out to your Craniofacial Specialist to help you with your plan on returning to eating and nutritional needs. We would love to help you get back to your family time with less pain.