Jaw popping out of place?!

Jaw popping out of place?

I know having your jaw popped out of place is pretty painful, not that I would know from experience.. but is it possible for you to only slightly pop your jaw out of place and it go back without really knowing? I tend to pop my neck by holding my chin and turning my neck that way, and now my jaw is in a lot of pain, could that be the cause of the pain? Will it go away, or should I see a doctor.. or a dentist?

2 months ago
The pain is on the left side, where the joint is.. the pain is on the inside..and is especially painful when i move my jaw to the left when i open my mouth. it's not really popping, but my jaw tends to pop anyway.. my jaw has hurt a lot after my braces were removed about a year ago. It just hurts to open my mouth too wide in general now. but the pain isn't as bad as before..

You should see a dentist that specializes in Temporomandibular Disorders and/or Orofacial pain. Sometimes they are called TMJ or TMD clinics. Individual dentists may limit their practice to these sorts of problems. If you're in a large city there will likely be a clinic of this sort. If you're near a University with a dental school, they may have one of these clinics as well. I would go there. Every dentist should be able to diagnose and treat all but the most complicated TMD problems but the reality is that many will just muck it up or they will get lucky and it will just get better on its own. Also, some orthodontists have specialized knowledge in TMD.

If you are treated and you still have trouble, you should go to a specialized TMD/Orofacial Pain clinic-- even if that means you need to drive a while to find one. TMD can be complicated and requires specialized expertise when it is out of the ordinary.