Jaw clicking happens when the small cartilage disc inside your jaw joint slips out of its normal position and then snaps back into place as you open or close your mouth. It’s remarkably common, affecting roughly 30% of the general population based on a large meta-analysis of over 6,000 participants. In most cases, it’s harmless and doesn’t require treatment, but persistent clicking paired with pain or restricted movement points to a treatable jaw joint disorder.
What Happens Inside the Joint
Your jaw connects to your skull through two joints called the temporomandibular joints, one on each side. Each joint contains a small, flexible disc made of cartilage that sits between the jawbone and the skull, acting as a cushion and allowing smooth movement when you chew, talk, or yawn.
When this disc shifts forward or sideways from its normal resting spot, it creates a mechanical problem. As you open your mouth, the lower jawbone slides forward and bumps into the displaced disc, pushing it back into position with an audible click or pop. The same thing can happen in reverse when you close your mouth: the disc slips out of place again, sometimes producing a second click. Dentists call this “disc displacement with reduction” because the disc displaces and then reduces (returns) to where it belongs.
The disc can become displaced for several reasons. The ligaments holding it in place can stretch out over time, or the back edge of the disc can thin, letting it drift forward. Once this happens, the jawbone rides on tissues it wasn’t designed to contact, creating that characteristic sound every time the disc slides on and off the bone during movement.
Common Causes of Jaw Clicking
Teeth grinding and clenching, known as bruxism, is one of the most significant contributors. Sustained clenching puts enormous repetitive force on the jaw joint and surrounding muscles, and over time this overload can push the disc out of alignment, cause degenerative changes in the joint, and inflame the muscles that control jaw movement. Many people grind their teeth during sleep without realizing it, so the damage accumulates silently.
Stress and anxiety play a direct role because they increase muscle tension in the jaw and face. You may unconsciously clench throughout the day, especially during periods of high stress, which mimics the effects of bruxism. Habits like chewing gum excessively, biting your nails, or chewing on pens add similar low-grade stress to the joint.
Jaw injuries from accidents or sports can damage the disc or the ligaments that hold it in place, triggering clicking that may appear weeks or months after the original trauma. Arthritis in the jaw joint is another cause, particularly in older adults. When arthritis wears down the smooth surfaces inside the joint, you may hear a grating or crunching sound instead of a clean click. This grating, called crepitus, can indicate that the disc has degenerated or perforated, allowing bone to rub against bone.
One thing that probably isn’t causing your clicking: crooked teeth. Despite the common assumption, research on a large population of jaw disorder patients found no clinically relevant connection between dental misalignment and jaw clicking. A few subtle bite features showed a weak statistical association, but the relationship was too small to matter in practice.
Clicking vs. Popping vs. Grinding
These terms describe slightly different sounds, and the distinction matters. A click or pop is a single, sharp sound that happens at a specific point during opening or closing. It typically means the disc is slipping in and out of place but returning to its correct position each time. This is the most common type and usually the least concerning.
A grating or grinding sensation, on the other hand, tends to be continuous throughout the movement rather than occurring at one point. This often signals that the smooth surfaces inside the joint have roughened, either from arthritis or long-term wear. If your jaw makes a grinding noise, it’s worth getting evaluated, as this can indicate more advanced joint changes.
When Clicking Becomes a Problem
Painless clicking that doesn’t limit your jaw movement is generally not something that needs treatment. But certain symptoms signal that the joint disorder is progressing and deserves attention. Pain in the jaw joint or chewing muscles, especially pain that spreads to your face or neck, is the most common reason people seek help. Stiffness or limited movement when opening your mouth is another warning sign. If your jaw locks in an open or closed position, even briefly, that suggests the disc is no longer returning to its normal spot.
Other symptoms that can accompany jaw joint problems include ringing in the ears, hearing changes, dizziness, and a shift in how your upper and lower teeth fit together when you bite down. Any of these alongside clicking suggests a broader issue with the joint that benefits from professional evaluation.
Exercises That Help
Coordination exercises have the strongest evidence for reducing jaw pain and improving mobility. These involve controlled, repetitive mouth-opening and mouth-closing movements designed to retrain the muscles on both sides of your jaw to work together evenly. By correcting muscle imbalances, these exercises can reduce the mechanical forces that pull the disc out of alignment. A systematic review of multiple trials found that coordination exercises significantly improved both pain levels and range of motion in people with jaw disorders.
To try a basic coordination exercise, place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth behind your front teeth, then slowly open and close your jaw while keeping your tongue in place. This guides the jaw along a straighter path and prevents it from deviating to one side. Repeat 10 to 15 times, several times a day.
Stretching exercises, resistance exercises, and lateral jaw movements also show positive trends, but their effects haven’t been as clearly significant in research compared to coordination exercises. They may still be useful as part of a broader routine, but if you’re only going to do one type of exercise, coordination work is the best place to start.
Lifestyle Changes That Reduce Clicking
Cutting back on gum chewing and hard, chewy foods gives the joint time to recover. Avoid opening your mouth excessively wide when yawning by pressing your fist gently under your chin. If you tend to rest your chin on your hand or hold your phone between your ear and shoulder, these postures put asymmetric pressure on the joint and are worth correcting.
Becoming aware of daytime clenching is one of the simplest and most effective interventions. Many people hold tension in their jaw without noticing. A useful rule of thumb: when your mouth is at rest, your teeth should be slightly apart with your lips together. If you catch yourself with your teeth pressed together, consciously relax your jaw and let it hang slightly open. Applying a warm compress to the sides of your jaw for 10 to 15 minutes can also ease muscle tightness that contributes to clicking.
Professional Treatment Options
If self-care doesn’t resolve your symptoms within a few weeks, a dentist or oral specialist may recommend a custom oral splint, sometimes called a night guard. This device fits over your teeth and repositions the jaw slightly to take pressure off the disc and prevent grinding. In one comparative study, patients treated with occlusal splints had a 95.5% recovery rate, significantly higher than the 65.4% recovery rate seen with physical therapy alone. Splints are particularly effective for people who grind their teeth at night, since that’s when much of the joint damage occurs.
For cases that don’t respond to splints, exercises, or other conservative approaches, a minimally invasive procedure called arthrocentesis may be recommended. This involves flushing the joint space with fluid to remove inflammatory debris and break up adhesions that restrict disc movement. It’s generally reserved for people who still have significant pain or severely limited jaw opening after months of non-surgical treatment.
Open surgery on the jaw joint is rare and considered a last resort. The criteria are specific: confirmed joint destruction on imaging, intolerable pain, and failure of all other treatments. The vast majority of people with jaw clicking never come close to needing surgery.