Jaw Sandwich Leads To Hospital

By: Bill Waters
04/06/2010 07:10 PM ET

A jaw sandwich can be hurtful, according to a Georgia man who knows best. It all started when Chad Ettmueller took his wife and three kids to a local restaurant. The family was celebrating after Chad’s son won second-place in a talent show.

Ettmueller, 38, ordered his usual “Wicked” sandwich, topped with five slices of meat and cheese. As he opened his mouth to take a bite, his jaw locked up on him. He was unable to bite down.

Chad realized that he was in trouble, but his kids were laughing, because they thought he was just trying to act funny. The more they laughed, the worse Chad’s pain felt. He then excused himself and walked outside.

Realizing that his jaw was locked, he thought he could punch himself to lock it. There he was, standing in the parking lot, punching his face repeatedly. However, his jaw was swelling and things only got worse.

“I’m sure people walking around were wondering, ‘What is going on with this guy punching himself?’” Ettmueller said in a statement.

He went to the emergency room and found out it was “Double dislocation of the mandible.” Chad had surgery to pop the bone back into place. The surgeon claims that he conducts the procedure about 30 times a year.

Double Dislocation Of The Mandible

When the jawbone becomes unseated at one or both joints, it is known as a dislocated jaw. The condition is known medically as a “dislocated mandible.” The problem is usually the result of impact on the jaw.

Dislocation can also occur if you open your mouth too wide while yawning, yelling, or biting large pieces of food. Soon after the dislocation, the muscles tighten, keeping the mouth from closing normally. A person will experience swelling and pain.

Symptoms Of Dislocation

The immediate symptom can be a loud crunch noise occurring right up against your ear drum. The sound is produced on the inside of your head and not only seems like you’re breaking bones, but feels like it too. This is followed by excruciating pain, particularly in the side where the dislocation occurred.

Some people also notice a sharp bolt of pain that shoots down their body when they turn their head. It can happen when sitting or walking. This may be associated to the side of the jaw which is dislocated.

Treatment

Injection of a numbing medication near the joint and the muscles can help it pop back into place on its own. More often, a surgeon will need to manually reseat the jaw bone in the joint. The condition can happen at any age.

Portions of this content was used from Wikipedia.