What would cause a 9yo to have pain in her jaw&cheek & has a hard time eatting&talking Dr say nothing is wrong

Question

My 9 yohas been complaining her jaw and cheek hurt she has a hard time swallowing and talking Her neck and cheek are swellon
She has had her tonsils removed a year ago and a graph done to her ear drum a year ago she was seen in the ED and the Dr says there is nothing physically wrong...he says it is traumatic stress from coming home from her dad's house She is now running a fever of 101 giving her motrin does not help with the pain. I am an EMT and the symptoms seem to be like those of mumps but she has had her MMR vaccine as scheduled......what could this possibly be and should I take her to a different Dr to be seen...she was NOT seen by a peds DR

Answer 1

I have worked in an emergency room. The difficulty there is that many times (and you know this as a parent I am sure) when the child gets to the ER, the symptoms are not as bad. It definitely sounds like there is something going on... some sort of infection with swelling and a fever. It could be mumps. Probably not, but it could be. Not always are vaccines effective. Sometimes the body doesn't respond to them normally and you don't get immune to the illness. This is unlikely, but possible. She could have an abscess in her jaw or a tooth. It could really be a lot, but with the symptoms it definitely sounds like an infection of some sort. I would definitely get her to the pediatrician tomorrow. If you don't have one, take her to a clinic or to a pediatric ER. Sometimes adult ERs aren't the best at treating kids. From my experiences ain the pediatric ER, the doctors are more thorough and being that they only see kids they are way more experienced at kid problems.

Sometimes kids complain of "pain" if they are stressed or emotionally upset (like coming home from dad's house). With the fact that she now has a low grade fever and still has pain and swelling, it's not made up in her mind.... get her seen. For tonight, Advil or Motrin would be helpful. Tylenol would be okay for the fever, but wouldn't help the swelling any. Good luck with this!!

Answer 2

Temporo Mandibular Joint Disorder (TMJD) could explain the jaw. It's an annoying problem that both my sister and I have where the jaw sort of grinds. Go see an orthadontist or dentist for that.

As for mumps, I had it a couple years ago ... at least, I think I did. The doctor just touched my swollen neck and said: "Yes, it appears to be swollen. Come back in a week if it's still like that." The next two times he said the same thing. I think doctors just don't consider mumps an issue anymore since it's becoming harder to get. If it's not mumps then the neck swelling might be a sign of a thyroid problem! Have the doctor give her a blood test for that.... Be bossy and get some tests done!

Answer 3

I am with your other community answerer's. A second, or third opinion is very important, they are missing something. T.M.J. (Temporal Mandibular Dysfunction), the Jaw Bone, can cause pain and much discomfort while chewing. A" T.M.J Specialist" can diagnose this.

Also, I used to glove up as a Massage Therapist for Surgeons, and go inside of the mouth to the Pteyrgoid muscles, and work on them. I have worked on many people in pain, an unable to chew. If you were to slide your finger directly back to the end of your teeth, and point outward, you might be able to contact the muscle. It can really become tight and sore, if the jaw is not tracking correctly because of mis-alignment. Massaging from the outside also helps. Braces on teeth also cause this T.M.J. dysfunction.

No chewing gum, no hard candies. No sugar.

The swelling and Temp. sound like a side effect of her immunizations if they were recent. I say, get her to a Pediatric Specialist for more tests.
Also, a Bacteria could be lurking in the old Tonsilectomy site. Have her gargle after any foods that are eaten.Try cold packs Bi-laterally, 10 min. no longer. Wrapped in a towel. Hope she has a speedy recovery.

Answer 4

If you are live near to, or in a large city get appointment with a paedodontist. They specialise in caring for children & usually have a D.D.S. before going into that rare specialty./ Insist on an appointment stat. Be polite but pushy.
Second best is a caring paediatrician.
The problem could be as simple as bruxing (grinding the teeth at night), due to stress. (if so, it causes a nest of diffuse symptoms that can look like all manner of potential problems.)
Irritation of the tempomandibular joint, (T.M.J.), could also be the culpret. (it's caused by clenching the jaw.) it too presents a basket of diffuse painful symptoms.
Then again it could be a much more serious problem. (But unlikely so).
Get Specialistr attention A.S.A.P.
Give the child an analgesic, and perhaps even a mild o.t.c. muscle relaxant. (methylcarbamol,). Robaxacet has that combination. (or mydol??)
Get another opinion.
The attending physician could be wrong, none of them are Gods.
Good luck.
Dan the Answers-man

Answer 5

If you are an EMT, you should know that not all vaccines are 100% effective. Sounds a lot like mumps to me, or some other infection of the salivary glands, parotid to be specific.

Answer 6

Sexual molestation by my step father. It was a while ago but it still haunts me to this day, he's in jail for it but I'm only 16 and I find it hard to get close to people, trust anyone, or have a normal relationship with a boy. It's emotionally destroyed me and to this day I still cry 'bout it even when it only happened when I was 12. So, that's that. Can't change it gotta just move past it buttt it's pretty painful, still. >_>;

Answer 7

Abcessed tooth, lymph node problems, infected salivary gland-fix by sucking lemon drops
If she has a temp, there is more wrong than traumatic stress. Go to a different doctor.

Answer 8

That sounds horrible. It sounds at least marginally like meningitis. I'd insist on taking her back and having them check her for that. Meningitis is sometimes missed because the symptoms don't show in teh "right" order. Good luck.

Answer 9

Take her to a dentist, she could have a problem with her teeth. Otherwise take her to an Ear Nose & Throat Specialist since all that is together.

Answer 10

Yes take her to another Dr. cuz something is obviously not right! Maybe she has an abscessed tooth? I don't know but you should definitely get her medical attention right away!