PLEASE HELP! locked jaw problem at the dentist now i am in pain?

Question

I visited a friend in mexico for a couple of weeks and while I was there I went to the dentist. After the procedure, my jaw locked and the dentist was trying to push it back in place. I was able to close my mouth but now, everytime I open my mouth, there is a temporal pain on the left side of my head. The pain is pretty much on the entire left side of my head. I looked online and they said that lockjaw could be associated with tetanus. Is this pain normal, or did I get a bacterial infection at the dentist? I had my tetanus shot a very long time ago. PLEASE HELP I'm so worried. Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

"Lockjaw" as associated with tetanus has nothing at all to do with your problem. You do not have an infection.
When your jaw locks out during a dental procedure, the ligaments get stretched, and you may do some muscle damage.
Your first option is to try and nurse your jaw until it recovers. Chop your food up into small pieces so that you don't have to open wide; use ibuprofen with codeine for the pain but keep well within daily maximums; use heat packs on the side of your face; talk to your GP about using a short course of diazepams as a muscle relaxant, perhaps at night only.
If it gets worse, or if after a week you see no improvement, then see your dentist.
You will in future be vulnerable to this again, because damaged ligaments do not go back completely to normal. If you need further dental treatment in future, ask the dentist to provide a mouth prop so that you can keep your jaw open without using your muscles.
Good luck.

Answer 2

I don't think you have tetanus. Most likely your jaw is out of alignment. Go to a doctor and they can help you.