I was in a bad car accident several years ago, and sustained fractures to my jaw, face, and skull. It caused
TMJ Syndrome, or Temporomandibular joint syndrome. People who grind their teeth (bruxism) at night are also likely candidates for TMJ. Other than the pain in the jaw, the symptoms include a "popping" in the jaw, headaches, the inability to chew, headaches, muscles spasms, headaches, developing small "fat pads" and/or bruises under the eyes, and of course, headaches.
In my case, the cartilidge slipped out from between the top & lower jaw, and my facial nerves slipped in (bone can't move on bone). I used to get procaine shots into my jaw on a weekly basis, and wore a
very sexy mouth guard at night, but try not to anymore. However, since I've had one crown come off three times in the past year, I have this feeling that I'm going back to the mouth guard. blech.
When this all happened, everyone worried about my legs & arm (also broken). I wasn't properly diagnosed for another month!