Causes of jaw pain other than heart trouble include cancers affecting the jaw—of which there are quite a few types.
If you’ve been experiencing jaw pain lately, perhaps you’re scared out of your wits that this means an impending heart attack or very clogged arteries.
So in an attempt to reassure yourself, you’ve sought out what can cause jaw pain other than heart troubles.
Cancer may be the furthest thing from your mind when it comes to jaw pain.
But the reality is that different kinds of malignant tumors can affect the jaw and thus cause pain.
But does this mean that your jaw pain, if not from a heart attack or other heart problem, is most likely from cancer? Of course not.
Causes of Jaw Pain Not Related to the Heart or Cancer
• Temporomandibular joint (“TMJ”) disorder
• Gum disease
• Abscess
• Cavity
• Gaps between teeth (pain occurs when chewing)
• Hairline fracture from impact trauma
• Pregnancy (which softens joints body-wide)
• Bone infection
• Cyst
• Benign tumor
• Trigeminal neuralgia brought on by vascular pressure on the trigeminal nerve
Cancers Affecting the Jaw
• Ameloblastoma (usually benign but in rare cases is malignant)
• Osteosarcoma
• Ewing’s sarcoma
• Multiple myeloma
• Metastatic cancer
• Malignant tumor pressing on the trigeminal nerve
Overall, cancers that affect the jaw are rare. Heart problems are extremely common.
Most of the other potential causes for jaw pain are also pretty common.
Thus, there is no need to panic, but do see a doctor right away, if for no other reason than to seek pain relief.
Jaw pain that occurs when the mouth is at rest or that’s accompanied by other symptoms is particularly concerning.
This is worrisome especially if those other symptoms are chest/back/arm pain, sweating, nausea, fatigue (indicates heart trouble) or a sensation of a stuffed nose, nasal discharge not related to a cold, or lump near the nose or eye (suggestive of a tumor near the jaw affecting the sinus area).
