What is a "mild heart attack"? You may have heard the expression and wondered exactly what it means. A bone can have a hairline fracture or a major break. A stroke can have relatively minor consequences or be severely debilitating. So can a heart attack be mild or major? The … Read More
Medical dictionaries describe lockjaw as a tightness or spasm of the jaw muscles due to a bacterial infection from Clostridium tetani, commonly called tetanus. [1] Tetanus has become very rare in the United States with only about 30 reported cases per year. Almost everyone who gets tetanus today has not … Read More
Throat cancer is not one type of cancer. It is an area where cancer can occur and it includes six types of cancer. Three types can occur in your upper throat, called your pharynx, and three types can occur in your lower throat, called your larynx. Treatment for throat cancers … Read More
Your jaw is an amazing thing. It can move up and down, side to side, and front to back. It helps you chew, talk, sing, and yawn. If you’re one of the millions who suffer from temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, however, your jaw can also be a source of pain … Read More
You’ve heard since the time you were small that brushing your teeth is vital to stave off oral hygiene problems. Even so, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that nearly half of all Americans aged 30 and older have some degree of periodontitis (gum disease). The number increases … Read More
Nobody wants bad breath, and many who have it don’t know they’re afflicted—until they notice that people are standing farther and farther away when they speak. If you've ever suffered from halitosis, you’ll understand how embarrassing this condition can be. Some are so embarrassed they won’t even mention it to … Read More
Because your jaw is one of the joints you use most often, dealing with jaw pain can be difficult: It can affect your ability to talk, eat, and even concentrate. Often, jaw pain is related to problems with your teeth resulting from an oral health issue or from a habit … Read More
Ever awakened with a splitting headache or an ache in your jaw? Has your bedmate accused you of making squeaking or crunching noises while you sleep? You could be one of millions who suffer from sleep bruxism (a.k.a. nighttime teeth grinding), one of the most common sleep disorders. While occasional … Read More
Ever been stopped short by a stabbing pain in your jaw? Have you struggled to eat a crunchy piece of bread, or corn on the cob? You could be suffering from a disorder of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). According to The TMJ Association, Ltd., 35 million Americans (roughly 12 percent … Read More
If you have trouble swallowing, you have dysphagia. If that trouble swallowing is associated with pain, it’s called odynophagia. These are big words for an annoying—and potentially dangerous—disorder that most of us call “trouble swallowing.” According to the National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders, the number of those who have trouble … Read More
