I’ve heard of some kids not being able to keep their mouths shut, but this one beats all!  Even the orthodontist said he’d never seen it.

Trevor was away from home and the lady called and fairly screamed, “Come pick up your son.  His mouth is stuck open!”  My questioning did no good, ‘cause the lady had never seen such an occurrence and didn’t know what to do except to give him a bag of ice for the pain. 

Last May, Trevor finally got braces (at 16 ½).  But, in anticipation of the braces, his upper jaw (the hard palate in his mouth) had to be separated (broken) to widen his mouth to accommodate all the teeth he had coming in.  That done, the braces went on.  Last week, the braces came off.  Yesterday, he yawned too wide (is that possible?!?) while leaning his chin on both hands.  With the adverse pressure, his jaw popped out of the socket on the right!

The panic call from the woman led us to chasing around for an hour trying to find a doctor who wasn’t out to lunch!  Bad move.  The poor boy had his mouth opened wide for over an hour and a half.  After consulting nurses in several offices and determining that their doctor wouldn’t be able to help either (remember, I’m a Mom, talking on a cell phone while driving around, with a child in pain), I made the executive decision to head for the emergency room.  The sounds coming from the passenger seat sounded a lot like Lamaze labor moans.  As the sounds crescendo-ed and I drove faster, Trevor gave one last shriek and grabbed his jaw.  Suddenly, the jaw “popped” and it slid back into place. 

I slowed down to the speed limit, looked over at him and said, “So.  That’s it ?!?”  He replied, “I need pizza.”

The orthodontist that I had originally called gave an explanation fit for a second year medical school class, but I gleaned enough for a good at-home science lesson.  The upper jaw expansion was a contributing factor.  The top point of the mandible (lower jaw) fits into a sliding socket, not a closed socket like your shoulder or hip, to allow movement of the jaw during chewing.  The protuberance in the front of the socket (part of the upper jaw) varies in length and that’s why there’s the possibility of the jaw “popping,” even out of place.  Trevor’s protuberance was not only too short, but out of sync with the width of the lower jaw.  Hence, the popping out and staying out of place!

Think again before you tell someone to keep his mouth shut.  He may actually not be able to!