HOME
About this site
Advisors to this site
Aging
Anesthetics
Basics of CMT
Bracing
Breathing
Chatrooms
Children/youth
Dentistry
Diagnosing
Drugs/Vitamins
Exercise
Falls
Fatigue
Feet/Legs
Gastrointestinal
Genetics
Grieving
Hands/Arms
Helping Aids
HNPP
Insurance
Medical Journal Articles
Links
Nervous Systems
Pain
Poetry
Pregnancy
Profiles
Q and A
Referrals
Resources
Sex
Special Skills Dogs
Stress
Surgery
Testing/Telling
Tips for Living with CMT
Translations
Travel
Types
Vocal Cords/ Speaking/Swallowing
Websites
Wellness
Women with CMT
Work
HOME

Jaw weakness
by Linda Crabtree

Some of us with CMT have facial muscle loss and experience problems trying to keep our mouths open for long periods during dental work. If you notice muscle wasting in the jaw hinge area, you may be losing bone mass and muscle in that area. A total jaw scan will tell your doctor or dentist if this is happening. Numbness in the face can also be part of CMT. Deterioration of your jaw muscles can lead to difficulty chewing, a hard time keeping your mouth open for dental work and you might find you dislocate your jaw yawning. Make sure your dentist looks for pits in your teeth (these are not cavities) if you are losing muscle and bone mass in your jaw area.

Having enough spit is also important to keep the acid (pH) level normal in your mouth. If you have a dry mouth this is not part of CMT but it can be part of aging. You may need a special rinse and calcium builders for your teeth.

Some people with CMT have jaw muscle spasms. This makes dental work difficult and painful. If you have jaw muscle spasms work with your doctor and dentist to see if they can be alleviated before you have dental work done. Sometimes a misaligned jaw caused by weak muscles can cause jaw muscle spasms.