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Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
Did you know that it was possible to yawn until your jaw dropped? This is the mishap that happened to a young 21-year-old American from New Jersey. How to deal with this type of injury? Explanations from Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of Doctissimo.
Do you know the expression “yawn to unhinge your jaw”? If you thought that this was just an image, know that in reality, it is indeed possible to unhook your jaw. A young woman of 21 years old, Jenna Sinatra had the bitter experience of this.
She shares her mishap in a TikTok video
The young American explains that after yawning, she dislocated her jaw which prevented her from being able to close her mouth. After being treated in the emergency room, doctors had to intervene to give her medication to relax her muscles and perform a maneuver to put her jaw joint back in place and reduce the dislocation. She recounts her misadventure in a TikTok video that occurred a few days before her birthday.
Dislocation of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ)
Asked about this case, Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and medical director of Doctissimo, explains that yawning too hard can lead the temporomandibular joint, between the temporal bone and the mandible, to become detached. “Some people even subluxate their jaw and put it back into place on their own.” adds the doctor. “You should know that this can be a source osteoarthritisin the long term for this joint”.
Perform the Nelaton maneuver to put the jaw back into place
In Jenna Sinatra’s case, she had to go to the emergency room so doctors could put her joint back in place. “IThis is the Nélaton maneuver. explains Gérald Kierzek. “You have to put your fingers in the patient’s mouth, push down, in order to put the joint back in place and reattach the jaw, so to speak”.
After this maneuver, it is necessary to perform an x-ray to see if the patient has fractured the jaw bone. As for Jenna Sinatra, she was able to celebrate her birthday, with bandages surrounding her face to ensure that her jaw was indeed back in place.