My son hit his right side jaw when playing with his older sister. It is swollen and very tender to the touch. When touched it feels like a not. His mood is ok as long as you dont touch his jaw. He ate all supper with no problem, and can open his mouth, but not wide like a dentist would want. My question is, can this wait until tomorrow as he is sleeping now, or do I need to get him to the ER ASAP.
Hi. Welcome to Chat Doctor . I have gone through your query and can understand your concerns. As per your complaint it seems that pain and swelling over the jaw after being hit is not abnormal as it occurs due to sudden blow to the jaw leading to trauma to the soft tissues leading to swelling and pain. Secondly in case if he is unable to open the mouth wide and the mouth opening is reduced, then it has to be taken care of as it can be due to injury to the jaw joint leading to displacement and dislocation. You need to consult a Periodontist and get him evaluated and a Panoramic x-ray has to be done along with manual palpation to the exact rule out the symptoms and can be treated accordingly. You need not rush to go to emergency room immediately and can wait till morning and see a pediatric dentist. You can however give him Ibuprofen to relieve pain and inflammation and do cool compresses over the swelling. Hope this information helps. Thanks and regards. Chat Doctor. .