I cant Believe there are other people who have this condition. I've been to so many doctors trying to explain to them how I feel. They all thought it has to do with my jaw like TMJ but It didn't make sense, it only last for a few seconds and goes away. sometimes it happens and then a few seconds later again but worse, all I can do is hold my head and scream and slam my feet down. I was just by another Doctor this week he told me he just wrote a report on it and said its a very uncommon condition, usually hereditary. It definitely has to do with your saliva glands. I'm going to see him in a few weeks again to figure out what to do.

If you would like, I will Share any info I get after my visit. Good Luck!

Wow I posted this a year ago. Thought it was lost and forgotten.

I've been to the doctors about this only recently and they too mentioned TMJ (Which I do have) or they otherwise didn't know. The thing is, I've noticed to get the same pain when I would smell a strong scent from the food I am eating. I was eating mac & cheese in school and as I brought the spoon up to my mouth I got a strong smell of it and got the sharp pain in my jaw area.

My family doctor said that for it to be the saliva glands it'd be in the area right in front of the ear but when I get the pain its right along my jaw bone all the way down my face but it is not the jaw itself.

My dad told me he had the same exact problem and still has it occasionally so you may be right by it being hereditary. Do any of your family memebers have this problem as well? If you go to any more doctors please update me on what they said.

this has happened to me before, it turned out to be thrush ( yack!!!! ) not sure if its the same but a possibility! and men can get it too xxx

ya thrush is something completely different and from looking it up online i think i would know if i had that. Plus I've always had this since I was little.

yeah you wouldnt miss it hun lol but i have the sharp pains you describe in my jaw while im eating if someone makes me smile or laugh!!! its sooo painful, do you get this too??

No but it sounds like your describing a TMJ problem. My pain only triggers when the saliva glands are stimulated from the smell of food or the taste of it but it only lasts the first few seconds i start chewing. I can feel all the saliva rushing into my mouth while I feel it too. Thats how I know it has to be the glands.

what exactly is TMJ

Interesting, I suffer from TMJ as well; recently it has been getting much worse. Now I have extreme pain in the ear and in the head like a shooting pain. The Doctor thinks I'm grinding my teeth at night. But anyway, you said sometimes it hurts just when you begin to smell the food, I know exactly what you mean. Doc. said once your brain registers food through smell, your body begins to produce the saliva. Hence the phrase "my mouth is watering" when you're really hungry and you smell something good, sometimes you can almost taste it.

I Have family members who have it, but not as often.

I will keep you posted.

TMJ is a general term that refers to many conditions that affect the jaw joint and the muscles that control jaw movements.

hey i get this pain when i first put something in my mouth makes my eyes water for a few seconds it's really quite annoying does any1 know for sure what it is? Jenny

where is the pain located at jenny?

inside my mouth at the back near my back bottom tooth, this happens on both sides, not all the time but sometimes

so its not in the jaw area though? cause my pain is located right there but its around the jaw area which is right next to the back tooth

i think so lol sorri it hard to pin point sounds like the same place as yours

How long have you had it for?

since i can remember
only wen i eat or drink something

Drinks never bother me for some reason. Its only the first time chewing food but it doesn't happen all the time.


The most common problem that could cause such a thing is Saliva Stones which are solidified calcium stones that block the ducts in your saliva gland where the saliva goes through to go into the mouth. When ever your saliva glands are stimulated to release saliva, the saliva tries to go through the duct but it can't because its blocked and it causes pain and the gland will swell causing visible swelling in the face.

When I went to my ENT about this he asked me if I get any swelling. I said no and he said since I dont have swelling then he has to rule out a saliva gland problem but obviously other stuff can be wrong with it and not cause swelling so I don't know. When ever I get that pain i usually press on the spot it hurts but it never swells and if it does its not noticeable. However I might ask someone to look at the sides of my face and jaw to see if there is any visible swelling during the time i feel the pain.

does it last long your pain? mine when I'm eating only last a few seconds/a minute

only a few seconds when i FIRST take a bite and start chewing the food, then after that it never happens again.

same here it's so weird