A clicking jaw without pain is not a disorder

You have two temporomandibular joints, one on each side of the jaw,
connecting the lower jaw to the skull. Temporomandibular disorders — TMDs
— are a group of more than thirty conditions affecting them, causing pain,
stiffness and trouble chewing. They fall into three types: disorders of the
jaw joints, disorders of the chewing muscles, and headaches arising from a
TMD.

Many TMDs last only a short time and go away on their own. Some become
chronic.

The symptom that is not a symptom

Clicking or popping without pain is common and is not a sign of a TMD. A
great deal of unnecessary worry starts with someone noticing the noise their
own jaw has always made.

Cause, and who gets it

Sometimes an injury to the jaw or the joint causes a TMD. **In most cases the
cause is not known.** Research suggests three things influence whether one
starts and whether it lasts: genetics, psychological and life stressors, and
how the person perceives pain.

Anyone can develop one, but it is more common in women, and most common in
women between 35 and 44.

Diagnosis without a test

There is no standard test for TMDs, and other conditions cause similar
symptoms, which makes them hard to diagnose. A provider or dentist will:

• Take a detailed history — where the pain is, when it happens, what makes it
  better or worse, whether it stays in one place or spreads, and whether you
  have other pain conditions such as headache or back pain.
• Examine the head, neck, face and jaw for tenderness, clicking or popping,
  and problems moving the jaw.
• Possibly order imaging — x-ray, MRI or CT.

Treatment, starting at home

For many people the symptoms are temporary, and the first suggestions are
things you do yourself: eat soft foods; apply heat or cold to the face and do
gentle stretching and strengthening exercises for the jaw; take
over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen; and stop clenching the jaw,
chewing gum and biting your nails.

If those do not help: physical therapy; **self-management and behavioural
approaches**, including cognitive behavioural therapy to identify and change
negative thoughts and build coping skills, and biofeedback, which uses
electronic devices to show you when you are tightening your jaw muscles so you
can learn to recognise it and relax; medicines — anti-anxiety,
antidepressants, anti-seizure, or prescription pain relievers; and an
intraoral appliance, a device that fits over the teeth.

Source: MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine.