Q: My mother, aged 73, cannot close her mouth. She has no teeth. Last year, she was down with high fever and her BP was a bit high at that time, hence treated. But now, she is not taking any medicines. While sleeping, her mouth remains closed. But during the day, it remains open and saliva keeps flowing down. She is not eating properly due to this and has become weak. What is the reason for this? Can it be corrected? If so, whom shall we approach? We had shown her to a neurophysician also, who gave some medicine, which has not helped at all. Can any maxillofacial surgeon help?

A:It appears that the patient may be suffering from Chronic Subluxation of Temporo-mandibular joint. It does not allow to close the mouth during waking up hours due to pain. The pain may subside at rest and the patient can close the mouth in sleep. It is difficult to advise without a clinical examination. However, a consultation with a maxillo-facial surgeon would help.