Side view of the skull with anterior<unk> . Side view of the skull with posterior<unk> . Side view of the skull with superior<unk> . Front view of the skull with lateral<unk> . There are four different positions of<unk> <unk> : posterior, anterior, superior and lateral. The most common position is anterior, while the other types are rare. Anterior<unk>  shifts the lower<unk>  forward if the mouth excessively opens. This type of<unk>  may happen bilaterally or unilaterally after yawning. The muscles that are affected during anterior<unk> <unk>  are the masseter and temporalis which pull up on the mandible and the lateral pterygoid which relaxes the mandibular condyle. The condyle can get locked in front of the articular eminence. Posterior<unk>  is possible for people who get injured by being punched in the chin. This<unk>  will push the<unk>  back affecting the alignment of the mandibular condyle and mastoid. The external auditory canal may be fractured. Superior<unk> s occur after being punched below the mandibular ramus as the mouth remains half-open. Since great force occurs in a punch, the angle of the<unk>  will be forced upward moving towards the condylar head. This can result in a fracture of the glenoid fossa and displacement of the condyle into the middle cranial fossa, potentially injuring the facial and vestibulocochlear nerves and the temporal lobe. Lateral<unk> s move the mandibular condyle away from the skull and are likely to happen together with<unk>  fractures. Posterior, superior and lateral<unk> s are uncommon injuries and usually result from high-energy trauma to the chin. By contrast, anterior<unk> s are more often the result of low-energy trauma (e.g. tooth extraction) or secondary to a medical condition that affects the stability of the joint (e.g. seizures, ligamentous laxity, degeneration of joint capsule).
Dislocation of jaw
Overbite
Mandibular fracture
Phossy jaw
Fissured tongue
Anismus
Crenated tongue
Stridor