Teen yawns but her mouth won't close

Be careful when you yawn. Your mouth could lock open.

Holly Thompson of Northampton, UK was attending a lecture on politics. And then she yawned.

The 17-year-old resident of Kingsthorpe could not close her mouth. Yikes!

She asked one of her classmates for help to no avail. What made matters worse was the reaction of her teachers and classmates seeing her look like an anime character in a state of shock.

The teenage girl told Daily Mail, "I was so shocked, my expression probably said it all. I nudged my friend to show her what had happened but I was so embarrassed. When we realized we couldn't close it, she had to tell the teacher.

"All my classmates and teachers thought it was really funny, everyone burst out laughing. It was awful."

She was sent to the school nurse who gave her First Aid but still her mouth won't close.

Thompson ended up in a hospital where a doctor tried to relax her jaw muscles with 26 tongue depressors for several minutes before maneuvering her jaws.

Dr. Ejiro Obakponovwe doesn't think it's funny because she said, "It can be quite serious, because she can't eat, can't really drink, and you get really dehydrated. But again, it's quite painful as well."

With her expertise, Thompson's jaw dislocation was corrected.

Besides yawning, receiving a blow to the face, shouting, and very rarely, sleeping with too much alcohol or sleeping pills can make the facial muscles relax and may lead to the condition.

A previous history of dislocation of the jaws increases the chance of another dislocation. So be careful when you yawn.

Was it the lecture on politics that drove Thompson to yawn?

"I suppose politics can be a bit boring sometimes, but I like it," she said.

Morale of the story: "I don't open my mouth as wide when I yawn now."

Watch the attached YouTube video for the full documentation of Thompson's "survival in her jaw-breaking ordeal." She became an instant YouTube hit with views nearing a million.