Tmj

[EJFan]

anyone have/had to deal with TMJ? what does it feel like and how did you treat it?

i appreciate the thought but links aren't necessary. i'm just looking or personal insight/experience.

thanks guys.

 

[tanyachrs]

It's such a wide diagnosis. I don't know if what I have is anything like what you have. I can tell you it's frustrating because it's still considered psychosomatic in most cases - you're doing this to yourself because you're stressed. That information, if it's even accurate, is completely unhelpful. I always remind myself that they used to think ulcers were caused by stress too. Someday they'll figure out how to cure TMJ and they'll feel sorry for all the people they didn't help and laid a guilt trip on besides.

Sorry, that's a bit of a rant. There's a book I got that helped more than anything a doctor or dentist did for me called Taking Control of TMJ or something like that.

I'd say that if you're just now having pain for the first time and it hasn't gone too far, dose yourself heavily with pain killers and see if it goes away in a few weeks. I almost feel like treating it too much just calls attention to it and if we could ignore it for a while by treating the symptom we'd actually relax enough to be cured.

 

[EJFan]

thanks for the insight.

what i have is soreness that i'm sure is in the actual joint of the jaw... it's not my teeth or gums... and it's a dull ache when i clench my teeth. this doesn't happen all the time and if i clench for more than a few seconds it subsides. also, if i push down on the inside of my ear (above the jaw) it hurts at the pressure point.

in reading about it i've also learned that neck pain and headaches increase with TMJ... i've noticed that i often wake up with neck soreness that sometimes amplifies and spreads through the early hours of the day and eventually becomes a huge headache. i've been writing this off as a bad pillow/mattress and/or spending too much time at the computer.

 

[spapoop]

I had TMJ, and lemme tell you I know what you are going through. In my case, my dentist built a little removable prostetic splint out of dental material. Basically, the top of the device was molded to my upper front teeth and the bottom was flat. When the TMJ flared up, I would push the thing over my upper teeth and it would keep me from closing all the way. Wearing the device forced my jaw to stay open a bit, which the dentist said would cause the muscles to relax. I can't recall now, because it's been a while, but I think he said the closed position is actually harder on the muscles than the slightly open & relaxed position.

I wore the thing during the day, at night while I slept, and brushed it in the morning off and on for almost a year (and took some Ibuprofin when it was at it's worst). The dog found it, chewed it up, and I had another one made that lasted for another year.

The splint was actually kind of a work-around for the fact that my wisdom teeth were actually causing the stress on the jaw muscles, but they were at a funky angle and would need tricky surgury to remove. I finally had them out, and I have never used the splint since then.

When my wife started having TMJ after our first was born, I had her visit my dentist and he fashioned the same little gizmo for her. When TMJ occasionally flares up, she wears it for a day or so and it's gone.

The downside is that insurance does not pay for it, so you have to pay the Dentist's labor & materials to make the thing. I think we paid somewhere around $150 for each of them.

Good luck. I feel for you.

 

[Cathleen]

EJ, it sounds very much like my sister who has TMJ. She's had luck with using a mouth guard her dentist fit for her. She also has the neck pain and headaches; grinding her teeth at night made things even more difficult. I'm sorry you're having a problem, I think it's best to get it checked.

 

[emptynester]

EJ - I have been told by more than one dentist that I have TMJ. As a teenager I had problems with my jaw popping when I would yawn or open to widely. I had headaches all the time and soreness above my jaw.

Several years ago I ended up in the ER with what was later called Meniere's Disease. It is an inner ear problem that can instantly cause you to feel off balance and experience episodes of vertigo. Mine became so extreme, I couldnt function so I had surgery. The ENT Dr. said that it could have been connected to the severe case of TMJ as a teen but not for sure. The meniere's caused a ringing in my left ear and some hearing loss.

I was fine for several years but then had another episode about two years ago. The ringing is now in both ears and I have had steroid shots in both ears to try and eliminate the symptoms.

I was not convinced that the meniere's would come back after all these years so I went to my dentist and he made the appliance others have described. It fits over my top teeth only. I wear it at night. It has relieved the stress in my jaw but so far I still have the ringing. He has had success with this appliance with other patients and he said it generally takes at least 6 months for the ringing to go away. I am into my 4th month. I am really hoping this works for the ringing but it has already helped with the TMJ. My jaw will still pop at times but I don't have as many headaches as I used to. The relief from the pressure on my jaw and ears also helps for a better night sleep.

I would recommend going to either your dentist or an orthodontist. The orthdontist I went to did some tests to determine the severity of the TMJ. He was going to make the appliance but wanted $1,000's instead of $100's to make it. I told him I would think about it and followed up with my regular dentist (who had referred me to him). When he heard the price, he offered to go ahead and make the appliance for me. He had sent me to him thinking he might have a better way of treating it even if it meant braces. The ortho didn't think braces would help and was only recommending the appliance which my regular dentist could also do.

Anyway, sorry for the long post, but I have had a lot of experience with TMJ and different Dr's trying to treat the symptoms but calling it something totally different. Hope you can find someone that can get you some relief quickly.

 

[EJFan]

thank you all. i've kind of self-diagnosed here and based on what i'm reading from your personal accounts, i might be on the right track. of course i realize only a doc will know for certain. i've read that it's often misdiagnosed by GP's and dentists so the information you've all provided is going to be very helpful.

i spent a few nights at a friend's house several weeks ago and he told me i grind my teeth (i had fallen asleep on the living room floor). that was the first time anyone called it to my attention... though i knew i mumbled and made noises in my sleep. then, about two weeks ago, this soreness started in my jaw.

then this...

As a teenager I had problems with my jaw popping when I would yawn or open to widely.

... just COMPLETELY weirded me out becuase i did the same damn thing. i remember being able to sort of dislocate my jaw (i would do this voluntarily... dumb) when i yawned and did so routinely until about 10 years ago.

thanks again folks... i think i'm on the right track here and i'm not terribly happy about it. those who have or had problems with TMJ have my empathy. my best to you all.

 

[Malaria]

I have this, my jaw clicks every time i open it, it hurts like hell. I used to have awful headaches and pain all the way down my jaw and teeth.

My dentist told me it was something that could be dealt with and referred me to the maxillofacial unit at my local hospital. The specialist there told me that it could be treated with a bite raiser, it's like a trampoline for my teeth so i can't clench them at night.

Apparently I was clenching my teeth at night and because my jaw is out of place (due to some nasty beatings) the pressure isn't transferred as it should be and builds up in my muscles and joints. The bite raiser solves this, my headaches are gone and my jaw never hurts except when it clicks.

people i know have tried to have it sorted through their doctors and been told theres nothing that can be done. Get your dentist to sort it out is my advice.

 

[SubNebGuy]

for me its not chronic. sometimes my jaw, always the right side, will pop in a somewhat unpleasant but not painful way.

that then causes swelling, and then I have problems chewing, more popping that does get mildly painful, and eventually it gets better. Sometimes its a week...the worst was about 6 weeks.

ibuprofen, asprin, aleve...will help. tylenol is useless cuz its not an anti-inflammatory.

Oh, and its genetic, so of course my mother and I both ended up with it, though her symptoms are a little different than mine.