TMJ Dysfunction..

[RαіиbowЅміlex]

Hello Everyone,
I am looking for some help, as i said earlier i have chronic jaw and ear pain. I grind my teeth and i think it might be tmj because it keep locking and making all sorts of noises. I am going to make an appointment at the dentist but i am not expecting an appointment until after christmas, so im just wondering if theres anyone out there who knows of anything i can do to stop grinding my teeth or to ease the pain. I've heard you can buy guards or gum sheilds to wear at night has anyone tried them and do they work? Sorry i wasnt sure where to write this i will look for a thread, Jordan thanks a bunch

[Sandy L]

I've used both bite guards and a thing called an NTI-tss for grinding. The NTI-tss (nociceptive trigeminal inhibitor-tension suppression system) works better. It is a small device that clips over the front teeth, concentrating all the pressure of a bite on the front center teeth and triggering a reflex that decreases the force of the anterior portion of the temporalis muscles. The bite guard permits pressure on the back teeth and may sometimes actually increases the force on the TMJ. This is especially handy if you have migraine triggered by bruxism.

[RαіиbowЅміlex]

Ive had jaw pain i think it's tmj as i have all the symptoms. Its only the right side of my jaw although i have noticed a few problems starting my my left. Is toothache/pain a symptom aswell? I've always had problems with my teeth especially fillings thats how i realized the left side was starting, when i lost a filling. I have noticed my jaw get a lot worse over the past 7/8 months. Im only young and was diagnosed august time last year. Its so complicated. It's not like people think " ooh your just bendy" other peole have said well i though it was good to be flexible! I dont blame them for not understanding if i dont myself haha!

[elka3131]

I have been diagnosed with TMJ disfunction but I can't remember the actually technical terms he uses.

I actually saw the Max Fax professor today. He did not have the results of my nuclear jaw scan yet but he showed me my xrasy and MRI and I saw the 'abnormalities'.
My symptoms are-
- Can't open my jaw more than 0.5cm
- Clicking
- ALOT of pain

He is going to wait for the results of my nuclear scan but in the mean time I have these jaw relaxing things. These may sort it out, I am willing to try ir agian. I have done something similar before and it didn't work. But, if it means no surgery, I will giveit another go. In the future, he is probsbly going to do surgery. i won't describe the surgery but it is abit dramatic. The results of the nuclear scan will show him exactly what he will do in the surgery.

My jaw condition might be related to my autoimmune condition but other factors can make it worse aswell. I have had these problems about 2 years (since I was 16) so I really want these to be sorted out as soon as possible.

[RαіиbowЅміlex]

I have those symptoms. I can't eat certain foods, im sticking to soft foods like soup. The pain in my jaw is giving me ear pain too. I'm waiting to be refered to a pain clinic. Ive been waiting about a year. The waiting is hell! J x

[mrsc2b]

Hi
I'm not sure if this is the correct area to post this so please feel free to reposition so to speak!
Since September I've been suffering on and off with jaw pain on my left hand side. Prof Bird says he thinks it's wear and tear in the TMJ? Anyway, it's got really bad this last week and is pretty much a permanent pain which my pain killers are barely touching.
Does anyone else have this? If so what relieves it and how do you cope? I talk all day in my profession as a teacher and its getting really hard!
Looking forward to hearing from all you bendies
Best wishes for a happy holiday season!
Mrsc2b (Fliss)

x

Modnote: merged with existing topic. Please remember to use the search function guys!

[barkingmad]

It may be worth seeing a dentist to check that all is well. I do get this from time to time and the only thing I find that works is a hot wheat bag held to my face. Not very helpful when it comes to needing to talk when teaching though is it!

[mrsc2b]

Hi
I went to the dentist for a check up this week, he said that my teeth are fine but that the pain seems to be affecting my bite. and wished me good luck with getting it sorted! ARGHHHHHH!!!!

[Leoni]

Sorry if there's already a post like this, couldn't find one.

Basically my jaw has been stuck since May last year. I can only open it halfway, and it's painful when chewing, yawning etc.
A couple of times before this happened, my jaw locked but it only lasted for a maximum of 24 hours.

My GP gave me the muscle relaxant Diazepam to try for a week, but this made no difference.

My dentist gave me a gumshield to wear at night incase tooth grinding was the problem. I've wore it every night but it hasn't helped.
She then referred me to hospital to see someone, but all I was told was 'It will sort itself out'. She said it was a lifetime of factors building up, like biting my lip and resting my chin on my hand.

I then went back to see someone else as I was due to see them about getting a tooth out anyway. This guy believes its related to my hms but didn't say much else about it. I then had to suffer excrutiating pain while he pulled a tooth out of my half open mouth, but although it really hurt my jaw at the time, it hasn't made it any worse.

Anyways.....I was wondering if anyone else has suffered this and how did you fix it?! I've tried hot water bottles, massage, muscle relaxants, TENS machine, gumshield, memory foam pillow, eating soft foods...but nothing has worked .

Sorry for rambling on but I'm desperate, so any suggestions will be appreciated!

Leoni x

modnote: merged with TMJ Dysfunction. See also here

[cranionaut]

Trying to establish what the usual protocol is in the uk would be for diagnosing TM joints disorders , and whether any signs of diminished movements seen on an x-ray might be considered abnormal ?

It would also be very useful to know what exactly " articular erosions " mean i.e. because i see it on my notes but I have no idea what it means ( I'm assuming ,at a rough guess, it must have something do with the movement of the jaw being affected ) although erosion seems an odd term to use for tissue - unless it means something else ??

thanks

mattd

[Rosie]

Hi matt

Articulate = moving joints and erosion = wearing away, so presumably your TMJ is showing wear and tear on surfaces of the joint. I should imagine this is 'normal' in an older person, but we often have these type of things younger than most.

Rosie

[Stone]

Some of you may find this article interesting - it's about TMJ dysfunction brought about by bruxism / toothgrinding. Interesting that rates of it have gone up in the recession, doesn't help us lot though!

Stone

[cranionaut]

Hi matt

Articulate = moving joints and erosion = wearing away, so presumably your TMJ is showing wear and tear on surfaces of the joint. I should imagine this is 'normal' in an older person, but we often have these type of things younger than most.

Rosie

Yes, from what I read though there was no mention of x-rays being used to diangose it .

So have you both ( stone , rosie ) been diagnose with TMJ , and if so , what tests where you given ?

matthew

[Stone]

I haven't, but I used to have a very clicky jaw and be able to sublux either side at will (complete with horrific crunching noises). It resolved itself around the same time as I had my braces removed - possibly because I was eating crunchier food? It used to get stuck out of position a fair bit as well, I think I just forced myself to not click it deliberately and the muscle tone around it improved a bit. It's definitely not as bad as it used to be, it's just the rest of me that's fallen apart in the mean time

Stone

[lil_miffy]

im getting my wisdom teeth taken out on thursday so had to see the dental surgean last week. he said my TMJ is very clicky which i wasnt surprised at. however iv had alot of numbness on the left side of my face near the jaw and around my ear. i thought it was the swelling from the wisdom tooth and thought it would go once they are taken out but the dentist said its probably cuased by over stretching the jaw and that this has damaged the nerve.
He doent think it will get bette and that the damage is done. does anyone else have this problem?