TMJ Question, I am in so much pain! Hi! Does anyone here have TMJ? How did it start? I am a life long tooth grinder when I sleep but I don't think I've gotten worse recently. However this morning I woke up and the right side of my face feels like I was sucker punched! :( My jaw hurts and the pain is going up to my ear both in front of it and behind it. I cannot put my back teeth together on that side without it hurting badly. I took some OTC pain killers and it didn't help much at all. I have been googling jaw/ear pain all morning and all I can find is TMJ. Is it possible to just wake up one day and 'have it'? I have NO idea how this works or what to do. I do not hear any popping or cracking noises from my jaw. Does it go away on its own? Should I see a doctor? Is there something else this pain could be from? My teeth are fine, I have minor to no allergies and Ive NEVER have a sinus infection in my life (not that I can't get one but I highly doubt I have one). Any other ideas or any info you guys have on TMJ would be appreciated. |
:( sorry to hear you are having so much pain.... |
this could be a result of a bad night of grinding, which you said that you do. You may or may not have TMJ. Sounds to me like you need a mouth guard to stop the grinding. Mine has helped me immensely, and I get far fewer headaches and no jaw pain. I don't have TMJ. I got a guard at Walgreens---soak it and fit it to your mouth according to the directions. It can't hurt to try this. If your problem is simply grinding, your pain will probably go away. If you have TMJ, it may not make the problem go away. |
I have TMJ and it started in high school. It usually stems from stress. The first time it acted up my whole jaw was so incredibly sore that it hurt so bad to even eat apple sauce. I went to the doctor after a week of pain and was practically in tears. I was supposed to go to a special dentist and get a night guard but never did. I haven't had any experiences that bad. Now it'll just be a toothache every now and then. Good luck and sorry your in so much pain! |
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I would hate for you to just sit with it and it be more serious than you think. I would just be worried that you maybe had root damage or something. When I googles it it just made me more nervous.:eek: Is anything swollen? I hope you feel better soon. Try to ice it too.:) |
I was diagnosed with TMJ about 3 years ago, but it looks like my problems started in my early 20s when I had only my upper wisdom teeth removed, causing my bite to go completely out of whack over the years. This resulted in chronic migraines and neck pain that, at its worst, confined me to bed for days on end. I happened to change dentists and ended up with one who had lots of TMJ training and expertise. He diagnosed me. It turns out I also grind and clench my teeth at night. My jaw had adapted so well that I never had jaw pain until after I started treatment. It is slowly improving. My headaches and neck pain have mostly vanished. They only return when I need an adjustment of my night guard/bite splint. It is important to find a dentist who specializes in TMJ. There are many ways to treat it, most of them are not covered by insurance. However, my new dental insurance does cover night guards/bite splints as long as the dentist notes a grinding problem. Just don't let your dentist use the term "TMJ" or all treatment may be denied. My health insurance covered some physical therapy as well. Until you can find a proper dentist to see you, eat a soft diet and apply warm moist heat to the painful area. Try to reduce your stress and what ever you do, DON"T buy a drug store night guard. It will only increase your pain. You might also check out the Pankey Institute for a referral. My dentist is Pankey trained and is the best I have ever been to. PankeyDentist.org I wish you the best. PM me for more info. |
I, too, have TMJ. A few years back i went to the doctors cause i was getting these severe earaches...couldnt figure out why. I didnt even think of TMJ cause i never heard any popping and i dont grind my teeth at night. But she said my jaw was a tad out of line and that she could feel it when i opened and closed my mouth. I find the only thing i can do when it does act up is to just STOP everything...go and sit and relax and hope the pain passes soon. I feel for you...the pain is just awful. :( |
So sorry you aren't feeling well. Sucks to wake up that way. I also grind my teeth and would have problems with this. My dentist told me to quit chewing gum and to see if that helped. I wasn't even a big gum chewer either, just ya know a piece here or there, but I was amazed that when I stopped totally, my grinding lessened and I haven't had the popping in my jaw, nor have I been waking up with a sore jaw. I haven't chewed gum in about 2 years and am amazed at the difference. You might give it a try if you chew gum at all. Hope this helps in any way.:) |
Thanks so much EVERYONE! I am not totally convinced I have TMJ..... just when I tried to google jaw/ear pain it kept coming up so I thought I'd ask some questions and see if anyone knew anything. Can it just 'come on' like over night with no history of it ever before? I have been chewing a lot of gum lately, a pack every 2 days at least and usually 2 pieces at a time. Its sugarfree! :) I have had my wisdom teeth taken out, all 4 when I was 17 (15 years ago YIKES!) and never any problems with that. TMJ seems a bit of a far reach for having jaw/ear pain for one day to my logical mind, but I don't know how it starts or when it starts. I also woke up with the tendenitis in my wrist acting up and hurting also. I don't know if they are related... if I hurt myself sleeping funny last night or something.... its all just so weird! |
Sounds to me that it is just a grinding problem, and not TMJ. You said that you already had a problem with this. One bad night of grinding can cause this kind of pain. And your teeth will have increased sensitivity with time. That's why I never sleep without my nightguard. It has really been a life saver. I didn't even know I ground my teeth until my dentist told me that I did. I had a fair amount of jaw pain and associated headaches, but no longer. If, as I suspect, it is just grinding and not TMJ, the over-the-counter mouth guard should work just fine. |
I have it too... And it CAN come on overnight......the gum chewing is probably the culprit.....although, mine can happen at any time....What I have found is...that if I stress about it,, it makes me more tense...thus.....my jaw hurts more.....mine gets to I cannot clench my molars together in the back...for a few days.....and when I put my fingers at my ear, and try to open my mouth, I can feel the "hinge" stick out....and I know that when it no longer sticks out, my pain will go away......That is probably the same thing for you.....try it and see. anti inflammatory drugs are what I use...of course.....I usually take Motrin 800, because I have the perscription for it....and it is all that works for me.... Also, you may want to try compresses, hot or cold.....to see if that works too... good luck. |
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I have had jaw soreness in the past from a night of heavy grinding/clenching my jaw but this is different. This is very uncomfortable, almost like my ear is clogged up and the side of my face is swollen. Like I was literally punched in the jaw from the side. |
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Wanna know the kicker????? I have no teeth problems, I am a dental hygiene freak and floss and brush multiple times a day. I am 32 and never even had a cavity, so this year to make up some of the cost of my pay cut (due to the economy) I canceled my dental insurance for the year. So I have NO dental insurance right now. Hows that for a kicker? Figured with my clean dental history I could go a year without insurance. HAHAHA |
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