TMJ?? Or worse??

[Nutation]

Hello everyone,

I posted for the first time ago here about a month ago when I started to get ear pain in both ears. For the first 10 days, my only symptoms were ear pain in both ears, and some ringing. Then I woke up with some bad jaw pain that I thought was unrelated. I've been treated with antibiotics which didn't do anything and then told I had Eustachian tube dysfunction, which didn't seem to fit. Then two weeks ago I saw an ENT who thought my ears looked totally normal and diagnosed me with TMJ. Since then I've been treating with ibuprofen and heat. I've had some improvement with the ear pain, which now comes and goes instead of being constant. However, I still have ringing in my ears and just a general discomfort/pain on both sides that's how to pinpoint and very very annoying.

I know this is probably anxiety talking, but I am still very freaked out about this being something like a tumor. I don't think I grind my teeth at night and for the first 10 days of symptoms it was just my ears that hurt, not even my jaw - that doesn't seem right, does it? Usually TMJ just affects one side so why did mine do both at once?? Even though the pain is better I am still having symptoms, even though the ENT assured me that I should feel much better after two weeks. Is this all normal for TMJ or do I have something else?
I
had a CT of my head in May for an unrelated reason in May, and my throat scoped for an unrelated reason in September, and both were normal, but I am still very freaked out about something very serious being wrong. I don't feel like myself and I have no energy/motivation and it sucks.

Any input or advice greatly appreciated!

[Mindprison]

I don't suffer from TMJ but the fact you've had a CT and a scope just this year and both came back clear then that pretty much eliminated the possibility of it being anything serious.

I didn't think that TMJ can usually only affect one side, I always thought it was something that could affect any part of the jaw or face. I know that you can put a lot of stress on that part of your head from anxiety alone so it could be that it's added to the problem somehow.

I think there's a real possibility that a lot of it might be because you're constantly worrying. I get quite a few symptoms in my head from anxiety like dizziness, ringing ears, ear pain, jaw pain and so on. It might also be psychosomatic, you've got yourself believing there's something seriously wrong and your body is reacting to it.

You've seen an ENT specialist and had multiple tests done on your head, so that to me is more reassuring than anything.

[Nutation]

I don't suffer from TMJ but the fact you've had a CT and a scope just this year and both came back clear then that pretty much eliminated the possibility of it being anything serious.

I didn't think that TMJ can usually only affect one side, I always thought it was something that could affect any part of the jaw or face. I know that you can put a lot of stress on that part of your head from anxiety alone so it could be that it's added to the problem somehow.

I think there's a real possibility that a lot of it might be because you're constantly worrying. I get quite a few symptoms in my head from anxiety like dizziness, ringing ears, ear pain, jaw pain and so on. It might also be psychosomatic, you've got yourself believing there's something seriously wrong and your body is reacting to it.

You've seen an ENT specialist and had multiple tests done on your head, so that to me is more reassuring than anything.

Hello Mindprison,

Thank you so much for your fast response! I know that the odds of something serious being wrong are small, but can't help but think that something could have popped up since the scan, even if the odds are very low (yay).

I'm sure that constantly worrying does not help, and have been working to relax. My ear pain has been up to a 7/10 though (thankfully not so much in the past week) and began just when I felt like my life was finally back in order - so for at least that symptoms it definitely feels like that was a physiological cause, and my other symptoms started at the same time. I've had several odd medical conditions this year that have taken multiple doctors' visits/specialists to diagnose, which I believe has caused by health anxiety because I can never believe what anyone says. The ringing in my ears and discomfort/pain that still exists is definitely harder to pinpoint, and I'm hopeful that it will go away, but really it feels like it never will which is the scary part. I really appreciate your reassurance, and I'm sorry about the anxiety symptoms you have experienced.

[Speranza]

Sounds awfully like my TMJ. I didn't even know tinnitus was a symptom until recently, and I've had that for years. I had bad earache and awful toothache just before Christmas, and was going to go to the dentist until it occurred to me to wear my bite guard and it cleared after a day or two.

I do recommend a bite guard (can't remember the technical name). I sometimes feel it doesn't help because I can wake with my teeth clamped so tightly on it that I can hardly remove it, but of course that shows how much it is saving the teeth. I ground one out a decade ago! :o

You've had a scan and this is incredibly unlikely to be anything serious. Give yourself a break now. See the dentist and ask about TMJ. It does sound pretty classic. We can't know if we grind our teeth in the night (it was the pain which alerted me to the fact I must have started again) but the dentist may well be able to tell from how your teeth are looking.

Keep us posted!

[Nutation]

Hello Speranza,

Thank you very much for your reply and suggestions! Ouch, grinding your teeth that much sounds awful! I'm not aware that I grind my teeth at night - my pain is constant throughout the day and not worse in the morning so I didn't think that was the case. But the ENT said that she saw a little bit of damage from grinding to my teeth (not at lot though) so it's certainly a possibility. I'm out of town now for the holidays but if my symptoms don't improve by next week I'll get into a dentist who knows about TMJ. It certainly couldn't hurt and I bet they know what they're doing - hopefully it would also reassure me about the cause the my symptoms. I'm glad the bite guard helps you! :)

[Nutation]

As an update, I saw a chiropractor a few days ago that my family uses. He told me that my jaw was shifted to the left and was able to pinpoint the side that has been more in pain. However, after being worked on I can't tell much of a difference unfortunately, besides that I now feel more pressure on both sides on my upper teeth. Still getting come and go ear pain and general discomfort on both sides of my face.

Trying (and mostly succeeding) to stay calm about this, and to tell myself that it's just TMJ, which can cause all these symptoms, and nothing more serious, but it's difficult.

[Nutation]

The last few days my pain has gotten even worse :(. My cheeks feel super sore, still getting ear pain, some tooth pain, pain behind my jaw/down my neck, tinnitus, and just general tightness. My jaw hurts on the right side if I open it wide enough and both sides are tender. However, no pain in my jaw with chewing or anything (which I'm trying to avoid anyway). Telling myself this is just TMJ dysfunction, but there is lots of anxiety about it maybe being something worse. And then if it is TMJ problems I'm worried that it will never go away, since it's been over a month since this nightmare began and it's hard to imagine it continuing. Hard to believe that 5 weeks ago I felt totally normal. Will attempt to book a dental appointment tomorrow when clinics are open again, but any reassurance would be great.

[Brunamateus]

Hey :) i have tmj since i was 14, it is bad to the point that i almost have no cartilage. I developed tinnitus due to it but recently within the postpartum period i was much more stressed which caused me to tense my jaw up without even noticing it, i had the worst symptoms, intense headaches, really bad ear pain and very tender temples. If you look online you will find exercises for tmj pain that actually help, keep using the heat pad, and try to relax your jaw area

[Nutation]

Hi,

Thank you all for your reassurance and advice.

Unfortunately, after trying heat/self-massage/trigger point/lots of ibuprofen, etc my pain kept getting worse so I saw a couple dentists who specialize in tmj. the first one suggested a splint that I wear all the time for 3 months, then just at night after that. unfortunately, super expensive. the second one talked about a "pivotal device," then orthotic splint, then maybe braces AND wants me to get my tonsils out. he's a little less expensive and i think i'm going with him but it has literally put me into crippling anxiety, like i've only had one other time in my life (and maybe worse). I can't seem to stomach anything and am barely functioning. I am so worried about my pain never getting better and this being a chronic condition despite all the awful dental stuff. i'm also so so so afraid of being told i have to get braces again (I'm 23 and had them twice a long time ago and do NOT want to at this stage in my life). besides the last 5.5 weeks and one incident where i yawned and popped my jaw i've never had jaw issues before, so this is all overwhelming, especially with the pain (no one will prescribe me any meds even though ibuprofen doesn't work) and being in a very intensive school program. i feel like this nightmare is never going to end and I don't know how to make it stop. maybe i should have never gone to see the dentists and just waited longer?? but the pain and tinnitus are so distracting. and i don't know if it's the right thing to do. and i don't want a permanent splint. or braces :(

---------- Post added at 17:17 ---------- Previous post was at 16:32 ----------

I feel like my life is over

[Speranza]

It will pass... mine comes for a while then goes for ages. There is a really really good exercise which you can do as often as you like: Curl your tongue backwards until the tip touches the back of the palate, then slowly yawn and hold that position for a few seconds. I do this many times a day when I have a TMJ episode.

I'd ask about a bite guard - doesn't need to be anything fancy and super-expensive.

TMJ really can and does cause all the symptoms you are worrying about - and worrying makes it worse. Try the exercise, relax as much as possible, maybe a herb tea at night if it doesn interact with any meds you may be on.

[Nutation]

Thanks, I'll try that exercise. I feel like I've already committed myself to a ton of dental work and am wondering why the dentist didn't start my off with something simple and cheap like a bite guard :(

[Nutation]

this is hell