Dentist issues

[Librella]

Has anyone else ever experienced toothaches as an anxiety symptom?
It seems like whenever I have a routine dentist appointment, I start feeling pain in my jaws just from thinking about it. Right now my gums behind my molars feel sore and my jaw aches when I eat. This has happened to me before and it went away when my HA moved on to something else.

I had my cleaning appointment yesterday and when the dentist asked if I had any issues, I said no. I was too scared to discover what might be "wrong." Today my jaw still hurts and I'm yelling at myself for not telling him! He could have also told me there was nothing wrong and then I wouldn't be so anxious. My HA makes me not trust doctors. It's not the first time I made an appointment and then didn't even say what was really bothering me. :( I guess I should go back, but I'm embarrassed and it also costs money. I just feel like my anxiety is a mess right now. I guess I should be making an appointment with my therapist too, January has just been a string of one fear after another.

[NancyW]

It sounds like you are clenching. Could be in your sleep, you wouldn't even know you're ding it

[MyNameIsTerry]

I agree with Nancy.

Bruxism is a known issue for those under stress and it's a recorded side effect of many antidepressants.

When I started my latest antidepressant I had months of jaw pain. A but like a toothache right at the back. I found I couldn't fully close or open my jaw. It was always worse in the mornings. Eating would hurt.

I had a dentist appointment coming up as I was starting at a new surgery after over 10 years since my last dentist left the area. I asked about this. He looked at my teeth, felt my jaw muscles and asked if it was worse in the morning. I said yes. He said I was grinding my teeth in my sleep. He could see evidence of grinding on my back teeth and said my jaw muscles were enlarged.

He gave me an exercise to do, which helped. It eventually went. I have occasionally had a few days of it back at highly anxious period but otherwise it went. I looked my med up to find it was a known side effect. Mine lasted 6 months but I had problems with my med as the side effects lasted much longer than the usual 4-6 weeks we tend to go by.

[Librella]

I've woken myself up because my teeth were clamped so tight or biting my own tongue so I guess that makes sense. I do always wake up with a headache too (but I basically always have a headache from anxiety anyway haha).