Question for jaw pain sufferers [Archive]

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Ditapage

17-09-19, 09:14

Unicorn1985

17-09-19, 09:27

Have you been diagnosed with tmj disorder?

I have this. It started on the left but due to heslth anxiety and clenching at night it’s also in my right side too now. I only tend to get actual pain in the jaw joints when resllt stressed out. Otherwise it’s the jaw clicking, grating, sometimes ear ringing, pain when swallowing at times, sore neck, sore shoulders, around the jaw area feels very sore to touch like it’s bruised and it can give me awful headaches that pain killers can’t touch.

I recently went in for a filling and I ended up questioning my dentist as she was numbing what I thought was the wrong tooth. I’ve been having pain in a side tooth for past two years but she showed me x rays and there was no filling needed in the tooth I’m having the issues. Also if I’m clenching lots my front bottom teeth all feel sore and like they are loose but they are not.

Ive been suffering with this for years so any help I can be just shout x

Ditapage

17-09-19, 09:37

Hi unicorn,

thanks heaps for taking the time to reply to me.

My dentist told me I have TMJ but they don’t seem to understand the misery it can cause. I am pretty sure when I have a flare up of pain I feel monstrous fatigue as well and my face just feels very heavy.

Your dentist experience sounds familiar. Phantom tooth pain. Normal X-rays. I’ve had nerve pain that needed a root canal and it was the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life. So I take some comfort in the fact there’s no mistaking a tooth problem. What I feel now is nagging pain in my teeth but the dentist has dismissed me because there’s no evidence on the X-ray. Very frustrating! It helps to know that you’ve felt tooth pain as well, because I thought TMJ was limited to jaw, not that it could actually feel like individual teeth have cavities.

I’m also noticing when I’m sore (and like you, it’s triggered by stress for me too) and it feels like my teeth are being affected, I end up with some swelling in my cheek and side of my face. Have you ever felt like it was swelling (or could see swelling?)

Unicorn1985

17-09-19, 10:00

I can’t see swelling but it feels like it is. It feels all bruised and sore! Tmj disorder is hugely under researched. I believe because there isn’t much that can be done. Mine first started after my daughter was born and I yawned too widely!

My dentist is a lovely lady but no help at all. I’ve told her my symptoms and she tells me most aren’t related to the jaw. Most health professionals don’t believe the vast range of symptoms you can get which leaves you feeling alone, isolated and scared something more serious is going on. I was convinced at one point I had throat cancer because of all the pain when I swallowed. The Americans seem to be far more advanced in this condition than the British. My dentist gave me a guard to wear at night and said she could do no more. She said hospital couldn’t do anything more either so no point referring me. I csnt use the guard is makes me gag! So I just have to suffer. One day I will wake up and apart from some clicking that’s it, other days it’s headaches, sore neck. Sore shoulder etc. I never know what I’m going to be like.

also it can make you feel really tired. One of the symptoms is waking up from a full nights sleep and feeling fatigue. It’s scsry how one joint can cause so much discomfort and pain x

Unicorn1985

17-09-19, 10:02

Also as I say my dentist is a lovely lady but my last check up she felt my jaw and said “oh yes a little pop there”

little pop? Little pop? You have no idea how much hassle this causes me. It even affects my love life with my husband. It’s the first actual real physical symptom that contributed to the heavy spiral of heslth anxiety that I’m now suffering with every day!

lebonvin

17-09-19, 10:09

Hi Dita

This is one of the few subjects I know something about because I have it right now!

Yes, it does feel like you got multiple vavities.

Do what to do about it? Self help.

Go to YouTube and search TMJ. Have a notebook and pen ready. Then watch the clips.

I come up with 2 different routines which both help but got different exercises. I can't remember which physios they were (not dentist) but avoid the two *******d who call themselves the most famous physios on the net and fall flat with their attempted comedy act.

Once you have decided which exercises is worth trying and there should be about 6, do 2 or 3 times a day. It may take a few days to work. Not just jaw exercises but shoulders and chin tucks too.

For medication when real bad I took melenomic acid after a meal, gives a bit of relief, it's an anti-inflammatory.

Good luck

Charlie

Ditapage

17-09-19, 11:35

Hello again unicorn,

i relate to everything you’re saying and feel less alone in this nightmare. It’s SO exhausting to have a condition that isn’t really understood by the people we look to for help in our immediate area. It can be very depressing and isolating.

I feel the swelling and I can’t even tell if it’s noticeable to be honest but it feels like it should be as it feels so terrible and heavy over that side of my face. And I feel like that side of my face looks different.

I’m sorry for your horrible experience with it, sounds miserable. My dentist is lovely too but like yours totally diminishes how awful this thing is. I have the worst sleep, I hate it.

I sometimes get an aching feeling and when I try to chew something it will send very sharp pain through my jaw that fortunately doesn’t last long. I also get a sensation of contractions in my cheek - do you feel this? I’m not sure whether to see about trigeminal neuralgia. Right now as I write this, there is a mild burning sensation in my cheek.

Ditapage

17-09-19, 11:36

Hi Charlie.

Sorry to hear you suffer with this too. Thanks heaps for your helpful suggestions. Have you ever noted any swelling? I imagine if swelling is part of this, the anti inflammatory should help.

Unicorn1985

17-09-19, 11:42

I do find my cheek can feel sore inside and sometimes it feels like I’m getting an ulcer on my tongue. That aching feeling all over but nothing ever comes of it and it’s gone by the morning. So many odd symptoms. It’s a really weird problem and so many odd symptoms it can cause x

MyNameIsTerry

18-09-19, 01:46

Hi fellow warriors,

I have a few questions for those of us who have jaw pain. If you could share your experience I would greatly appreciate it :)

1. Is your jaw pain one sided or both sides?

2. Is it burning pain, tightness, numbness, tingling?

3. Does it hurt when you chew?

4. Is it constant or spontaneous, do you have periods of more intense short lived pain?

5. Have you noticed any swelling in your jaw or face / cheek when the pain is there?

6. Does it feel like you have multiple cavities in your teeth?

The latter has been the biggest problem for me as my teeth have all hurt off and on and felt like they had cavities but my dental X-rays were all normal.

Thank you for reading, I look forward to your responses. I know TMJ is very common with anxiety but I’m beginning to suspect neuralgia and I’m desperate to hear what anxiety jaw pain is like for everyone else. Thank you so much!

1. Mostly right sided but could be both when really bad.

2. Tightness and aching.

3. Yes, it could. More so when it was playing up.

4. Constant. Worse upon waking. Lasted about 6 months daily.

5. My dentist spotted my jaw muscles were enlarged. My therapist said her boss also had this when he went through anxiety. It due to the clenching, it's just like any muscle building exercise at the end of the day.

6. I couldn't answer this. It did feel a bit like tooth ache but more at the back or when I tried to chew/bite.

Other than this I also had headaches, sometime neck ache, I couldn't fully open or close my jaw (couldn't close my teeth together).

My dentist said it I was grinding my teeth in the night which was why it was worse in the morning. He gave me an exercise to perform before bedtime which helped.There are also techniques other than this which help. I have posted them before on here so let me know if you want them and I'll copy & paste the thread over.

My dad gets neuralgia and I've had issues with nerve spasms in the neck. I would have to ask my dad but with the spasms there was a throbbing there. At times of stress before my anxiety I had a couple of occasions where I couldn't turn my face to the left without some aching and it felt all tight.

Ditapage

18-09-19, 20:01

Hi Terry,

thank you for your detailed reply- a lot of helpful and great information there. My pain and discomfort is mostly right side as well, and worse when I wake up. I’m scared it’s the beginning of trigeminal neuralgia as
i also get sudden sharp pain if I chew sometimes but I’m hoping it’s still TMJ and just a result of the jaw being stiff on these occasions. I’ve had issues with swelling on that side like i’m very aware of my cheek on that side whereas my left side is completely non-problematic and it makes sense that the masseter enlarges. A dentist said Botox can relax the muscles again but I’m not sure I want to go down that route.

I woke up with pain and puffiness this morning , then I Searched lymph face massage on YouTube and feel like my pain and swelling decreased as a result of massage!

My dentist cant do anything more for me anymore :( I was driving to see her yesterday because of the pain and discomfort I had on that side and she told me to call her osteopath so now I have an appointment with him. Hopefully he can help too.

If you could share the before bed exercise that has helped your morning pain, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

MyNameIsTerry

19-09-19, 02:15

Hi Dita,

Here you go:

https://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?166483-clenching-jaw-so-much&highlight=Bruxism

I'm surprised they can't do more for you. I thought there were options ranging into surgery for TMJ?

My dentist noticed evidence of grinding damage on my back teeth. Since it was worse upon waking he determined I was grinding in my sleep (my teeth that is :blush::roflmao:).

The exercises did help but I reached a point where it wasn't shifting although it was minor. What then helped was taking 2 paracetamol before bedtime. For some reason I found this seemed to help.

In that thread there is a link to a book. If it still works there are some exercises in there for the jaw for something like TMJ.

If this is about your anxiety then there are ways to combat it that way too. You could do relaxation before bed or something like Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). PMR might have a more relevant facial version if you have a scan about.

Bringing your overall levels of anxiety down will likely help too if it's a clenching/grinding issue.

The coordinator at the walk-ins I used to attend had the same problem. He tried a night guard briefly but couldn't sleep with it in (I never bothered with one, my dentist did briefly mention it if things didn't improve, as I already had sleep trouble and didn't need any more) and he found sleeping with his little finger in the corner of his mouth helped!

lebonvin

19-09-19, 02:20

There's little doubt that TMJ starts with anxiety teeth grinding. Did you know that you can get plastic tooth covers to put on at night to stop you doing it?

The best advice I ever gotten was that if you can stop doing it during the daytime, you'll eventually stop doing at nite

It's interesting how TMJ falls under dentistry in your country. Here it's physio and bone specialist. I guess becoz it's not actually a tooth problem as such.

Those YouTube clips are good even though it's free advertising. The gig is to keep doing all the time even when you don't got any pain.

lebonvin

19-09-19, 05:23

It's kinda screwy that your dentist's doesnt consider TMJ not part of their job.

I would recommend a physio because they can do hands on manipulation of your jaw and teach you the self help exercises and make sure yous is doing them correct.

The other thing is to be aware of posture all the time especially when walking. Shoulders back, head up straight and chin tucked in at all times like what they teach us in the army. Make it a habit.

I'm not sure what a bone doctor would do apart from give you muscle relaxants. I've got some somewhere which I never took I'll try and find them and gives you the name.