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New guy here with some (pretty sureTMJ) problems

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April 16th, 2012
hey,
im 20 years old and for about as long as i can really think back ive been having my jaw pop/crack and even kinda get stuck. its on both sides but my left is worse. my right only pops very rarely. i never really thought anything about it untill the last couple days. ive been having ear fullness in my left ear (i can hear fine) and it just wont go away ive used thos ear wax remover kits and it works for a little wile then comes back. also it makes the left side of my face right in front of my ear to about half way into my cheek like a tight feeling/numbnes kinda like how a full ear feels if that makes sense it doesn't hurt at all its just kinda of there i only really get jaw pain if i lay on my when i go to bed and have pressure on my jaw and it hurts a little or when i eat my jaw pops but besides that it feels ok. i have a dentist appointment tuesday to ask about all this ive never been told that i have TMJ but it seems pretty obvious in my opinion. basically just came here to see if anyone has had similar problems with TMJ.
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Cycling4health
replied April 19th, 2012
Hi New Guy,

Your TMJ disc(s) are slipping in and out of place (disc displacment). I had this happen to me when I was your age as well. When I played football, my jaw would lock up...very uncomfortable.

The popping will always occur for the rest of your life. Although the severity of it should reduce as your disc wears out. You'll probably have intermitant locking of your jaw closed throughout your life, but that is one of life's inconveniences when you have a slipping disc.

One option to maintain a minimal annoyance is to wear of night guard.
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jennawenna
replied April 28th, 2012
This is one of the most recent posts i have found to match some of my symptoms. The more i read, i fear i may have tmj (tmd) problems. My left side jaw has been locked shut, only opening about an inch. Prior to this, brushing my teeth, yawning, and chewing had caused my jaw to pop loudly, uncomfortably, but not painfully. If you have any suggestions on how to allow my jaw to loosen please let me know. Thank you for the posts Smile
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Cycling4health
replied April 28th, 2012
Locked Jaw. Don't wait to treat this.
Hi JennaWenna,

You need to...

#1 Wear a SmartGuard night guard at night only (not more than 12 hours per day).
OR
#2 Wear a full coverage TMJ splint 24 hours per day.

If your jaw is locked more than a few weeks, the joint tissues may/will adhere or bond in place requiring only surgery to unlock your joint. You need to act fast on this. Search for the SmartGuard Combo kit to make sure you have the right smartguard for you.

The above is the best lowest cost to treat your conditions. You need to totally relax your muscles. Discluding your back teeth to keep them from touching anything is what you want to do.

Also, running or aerobic exercising is beneficial to helping your muscles relax in a healthy way to help.

Let me know if you have any other questions.
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jennawenna
replied May 4th, 2012
thank you, i was prescribed muscle relaxers and hate an appointment in a few days to further discuss the problem. it has been 6 days now and on the first two mornings my jaw was open for about 30 minutes. thank you for the advice Smile i appreciate the help from people who have dealt with a similar situation
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Cycling4health
replied May 4th, 2012
JennaW,

It sounds like you have trismus (from what you didn't say:))...instead of a true locked jaw (when the disc is dislocated).

So, the gravity of the situation may not be as critical as I previously thought. When you have trismus, you can do TMJ exercises (found on YouTube), muscle relaxers (as you are doing), and aerobic exercising (work out to break a sweat...it really helps to sweat out toxins from your muscles). Wear a night guard that relaxes your muscles. A tip is to not allow your back teeth to touch. So, try to minimize back teeth contact when possible. Every time we swallow 1-2000 times per day, it sends stimulation to the muscles...so Not allowing them to touch in a trismus situation helps relax them, or more importantly...to not make it worse.

The night time relaxation is very helpful to expedite your healing. So, wear the SmartGuard night guard to have maximum relaxation at night and not make it worse.

Hope this helps.
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interested27
replied May 10th, 2013
jennawenna. did you ever get well? i have trismus and tmj too and i'm curious, if you did recover, how you managed it. ive been told to do different things, but trismus stretches seems to upset my muscles considerably and changes my bite nearly constantly
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