Hi,

there's not much activity on this forum is there?! Anyway, just in case you still check here I thought I would reply:

i've had the sound "bubble" when I swollow for the last 3 years now, ever since I had difficulty equalising my ears on a plane journey. Doctor advised me to use a strong decongestant spray but this never cured it.

I've had the symptoms of tmd for about 2 months. Since then I have noticed that the ear popping is much worse. The ears do feel "full" most of the time, which, at times, can be even more uncomfortable than the jaw pain.

Over the past 2 months I have experienced sharp ear pain twice (only in / around the right ear) and pain behind the right eye once.

Whether or not these are usual tmd symptoms I am not sure.

Boy, when I read your post. I thought of what has happened to me.. First of all. My tmj problems started after I fell on my face.. Ugghhh.. On the ice.. And tore my 'disc'.. Had it taken out. On and on.. Then.. I felt like there was something in my ear.. Like you described,, a feeling of fullness.. It drove me crazy.. Also I noticed my hearing starting to go.. Like muffled.. Well.. At the time.. This was a lonng lonng time ago.. I had my tonsils out.. And guess what? It was my tm joints... Soooo,,, there you have it.. Now after five operations and two sets of silastic implants.. I am going tomorrow to go over my ct scan and mri... Wish me luck, cuz i'm scared,, i'm afraid i'll have to have a total replacement.. After reading some of these posts... I'm scared.. And wonder if I really need surgery.. Yes I have daily headaches.. Yes, I cant hear well ,,, but.. I dont have half of the pain that some of you have.. Hmmm.. Also. I cant go to the dentist cuz I cant open my mouth.. Well. That would do it.. Thanks for listenening to me..

Your new friend..

Marylee

I have never experienced ear pain ,( ringing the odd time) until just recently I was sure it was a severe ear infection , but it wasn't

I have a quick question I think I have tmj cause I have been having headaches for like 3 weeks and on the right side of my jaw under my ear has been hurting and like when I open my mouth and wiggle my jaw it hurts even more well I have something that has been bothering me even more and im wondering could it be from the tmj my ears mainly the right side but some on the left they feel like there is alot of pressure or like they are stopped up could this be from tmj?????????

Hello hardhit.......,
it does sound like you might have developed tmj. Since your main pain is headaches, you might be able to stop this from getting any worse by getting a bite splint.

If you are able to find a good tmj bite splint maker/doctor (and they can be dentists, orthodontists, oral surgeons), you will also have a good start at "fixing" the problem. Shop around for a good specialist. If the person starts out by talking about braces and surgery right away, I would run away and try someone else.

A good bite splint is also very important. There are several different kinds and they do serve different purposes. Do some research and go into any appointment educated. Do not get discouraged if the first bite splint needs lots of adjusting or ends up not being the one. Patience can be very important to get that perfect splint.

Don't be surprised if the specialist suggests valium at night for a couple of weeks (or you could ask for it). Take only a low dosage and don't plan on taking it longer than a few weeks. Even a seratonin regulator like prozac might be a good idea. Again, start with a low dose, plan on it taking at least a month before full effects are felt and wean slowly off when you want to stop.

I hope these are helpful suggestions. You really are at a good position to be "cured." there are other suggestions, of course, like moist heat & ice, physical or massage therapy, eat only softer foods, relaxation exercises like yoga, etc. I would skip chiropractics for now.

I hope and pray that you get the help you need. Research, research, research is very important, so get busy. :)

god bless...
Carol

Well yea I had went to the doctor about my headaches and he thought I may have sinus troubles and this and that so he put me on all these meds and I just started takin them but I got to thinkin about my jaw hurting and the pressure and stuff bein on the same side and I looked at the symptoms for tmj and im almost certain that is what I have I mean I cought myslef grinding my teeth gon to work the other day also and when I open my mouth wide it seems tight and almost feels like im gonna get a charlie horse on the right side of my jaw in front of my ear but seems like when I lean down to do something my head feels heavy and kinda hurts would that be part of the tmj?????Also if I wiggle my jaw left to right it hurts bad on the right side and it just feels kinda num or something from the triangle on my ear right to my jaw joint.

Oh and catswold I love cats to =)

Hi,
how can we not like cats, they are great! The word "catswold" is made up from my love of cats and england (the cotswold).


The more you said today about your symptoms definitely do point to tmj (one side hurting the most, side-way movement, supposed sinus problems, teeth grinding and headaches). I'm not all that surprised that your doctor didn't even mention tmj. Doctors just don't think that way. All the years I have gone to doctors about headaches and earaches and they never mentioned tmj.

If you can, make an appointment with your dentist and ask him if he knows any tmj specialists in your area. Also check on the websites aaop.Com, aacfp.Org, and tmj.Org for names of tmj docs in your area.


Don't hesitate too long to get help because the joint can be damaged the longer it is misused, popped, grinding, etc. There are lots of people on the internet in support groups who will help you with any questions you have.


Okay, start with the moist heat tonight and get a good night's sleep. Also, stop wiggling your jaw. :)

god bless...

Carol

Okay now I do have some wisdom teeth that need to come out and one of them is on the same side as my tmj and it is growing sideways and slightly pushing on another tooth so I dont know if that is contributing to the pain or not....

Oh wow,
you are going to have to be very careful about the wisdom teeth. Make sure that you tell the person who is pulling the teeth that you seriously might have tmj. Don't let the dentist just act like it's no big deal. Be assertive here. Keeping your mouth opened long and wide can hurt the tmj. See if you can get a relaxer before like valium or xanax to keep you relaxed, but make sure the dentist gives you lots of breaks from having your mouth open.

If by chance, you are put to sleep for the surgery, still emphasize to the dentist to be careful with your jaws. Important!!!

Now, all these problems you are having could be your wisdom teeth. Let's pray that they are and you'll be pretty good after a few weeks of recuperation. Oh, that would be great if the symptoms are caused by your wisdom teeth!!

When are you having that done? Can you talk to the dentist beforehand to talk about the possibility of tmj and what he can do to make sure your tmj isn't hurt during the surgery? Try to do that because sometimes having your wisdom teeth pulled can also start tmj. But we are going to have positive thoughts.

Please let me know how all of this works out. I'll really be praying for you.

God bless...
Carol