I've just been 'diagnosed with tmj and I was wondering if anyone could give me some information specific to my case.

3 months ago I had my upper-left wisdom tooth pulled. Afterwards my jaw felt very stiff on the left side and I had some pain when yawning and chewing. A few weeks ago I developed a very painful infection in my left ear. After various treatments it eventually cleared up but I was still in tremendous pain. I was told to visit my dentist.

I'm from the uk but I live and work in germany and I don't speak german. My dentist doesn't speak much english so it's quite difficult to communicate my problem. Before my appointment I did some research on the internet and I learned about tmj, realizing I had all the symptoms. Constant jaw/ear pain, a feeling of fullness in my ears, dizziness, a kind of 'chronic fuzz' that affects my concentration. I also clench and grind my teeth in my sleep.

I went to the dentist and told him I thought it was tmj. He spent 30 seconds examing my jaw then had his assistant prepare a bite plate that i'd have to wear at night. It will be ready in a couple of days, but i'm in absolute agony. I take maximum doses of ibuprofen and paracetamol but it has zero effect on my pain.

I read that, for a proper diagnosis, the dentist should have taken x-rays and performed various other tests. In this case, he spent 30 seconds examining my jaw before accepting my self-diagnosis.

So, my questions are: should I demand an x-ray or a referral to another dentist? What is the usual process of diagnosis? Is it possible that the bite plate is not the right treatment for me given his hasty diagnosis? Is there anything I can do about the pain in the meantime? It's constant pain, not just when I move my jaw.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks