I have had tmj since I was 16. I am 35 now. The tmj progressively worsened and required a total of 3 surgeries thus far.

The first surgery I had was in 2000, called a bilateral arthrocenticesis. The doctor was able to extract several cc's of fluid and particals from both joints, which relieved some of my pain for about a year.

The secound surgery was about a year later. It was a bilateral arthroscopic tmj sx. They put my disks back in place, repaired my ligiments, and other tissue, and removed damaged tissue. This again helped me for about a year.

I waited this last time for 2 years to have the next surgery because I had been told that the next surgery would be more agressive. And it was.

The third surgery, was bilateral reconstructive jaw surgery. (i can't remember the medical terminology) by this time, I had shattered all the cartilage in both sides of my tmj and my disk's would pop out of place. I would have to pick my jaw up and put it back in place at times, because one side of the jaw or the other would be uneven and I and I would have to aline it so I could open and close my jaw. Very painful.

After each of the surgeries, I lost feeling in the sides of my face at the temple area, little by little. Now I have no feeling on either side in those areas from the top of my head to under my jaw bone and around my ears. I have also lost some of my hearing and my hearing seems to be getting worse since this last surgery. I am now having to use hearing aides.

My question is, is hearing loss normal with tmj surgeries? And if so, is it the nerves that are damaged from the surgeries, and will the hearing loss continue to worsen with time?