Help With Really Bad Tmj Please! Posted: 04-10-06 20:39pm
I've got some tmj problems that i'd like
some advice on if anyone has any to offer.
I've had jaw problems for as long as I can
remember (i can remember, specifically,
back to about the 8th grade...I'm 21 now).
I don't know when or why it started, but
it's bad. Anytime I open my mouth wider
than about an inch, it pops
awfully...First the right side, then the
left. Then when I close it it does the
opposite. It's like it's subluxating
everytime I open my mouth. Chewing is
terrible...Constant popping. Also, when I
shift my jaw side to side or back to
front, I get this "cartilage-y" sound in
my right ear that obstructs my hearing.
Something i've noticed lately that really
worries me is that, when I open my mouth
past an inch, my jaw pops and then when I
close it, it shifts immediately to the
left about a centimeter. If I try to hold
my bite in line with my hands, I can't
close my mouth. It stops at about a half
an inch and I get a horribly sharp pain
and my mouth won't close.
My orthodontist made me a splint to wear
at night to keep my from grinding my
teeth, but I also clench them during the
day. I'll catch myself clenching them and
stop, but I end up doing it again about
thirty seconds later. I also catch myself
with my lower jaw shifted over about one
centimeter to the right all throughout the
day when my mouth is closed.
I go back to the ortho next week and he
plans on doing an occlusal equilibration
where he shaves down my teeth to adjust my
bite, but I just can't see how that can
fix all of my problems. They haven't done
x-rays or mris, and I don't recall him
every feeling the joint or watching what
it does when I close it.
My dentist says it's the worst case of tmj
he's seen, especially in someone my age.
It gives me bad head and neck aches. I'm
only 21, and I definitely don't want to
risk this getting worse as I get older.
Does anyone have any other advice about
what I should do? I don't want to have my
teeth filed down if it's not going to help
the problem, and I need something
different done.
Thanks!
Whitney
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catswold
Supporter
Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 404 Location: Flint, Michigan
Posted: 04-10-06 23:18pm
I know i'm not a doctor or anything, so my
opinion is just that - my opinion. But
your news that your orthodontist is
planning on filing your teeth at this
point makes me nervous. I say that
because it doesn't sound like your jaw is
stable enough yet to know which teeth to
file or shave. I would not let him do it
at this time. Wait.
It sounds like your muscles need to relax
big time. Are you on a muscle relaxant
(like zanaflex) and/or an anti-depressant?
Are you having regular physical or
massage therapy (intra-oral massage is
great)? What is your posture like? I
read a report that with the popularity of
computers, our society is having more tmj
problems because of the way we sit in
front of computers. I know this sounds
almost silly, but I can't stress enough
how important it is to not slouch or
thrust the neck and chin forward towards
the computer monitor (or working over a
desk). I highly recommend that you check
out the website - nismat.Org/ptcor/tmj/
for some good, basic information and
pictures on posture, tmj, etc.
Is there any way you can wear your bite
splint during the day? If it is too
chunky or big, they do make bite splints
now that are much less noticeable and
allow us to talk much better than before.
The current bottom bite splint that I
have right now I could wear all the time
except for eating, but I only need it at
night. If your orthodontist doesn't make
this kind, can your dentist or can you go
to a tmj dental "specialist?"
after 25 years I have found that tmj (the
more serious cases) must be treated with a
team consisting of pain manager, dentist,
physical or massage therapist, etc., and
usually several treatment methods - bite
splints, medications, massage and/or
physical therapy, stress reduction, etc.
Be very careful about allowing anyone do
anything irreversible to you until you are
completely pain free. Then, you can
balance your bite permanently, etc. I
hope this helps.
God bless...
Carol
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whitmcb
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 10 Apr 2006 Posts: 2
Posted: 04-10-06 23:32pm
Thanks for the advice, carol. I left a
message for my dentist this evening, and
i'm hoping to talk to him tomorrow.
The filing is what really makes me nervous
because I don't want to do it unless they
are sure that that is going to help the
problem. I'm even more worried because
they haven't done anything to "look" at or
feel the joint. Everytime I go to the
ortho, he just adjusts my splint.
Back in december, the pain was unbearable
and constant, but I was going through
finals and under a lot of stress. The
pain has gotten better with the splint,
but the popping hasn't improved at all,
and when it pops, it hurts all the way
through to the back of my head.
I haven't really paid any attention to how
I sit at the computer. I use a laptop,
and i'm on it a lot, but i'll try to pay
attention to my posture. Obviously,
after reading your post, i'm sitting up
straight right now.
As for my splint, it is pretty thin and
i'm sure I could wear it during the day.
I've tried but didn't give it much of a
chance because it brings back the lisp
that I had when I was little, and that's
pretty embarrassing in college. But i'll
give it a shot again.
You also asked about pain management and
therapy, etc. I guess the big deal is
that I just don't feel like my ortho
understands how bad this is. There
hasn't been any talk of doing anything
else other than using the splint and
filing. Honestly, I don't know how much
he deals with tmj. Someone mentioned
looking on the aacfp to find tmj
specialists, and there aren't any listed
for my town. There are two about 100
miles north, though, so if I needed to go
there, I could.
I'm not taking any muscle relaxants or
anti-depressants. My doctor put me on
paxil for a little while for my anxiety,
but it caused me to yawn almost constantly
(and that's not comfortable with tmj!).
So I quit that and have tried to deal with
my anxiety in other ways; however, i'm
sure that's also a contributing factor to
my tmj...But i'm sure there's got to be
more to it because it doesn't go through
phases. It's constant, and i've had it
at least since I was 13. I can't
remember before that.
I'm anxious to figure something out
because finals start up again in a couple
of weeks, and I don't think I can go
through what I went through in december
again. Also, i'm going to europe for six
weeks this summer, so I don't want to have
any problems when i'm over there.
Let me know if any of the things i've
mentioned in this post bring anything to
your mind, and i'll post whatever I find
out in the next couple of days.
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buttercup87
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 10 Apr 2006 Posts: 6 Location: midwest
I Have.. Posted: 04-23-06 22:07pm
My tmj is that bad too.. When I had my
wisdom teeth done is when it got really
bad.. And this is what they told me to
do
1. Get a heat pad and hold it on my
joints 3-4 times a day for about 15
minutes
2. Take ibuprofen (take what hte back of
the bottle says) take it as many times as
you can a day..
3. Don't it alot of chewy or hard foods
4. While having a heat pad on your
face..Try to open and stretch your jaw as
much as you feel you can
if this doesn't help at all.. Then go to
a dentist or doctor and they can recommend
you to physical therapy for your jaw.. It
helps trust me..
