Hi karen,

you are normal. :)

Thanks cat , youre a star I fell better knowing that !!

I also have a hard lump beside my ear. I'm wondering what the heck this is??! I went to my doctor, who told me that all of my symptoms point to tmj (facial, ear, jaw, neck discomfort/pain, tinnitus, teeth grinding, clenching, eye trouble...). She ordered x-rays of my jaws because of the bump in front of my ear, and they came back normal. She referred me to a tmj specialist, but our insurance doesn't cover it. :(

so, i'm very curious to know how common this bump in front of the ear is and what exactly it is. Mine is small and perfectly round, and it feels like bone. It seems to be attached to the jaw joint, if not actually a part of the joint itself that is popped out of place. When I open my mouth the bump moves inward and I cannot feel it anymore.

Anyone else??

Laurap,
i'm not a medical person or anything but in my researching I have found that the bump in front of your ear is more than likely ligament covering the tm joint (the disc) connecting the condyle (which should be rounded) to the upper jaw bone. Depending on the bone structure of your face, you may actually be feeling the condyle head.


If you search the internet using yahoo, type in tmj and ask for it to search images. There you will be able to see various pictures of the bones, muscles, ligaments and nerves of the tmj.


Hope that helps.

Carol

The other day while brushing my teeth I heard a crack in my jaw and ever since then my jaw hurts. I can't eat well. When I chew it hurts lik a sob and then yesterday while brushing my teeth it happened again only this time worse. What could it be i'm in pain right now. Could it be tmj I never known if I grind at night. I can't even close my teeth all the way without pain.

-thanks a million

Lgarza,
it sounds like the disc is slipping out of place. And yes, that is similar to how my tmj started 26 years ago. Do not pop your jaw if you can help it. Use a lot of moist heat and/or ice. Eat a soft or liquid diet for the next couple of weeks or so and try not to open your mouth wide for any purpose (watch out for yawning). No gum chewing.

Ibuprofen tends to be the best pain reliever that I have found. If possible, see if your doctor will prescribe a month's worth of valium to take just before going to bed.

Relax somehow. You need to get the tm joint to relax and accept the disc back where it should be so the muscles will stop going into spasms. The position of your head and shoulders is extremely important. If you are jutting your jaw forward (to drive or surf the internet, etc.) *** stop ***. Your shoulders should be back and down with your head directly on center, not forward. And your chin should be down (but not too far down). Most of us have a tendency to hold our heads forward and up. Bad. Reduce your stress any way possible. (i changed my job recently from a high stress position to a low stress one and it helped dramatically.)

i threw a lot at you just now. I hope and pray that as you work at relaxation and don't use your mouth very much (including talking), that you will get the relief you need. (do not go the braces or surgery route.) I pray that you will feel better.

God bless...
Carol

Carol, thank you so much for your help and information!

Yes karen, I have one as well on the left side of my face. It is not exactly under my ear persay, rather it is right in front of my tmj. It is painful when I try to fidget with it. It seemed to appear after I recieved shots in my jaw, I don't know if that has anything to do with it. I am not too worried about it though.

Hey karen,

i have the same bumps on the both sides. The bones are supposed to be flatter, but the tmj has evidently pushed them out more. I don't yet know the reason for this.... I plan on seeing a speciailist soon. Anyways I can push on it or slide up and down it with my fingers with pressure and it will seem to aggrivate the nerves in the area causing a slight twitch in the eye or a quick tightness in in the tmj area. I have problems cracking my jaw and now my bite is out of alignment. Hope to be getting a splint soon!!!!! Also, don't stress it only heightens the painful symptoms. I even get worried sometimes about it and its never good so thats something else i'm working on. Hope everything goes ok for you.

I too have a lump by my ear. I've been researching this and have come to two conclusions, it is either a cyst that has formed at the joint or a calcium desposit. Both are apparently hard to diagnose and often misdiagnosed. It is causing me some pain and my face is starting to swell from it. I just found the cyst three days ago so it's very concerning that it seems to be progressing so quickly. I've had 3 tmj surgeries, all because of degenerative bone disorder in my jaw joints. I've very worried and concerned about this. I'm having a very difficult time finding a tmj specialist that doesn't think he can fix you with endontics! About the insurance, I live in missouri and when my insurance didn't want to pay for my surgery I took it to the state board. The law was then passed in missouri that insurance had to cover tmj. Both my insurance companies now cover it. Don't give up on the insurance, fight for it! It is a joint in your body just like your knee or hip and should be covered!

Mine are relatively hard and located in front of each ear (just above the ear lobe). Has anyone ever read of this being a tmj sign? The condoyle joint protrusion is interesting, but I was not able to find specific mention of this related to these lumps.

I'm a little concerned because preauricular lymph nodes are present in this area. I have other palpable lymph nodes (as do my wife and kids, so I assume that is not uncommon despite what one might read on the internet), but these bumps are pretty hard and not really easily moved when pushed (i.E. Fixed).

Would be interested if anyone else has confirmed the condoyle joint possibility. Thanks so much for the input and help.

I also have a small bump next to my ear that seems to be right where the tmj joint is. Has anyone out there found out what this is or if this is "normal"?

Does anyone else have this problem?

I've got a really hard lump on my ear - on the 'tragus', to be specific. It's been there for two weeks. I thought it was due to heat. But since it's very hard, it should be a tumor.

After having googled about it, I decided that it should be squamous cell carcinoma. I'm yet to consult a dermatologist.

relax you all dont have cancer----i had one and i took it to the doctor---it is merely a swollen lymph node-------put hot packs on it---should go away in a couple of days---also may want to take some vitamin c and echinecea. that swelling is a sign that your body is fighting something off. good luck.( dont feel bad---i was paniced befor i went to the doctor.)

Hi All;

Thanks for the posts. I noticed the lump yesterday on the left - felt a soreness there. I haven't had any tmj, but last month had to have that back lower molar pulled. My jaw felt like it was out of alignment for a bit right after, but got better again. I'm going to try the hot packs and see if the lump and soreness go away. Thank you all for sharing!

SN

we all have this at somepoint or another. its just how to get rid of it. dont worry about it.

i just noticed a bump under the skin next to my right ear but in my jaw. i also have a very large pimple on my head that could be the cause of a swollen gland. this has happened to me before with large pimples; i'll get swollen glands either under the chin, in my neck and now next to my ear. is this normal?

yeah its normal. you can help by taking echinecea or using hot packs --and relax. it will be gone befor you know it