Wisdom Teeth Removal With Tmj - Good Or Bad Idea?

Hi muppetdave,

you do have a quandary there, but it doesn't have to be. The reason you read about more problem-wisdom-teeth-removal stories is because they are the ones who post because they are seeking help. The many who have had the wisdom teeth removed and had no problems, don't need to post.

Now after I wrote that, you still need to be extremely careful. I did not have my wisdom teeth removed and developed tmj. When the teeth came in, they changed my bite drastically to the point that my teeth only came together at the wisdom teeth. So when other factors, like stress big time, came into my life, the clenching and grinding on an imperfect bite began. Thus, my life of tmj. You'd think now that the smart thing to do would have been to remove the teeth, but I became an experiment and other methods were tried that failed. This was 25 years ago, so I do have to say there is more knowledge out there now even though the medical field seems to ignore it too much.

I would talk to the oral surgeon who would pull the teeth. Discuss the problems you have currently and your fears about tmj getting worse, etc. Ask him/her how he removes the teeth? Does he overextend the opening of the mouth to get to the teeth? (overextending of the mouth/bite is a major problem that seems to cause the tmj disc(s) to displace.) will he x-ray the area first to see if there might be any problems? What about an mri? Does he use excessive force to pull the teeth and/or roots?

These are just a few questions I would ask. Do a lot of research, get your concerns and questions organized and written down and make an appointment if that's what you decide.

I hope and pray that everything works out for you. Now remember, if all goes well - come back and post good news. We will expect that. :)

god bless...
Carol

Thanks carol
i'll certainly be giving it a lot of thought before I rush into anything and will definately post back if I do have them removed - hopefully with good news.

Kindest regards
dave

what is tmj?

I've had TMJ for as long as i can remember. It gets worse with stress. I had my wisdom teeth cut out when I was in my 20's and it didn't affect my TMJ at all in any way.

Good Luck!

did you make your dentist aware that you had tmj before he removed your teeth?

the First posting is exactly right you hear more horror stories then good ones is because the people who have had succesful treatment dont care about posting they are living there lives and dont have time to look on the internet about there problem that they use to have. You cant base your treatment on what these forums say. I have gotten so discourged at times with what i read but then i came to think only people who are looking for help are on. Oral surgen is the best for tmj and wisdom teeth ask around find about the doctor research the doctor. I have awful tmj pain everyday but i am doing my best to help myself and thats all we can do. But RESEARCH the doctors try to see how they work. Ask questions feel them out are they in for money or are they good doctor is anyone has any tips or needs support because i know i can use it .

I have the same problem.. i never had any problems with this until my wisdom teeth started to push through, i then started to get periodical pain (i'm assuming from the teeth) and constant crunching/crackling noise when i open my mouth (on left side only) ..I now don't have any pain in my jaw however the craclking noise in my jaw is there all the time and i have extreme pain in my neck on the same side and crackling in my left ear....i thought all my pain etc was due to bad posture but after doing a fair bit of research i have many symptoms of TMJ including the ones i ahve just mentioned... i never had my wisdom tooth removed but am considering it if it will stop the horrid crunching noise in my jaw and hopefully help with my ear and neck pain.. .. did you find out any other info on this with your dentist etc? i would be interested to know..

Hi folks,

I am a sufferer of TMJ and like many of you live with the constant throbbing joint pain, sinus pain, earaches, general jaw, neck and shoulder stiffness and head aches. I pay a lot of attention to my mouth and teeth since I wear a bite plate every night and have worries of grinding my teeth into oblivion. Just recently I visited my dentist and notified him of changes in my bite. I saw this dentist 9 months ago and within that time frame my teeth of moved preventing my ability to chew certain foods properly.
I'm sure there are many people out there who are being forced into vegetarianism because of their inability to chew meat.
My dentist gave me two options, 1. Live with it or 2. Remove my wisdom teeth. There really isn't a good option but I am seeing an oral surgeon who I am hoping will help me make the right call. I don't know if I could handle it getting any worse with the constant headaches now but since I know that there are people interested in alternative treatment methods maybe I can share mine with you and also learn from you.

I have had TMJ for about 6 years now. I got to be so much better after physical therapy, and have been mostly pain free for about 2 years since the treatment program. I just had all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed a week ago. I was doing really well TMJ-wise before the tooth extraction, but it is now really bothering me again. My bite even feels different, and the pain has returned. I can't open my mouth as wide anymore either. I took the chance, and I'm beginning to regret it.

Well I have been suffering from tmj for a few years now but recently my wisdom teeth had come in and I went to see a dentist because I was in pain almost 24-7. I couldn't eat anything. My ears were constantly ringing and I had the worst headaches ever. I just got my wisdom teeth taken out almost 2 weeks ago and while the recovery from it was painful, I feel better than I have ever felt in a long time. I mean like 97% better. Not 100% because my mouth is still healing.

Hi,

I am in the same situation, i started expriencing TMJ problems after a wisdom tooth was filled, this was two years ago, i went to see my dentist who wants to remove the tooth as it appears to be ''overfilled'', but really worried about the impart it may have on my Jaw.

@hobbs23452 - I have also had tinnitus, has your ears stopped ringing now?

I just got my wisdom teeth removed (literally 4 days ago), and I've had tmj symptoms since I was ten years old. I'm now 19, and my tmj is under much control than when I was younger. However, I started to get more headaches as my wisdom teeth came in, and my orthodontist recommended getting them extracted. She recommended me to go to an oral surgeon who specializes in tmj patients, so I'd recommend that if you can find one.

I think my recovery has been more difficult because of tmj, but it hasn't been horrible. Even though it's been four days since the extraction, I still can't open my mouth enough to let more than one finger in, which has made brushing and eating difficult. Also, my bite naturally rests crookedly, but after the surgery, it was perfectly straight. Just barely moving my jaw slightly sideways was pretty painful. Fortunately, my jaw is slowly getting less sore, and I'm not in much pain by today.

hey,
i am 16 years old and i have had severe tmj since i was 14. my jaw locks up roughly every three months and it is just very painful! my mri showed that the discs are never in the right positions, they are always dislocated. now i am having to deal with this wisdom teeth business and im just looking for some advice! any would be greatly appreciated!(:

I am 20 years old. My dentist gave me TMJ disorder when he removed my wisdom teeth two years ago when I was 18. Ever since I got them removed, my right TMJ pop every time I open my mouth to a certain point. Now its been two years since my wisdom teeth were removed and now my other TMJ is been affected. I can hear little crackles in it when i chew on that side of my mouth. My ears feel full and stuffy all the time now too. I really need some tips and help on how to cure this problem. Any help would be appreciated

My TMJD was caused by a brutal wisdom teeth extraction but I think more people have the extraction and have no problem after. I think you should really do your homework

Where are patients finding the research on wisdom teeth removal?

Seems that orthodontia before the wisdom teeth come in is not a good idea...

Seems that if they come in with no significant problems, extracting them would offset stability of the spine and posture, move the head/jaw to a forward posture, thus causing a lot of pain and strain in the back to compensate for the head forward posture (by the muscles/ligaments of the back).

The wisdom tooth question is about on par with, "Fluoride toothpaste or not?"

Someone cares to answer either or both questions, I am all ears.

I never have figured out if fluoride toothpaste is better for my teeth or not. I am still alive, and I used paste with fluoride most of my life, and I also had a mouthful of mercury, so I guess all is okay!

I've also had a dentist ask me about eating disorders while I am in the dental chair, even though I do not have one ... dentist asked me when she noticed abfraction of my teeth (receding gums / the teeth start to buckle at the gum line) instead of understanding and explaining to me the positional [of the tooth] reason of the receding/buckling. I am glad I knew about it before I went in to the office, and I appreciate her looking after my health. Wasn't an eating disorder at all...
I imagine the tooth enamel symptoms don't even look the same? And, what patient with an eating disorder would answer, simply, yes?

So, with the above confusion...by a dental 'spot check' ... I cannot trust an answer on the fluoride question until I have a reasonably good answer.

Hi,
I have had TMJ problems for about 4 years now and recently had 4 wisdom teeth pulled. At first, I was scared that the wisdom teeth extraction would exacerbate my TMJ symptoms after reading many horror stories on online forums.

I believe the first poster is exactly right; you shouldn’t believe that having your wisdom teeth pulled leads to an almost certain chance that your TMJ could get worse. Primarily the people who post their stories on these forums are the people who went and had the procedure done, and then some complication occurred. The people who came out from the procedure with no problems have no need to go through forums looking for help. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be concerned because of course there is a risk to any surgical procedure, but just remember the reason why there are so many more horror stories than success stories on forums.

My surgery went well; it’s been almost a week since my wisdom teeth came out and besides a little bit of pain and swelling, there have been no complications or further TMJ symptoms. If you’re getting your wisdom teeth extracted, make sure your oral surgeon knows you have TMJ and has taken steps to reduce stress on your jaw during the procedure. My oral surgeon used a bite block to give my teeth something to rest on during the procedure to reduce stress on the jaw. He also agreed to close my mouth periodically during the procedure so that I wouldn’t have to have my mouth open for a full 45 minutes straight.

Hope my experience helps reassure you that there are successful wisdom teeth extractions for TMJ patients; just discuss your concerns with your surgeon.

Nathan

I've had one wisdom tooth pulled, upper right. I had to have it pulled, it was so painful I couldn't lie down let alone sleep it was so painful. I ended up in so much pain I had to go to A&E for painkillers.

The tooth was also black one side when it came through and came out sideways, pointing towards the outside of my mouth.

I had the wisdom tooth pulled a year ago at my usual dentist, when I was 27. Pulling the tooth did get rid of a lot of the pain. Honestly, it was the worst pain I have ever experienced. However shortly afterwards I appeared to develop TMJ. I have no diagnosis of this, but it sounds exactly like what is happening to me.

My TMJ is made much worse if I get wind blowing in my ear, it becomes excruciating then. But it will usually hurt for no good reason. It hurts like the tooth is still there, but it isn't. Sometimes I think the tooth is still there and I have to check. It hurts all the way through my top jaw, my front teeth, up the side of my face to the top of my scalp and all the way down my neck.

I also have all the cracking and pop on the right side and cannot open my mouth as far any more.

It's becoming more and more painful as time goes on, which is why I have found myself here!

Sometimes head massage helps, but only while I am doing it. The good effects are gone as soon as I stop. Sometimes painkillers help, sometimes they don't. NSAIDs help sometimes.

I have read sometimes this happens because part of the tooth gets left behind in the gum, but I actually asked to keep my wisdom tooth after it was pulled. I believe it is complete, there don't seem to be any breaks in it and it has the root. Unless it tapers off to a needle like point, I think she got the whole tooth out. The root is about the same length or slightly longer than the tooth.

When the tooth was extracted, I did hear cracking sounds in my ear, but I assumed this was just the tooth moving in the socket.

It has drastically changed the shape of my top jaw. where the tooth was pulled the jaw bone has changed from a rectangular shape to a triangle one. My molar teeth has started to be pushed together, they move a little further apart when the tooth was gone, but they are not making good use of the extra space.

I have been back to see my dentist. It was not helpful, all she could tell me was it was probably permanent. I asked her if I had nerve damage all she said was possibly.

I have had to second one come through on the other side. It is like a mirror image of the other tooth, pointing towards the outside of the other side of my mouth. It has it's painful moments, but nothing like the pain the other one caused me before it was pulled. In fact the side that has TMJ is often much more painful that the new wisdom tooth when it was on it's way out!

In hindsight, I regret having the tooth out. I wasn't warned when I had the tooth out about any of these side effects. The only thing I knew could happen was loss of feeling the in face and the only reason I knew that was because I looked it up on Wikipedia before I went. However it was so excessively painful I am really not sure what else I could have done.

I don't really have a way of avoiding this problem, but I would say, if you tooth isn't causing you massive amounts of disabling pain, I would really think twice about why you want it pulled, because you may not recover the way you expect to.