I too feel like a puff fish. I have had tmd for most of my life. THe left side of my face is perpetually swollen. I have that metal taste in my mouth too. I have no idea what it is from---It will go away though.

keep us informed of how you are doing. this is the last week ill be here for awhile. Ill be back on the 24th. but if you need anything before then let me know.

Everything that you mentioned that you are experiencing are all symptoms of TMJ, sadly. It's pretty amazing and fascinating to study but it is not so nice to be a TMJ sufferer. Mainly because doctors just don't seem to care or even want to know about TMJ. There are some good docs out there, though.

The metallic taste in your mouth is a common complaint and can be due to a variety of causes - from medication you may be taking to dental problems.

Since you have seen all these different doctors, etc., I won't recommend that you see a doctor to rule out any undiagnosed health issues. Has your dentist checks you for gum disease? That can be a source.

Not drinking enough water can contribute to problems with taste. Increase your intake and see if it helps.

Medications that can cause metallic tastes are some antibiotics, prenatal vitamins, some anti-depressants, as well as drugs used to treat high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis and kidney stones.

I got most of this information from mayoclinic.com and other Internet sites. All also highly recommended proper oral hygiene with regular brushing and (e-ewe) scraping your tongue.

One site even suggested seeing a practitioner of Chinese medicine. O.....K..... I personally wouldn't go to the last, probably (and that could be a mistake) and I don't like the scraping of the tongue. It just grosses me out. But the things we will do to help our bodies can be pretty amazing sometimes.

I hope this helps. I pick a medication as being the culprit, but I also don't know what you take, if anything. I am a little surprised (or maybe I'm not) that your doctors/dentists wouldn't take you seriously. I really have a difficult time "liking" the medical profession after all I have been through these last 27 years of TMJ. But now I am doing 90% better and I do have doctors to thank for that, but it sure took some persuasion on my part for them to listen to me sometimes.

Keep up the research and continue to look for doctors and dentists who will listen to you and at least ---- try to help.

Sorry for my many words but that's just me. Wordy. Please take care and let us know how you are doing.

God bless....
Carol

you could try accupuncture ofr reflexology---they may help.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. So glad to know I am not the only one suffering with this.

hmm.. I'm intrigued. I just spend a few minutes are looking through a few of my old medical notes and I have a few guesses but not any real conclusions. here are a few ideas
1) I metal tastes can be due to someting going on with iron. Iron can taste like blood or metal (i.e. when you smell blood you smell iron)
2) it could be from medications you are taking
3) an infection of the mouth in some way
4) the only conclusion that I could come up with in connecting the TMJ disorder with the iron taste is something going on with a few cranial nerves. Are you having trouble with swallowing or expressions when your TMJ is bothering you? Your glossopharengeal and facial nerves control taste. I don't know. that's all i've got. I've heard of a metal taste in some diagnostic book and for the life of me I can't remember where. Good luck

Well I have heard all kinds of things that could be the cause of metal taste. I can say I am not taking any medications. No blood in the mouth. I went to the dentist and had some work done but the funny thing is, is I had the same taste in my mouth before I had work done and still have it. I have heard of a zinc deficiency could cause this. I am not having any touble swallowing but it does seem that my face is in more pain than anything else. It does not freeze up or anything like that. I just started taking calcium, magnesium and zinc supplements. I guess I will see what happens.

I'm sorry we haven't been much of a help for you. The vitamin supplements are definitely a possibility as you stated. You can take up to 1200 mg of Magnesium, so I take both a pill with all three supplements you mention and then I also take a pill that's just Magnesium. It seems to be working. You might want to try sucking on mints all day. The cinnamon tic-tacs taste good.

Take care and God bless...
Carol

If you have any fillings in your mouth this may be the cause. Silver amalgam fillings are made up of over 50% mercury and just a little bit of silver. They begin to break down after about ten years and begin to leach into your mouth causing a metallic taste. The organic form of mercury can usually be metabolized and excreted without a problem. The problem is that mercury when exposed to bacteria (in the mouth in this case) becomes methyl mercury and is 100 times more dangerous. This can build up in your organs and cause many problems. It can even affect the brain.

I believe that many headaches and TMJ are caused by mercury in fillings in addition to neck and throat problems (GIRD, etc.).

This is very interesting....Does anyone have a follow-up story??