Deal with TMJ!

[flowerchilde]

I have TMJ and often my jaw gets stuck so that I can't open it very far. This is very annoying and painfull so I was wondering if anyone here has this problem and what do you do about it. I can often get it unstuck without any problems, but other times it will be stuck for hours even days sometimes. The longest was right after I had my tonsil's out and it was stuck for 2 weeks! I've heard that getting braces can help, but I don't want to spend a lot of money on something that won't help much. Any advice would be great and I would love you forever!

 

[Cakegirl]

Oh flowerchilde, you have my greatest sympathy! I had jaw pain for about a year that was diagnosed as TMJ, but was actually fixed when I got my wisdom teeth out - apparently the teeth were pressing on the nerve, which was referring pain into my jaw... I couldn't chew on solid food, and survived on soft food and diet shakes for ages!

I've never heard of braces fixing TMJ unless your teeth are badly out of alignment. TMJ can be made worse by grinding your teeth in your sleep, though, so maybe you could go to your dentist and see if there's any evidence that you do it. If so, he can give you a plate to put in at night that will stop you from grinding your teeth, and could ease the pain of TMJ.

Hope that helps.

Cakegirl

 

[mrmgp]

I have TMJ and often my jaw gets stuck so that I can't open it very far. This is very annoying and painfull so I was wondering if anyone here has this problem and what do you do about it. I can often get it unstuck without any problems, but other times it will be stuck for hours even days sometimes. The longest was right after I had my tonsil's out and it was stuck for 2 weeks! I've heard that getting braces can help, but I don't want to spend a lot of money on something that won't help much. Any advice would be great and I would love you forever!

I had TMJ for almost two years starting in the fall of 1997. I was miserable. It just hit out of the blue, although I had a few previous incidents with my jaw locking so bad I needed muscle relaxant shots. But now, I was suddenly in agony most of the time. I had an overbite which led to chewing habits that completely eroded the cartilage in the joints of my jaw. There was serious swelling, which had two side effects that I never could cope with: one was pressure on the fluid sacs within my ear that regulate balance, so I was dizzy most of the time. The other was pain. Pain like someone using my ear canals as scabbards for rapiers.

I do not know how severe your condition is. If your joint cartilage is as worn away as mine was, skin grafts can be inserted into the joints to give you new cartilage. If it's not that severe, then braces can help, or if your teeth aren't in the best condition, you can just get dentures.

I hope your condition is better than mine was. I lost two years of my life to TMJ.

 

[ApplesMcgee]

enlighten me...

.....

 

[Weird Harold]

What exactly is TMJ and what are the symptoms?

TMJ == Trans-Mandibular Joint (Pain). It's a problem with the function of the lower jaw and the mandibular joint.

The most common symptom is pain when opening or closing the mouth, often accompanied by a pop or snap when the jaw passes a certain point.

The problem with offering advice is that TMJ can be caued by about a dzen different condtions -- wisdom teeth, Degenerative Joint Disease (the cause of my TMJ problem), misalignment of the jaw because of "bite alignment" problems, grinding of teeth during sleep, injury, or just the wrong kind of pillow/sleeping position.

The best advice is to ask your normal dentist for a recommendation/referral to an oral surgeon who specializes in TMJ problems. Properly diagnosing the specific cause of any given case of TMJ usually requires more than simple dental x-rays -- mine was diagnosed when Axial Tomographic x-rays were the top-of-the-line diagnostic tool for TMJ, but a CAT scan, PET scan, or MRI is probably the preferred method of diagnosis now.

Braces can be the proper remedy, but only for TMJ related to alignment problems with the teeth or jaw. But the range of possible remedies runs from buying new pillows and changing your sleeping position to joint replacement surgery to put a titanium, ceramic,or teflon prosthetic in place of an eroded jawbone/socket/cartilage.

 

[dollface007]

ITA with Weird Harold. I know a lot of people don't have a regular dentist, but it sounds like you have a relatively bad case (at least relative to mine) so you should see a dentist or ask for a referral to a TMJ specialist.

Also, my old dentist who treated my TMJ informed me that different dental schools have different approaches to the problem. Some will have you headed immediately for surgery even if your case is minor. Some will try alternative treatments first like bite plates that you wear at night.

I have a bite plate, but I hate to wear it. I usually find it on the floor next to my bed in the morning (meaning I had somehow ripped it out in the middle of the night without remembering). I have to say, however, when I do use it, I notice improvement.

As far as everyday things, avoid very crunchy or very chewy food. DO NOT chew gum. You might find in the morning that you have a headache or earache if you tend to clench your jaw at night. I find that this gets worse when I'm stressed, so take it easy on yourself!

I have usually been able to get my jaw open all the way even if it initially sticks. I'm not sure this is necessarily healthy (but I know i wouldn't need to worry about it if I used my bite plate more often!). The one time I couldn't get my jaw open all the way was after I had my wisdom teeth removed. I couldn't open all the way for about 3-4 weeks. I basically had to slowly and painfully stretch my facial muscles until I loosened up enough.

 

[NaughtyLil1]

I have TMJ and often my jaw gets stuck so that I can't open it very far. This is very annoying and painfull so I was wondering if anyone here has this problem and what do you do about it. I can often get it unstuck without any problems, but other times it will be stuck for hours even days sometimes. The longest was right after I had my tonsil's out and it was stuck for 2 weeks! I've heard that getting braces can help, but I don't want to spend a lot of money on something that won't help much. Any advice would be great and I would love you forever!

My daughter has the same problem, and the dentist mentioned the braces for relief. We went to an orthodontist but he didn't recommend it.

She no longer chews gum and cuts her food into smaller pieces, and that helps her out some, but it's still very painful.

 

[flowerchilde]

Thanks for all the great advice! I have an overbite and I clench my jaw which is what causes the pain and locking. I will try going to my dentist (I have to get a cavity filled anyway ) and asking about going to a TMJ specialist, I'm pretty sure that braces will help. I can't wear the bite plate because it triggers my gag reflex so not comfortable at all.

Thanks again so much,
Luv ya all,
Flowerchild

 

[dollface007]

They'll probably send you into surgery before they would give you braces.
That is, unless it's braces that you really want.

 

[flowerchilde]

Well, I talked to an oral surgeon a while back (I was there to get my wisdom teeth out) and he was saying he wouldn't do surgery for TMJ unless I got braces first. He said it was because the surgery could help, but if my jaw is still out of alignment it would just revert back to its original position after it healed. I've also read that the surgery doesn't always work and that it can leave you with loss of feeling because you could have the nerve damaged, I don't think I would go for the surgery unless everything else failed to help. I need braces anyway for my overbite so I should get those first and see if they help at all.

 

[Weird Harold]

Thanks for all the great advice! I have an overbite and I clench my jaw which is what causes the pain and locking. ... I can't wear the bite plate because it triggers my gag reflex so not comfortable at all. :

If a bite plate is triggering your gag reflex, it is NOT fitted properly or the wrong type of bite plate. I've never used a bite plate for my TMJ problem, because I wear full dentures, but I did use one temporarily to protect a new filling at one point that was like an athlete's mouthguard and it never came close to the soft palate or gag reflex.

It does sound like braces are a possible solution to your TMJ problem, but don't expect immediate relief by that route. In fact, your orthodontist will tell you that they may temporarily make the problem worse before they make it better. It takes time for braces to shift the teeth and jaw into the right alignment.

 

[pongomax]

Temporomandibular Joint

TMJ dysfunction is often successfully treated by Chiropractic Physicians who are trained in corrective techniques. look in the yellow pages and call around.

A Chiro

 

[pongomax]

tmj

There is also a device Called EZsplint which can also help align and heal tmj

 

[ohgingeroh]

everyone has a TMJ

Everyone has a TMJ , its the temporomandibular joint! If you have a problem with the TMJ the best thing to do is to get a bite plate made.
I've had one for years - recently got one of the new models
Yes the chiropractor will help - using the activator - but my chiro hasn't needed to use it since I got the bite plate. and it helps with headaches and neck pain due to grinding and other TMJ problems. Make sure to go to a dentist that knows what he is doing. You can buy them in the stores but they are not made to fit your teeth, mine are molded just for my bite.

-t.

 

[flowerchilde]

The bite plate I had was fitted by a dentist who had done many before and it was molded using the molding goop (ya, I know, technical term right?) which felt like it was pulling my teeth out when they removed it. I think the braces are the best option because most of the problem is that I have an overbite and that cause my jaw to dislocate. Again, thanks to you all for the good advice.

 

[karndav]

I have TMJ also and have a mouth guard I wear at night. I also apply heat to my jaw when it tightens up which relieves it. Mine is caused by muscle tension that causes my jaw to tighten up. Here is a site on some treatments. They no longer recommend surgery as a treatment. It is irreverrisble and often does not work.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001227.htm#Treatment

Good luck. I know how much pain you are in.

 

[Brinnie]

wotz a TMJ?

 

[HornyGurl4U]

I've dealt with TMJ ever since I was about 8 years old...and I'm 20 right now. I've only had my jaw lock open once and had to go to a surgeon to get it unstuck....very very painful.
I had braces for about 5 years. My dentist thought that straightening my teeth would help my jaw. It helped but it didn't take the TMJ away.
On days when I can tell my jaw will be bothering me a lot, like causing headaches or making it hard to chew or drink, I'll massage right next to my ears on the jaw line for awhile. It helps a lot.
Also, ask your dentist if he or she knows about any TMJ specialists in your area. A lot of times, you can get a free consultation appointment and get a better idea of what could be done to help you out.
But for now, I would just try massaging your jaw for like 5 minutes on each side. It really works wonders, especially if you put some sort of heat on the area as well....hope that helps you out!

 

[karndav]

You have my complete sympathy! Tmj can be so painful. It can also cause sever headaches and a ringing in the ear. My dentist gave me a mouth piece that I wear at night but told me that I have no degengiration of the cartiledge around the jaw and diagnosed me with muscular myalgia which is a really fancy way of saying muscular pain. People with fibromyilgia are know to start out with TMJ syptoms. I have been under a lot of stress lately and my muscles are very tight and he says that the tightness of the muscles is what is causing my joint pain and headaches. He has me practice breathing exercises, breathing through the diaphram, told me to be aware of the position of my jaw during the day so that i am not grinding my teeth during th day but to be careful that I am not holding my jaw stiffly. He wanted to give me muscle relaxers but I am also having some heart problems right now and he is holding off on that till they know exactly what is wrong with my heart. Since I have insominia he says that is adding to my muscle pain and soreness and told me to take naps during the day when I get tired to try to make up for the lack of sleep during the night. He also recommended putting heat on it when it is sore which helps me tremendously and to massage it which also helps but not as much as the heat. He perscribed percoet for when it is extremely bad and to take motrin when it is not as bad. I have also gotten several massages which has done wonders for temporarily relieving some of the stress. Hope this helps a little.

 

[flowerchilde]

wotz a TMJ?

Its the temporomandibular joint. Which is the jaw joint that makes it so you can open and close your mouth. When you have problems with it you can have trouble eating and your jaw can lock up.

karndav, thanks for the link, I will check that out. The dentist near my house has some information on TMJ and I'm going to ask him about a bite plate since my health insurance covers it so I will try it again. Hopefully this time it won't make me gag!!!