TMJ Syndrome

Call Dr. Duane Keller (his office is on Bayless). He also has a website drduanekeller.com I was diagnosed with TMJ for five years and in pain most of it, went to at least six different doctors, spent thousands of dollars and finally found Dr. Keller. He is an expert and will treat you appropriately. Believe me, things will not just "go back to normal" without treatment. If you let it go, really bad things can happen down the road including bone loss.

I've had TMJ for years. My best advice is to avoid chewing gum or anything else you have to chew and chew. I also grind my teeth which makes it bad but the night guards I chew on in my sleep and makes it even worse. I do just fine most of the time and if I do chew gum I do it for a very limited time because I know I will suffer for a day afterward.

See your dentist. (If you don't have a good one email me and I can recommend one) Equilibration can be completed where the dentist smoothes tiny amounts off your teeth in order to help them fit together. Also, I highly recommend a nightguard, professionally fitted by a dentist. (Everyone can't wear the same shoes, why do people think the same s,m,l boil and bite guards are going to work?) I know of a dentist who specializes in TMJ treatment. It's costly though and insurance doesn't always reimburse. Email me if you would like his name. I can't think of it off hand, but I can get it. Ditto on the chewy foods, gum, etc. Also, try to relax your muscles during the day consciously and massages and moist heat also help. Good luck, it's a pain!

Hi J., I have TMJ also and it has caused migraines for a long time. I am now going to a orthodontist. He put a splint in my mouth and it has helped so much. The splint repositions your jaw so it fits together the correct way. I will wear the splint for about 18 months. I hope you find this helpful.
Tracy

I too have this and was trying to see a specialist but it was going to take like 6 months to get in, which is ridiculous. So rather than paying the 30 bucks for a drug store mouth guard, I purchased one used for football players and wore it at night. I think it worked fine. And I absolutely agree that stress is a major factor so reduce stress as much as possible in your life and find different calming methods. Good luck.

My mom had TMJ and was told the only way it would ever truly be relieved would be through surgery.

On the other hand, my BFF has it too and she never eats anything tougher than chicken. If she does, the whole side of her face swells up like a grapefruit.

I'd certainly have a chat with your dentist and see what remedies he might suggest.

Oh isn't that fun!! My jaw would lock shut - I gave a presentation in college like that!! And my jaw would pop so loudly when I chewed that my Grandparents could hear it in other rooms. That was attrative on dates. I should saw that what I had looked like TMJ and acted like TMJ, but wasn't. But the Dr.'s treated it like TMJ (I know a little weird). My problem was that I have a small bite (that gave my family a lot of jokes) and my wisdom teeth were pushing everything out of wack. I had all my wisdom teeth out and that really helped. But to this day I can't open my mouth as wide as I should, my jaw often hurts and I'm suppose to wear a bite gaurd. The bite guard I have worn since I was a teenager and that helps the most. It helps to keep the muscles and ligaments in my jaw from getting to tight when I sleep. I clench my teeth and that agravates the problem. So if you don't already have one I'd check into that. They can be expensive (mine was $90 and I've had it for 9 years) and they can be a pain to get use to sleeping in, but it really helps with my jaw pain. And if you still have your wisdom teeth you might ask about having them taken out - that is what helped me a lot. Good luck!

massage therapy (including intraoral techniques for the pterygoid muscles), craniosacral by a massage therapist or chiropractor, usually), chiropractic.

The Dentist can make you a mouth Guard for night it really helps.I had this and he said I was probably grinding my teeth at night and I didnt think so but maybe he ws right because by wearing this during the Night I didnt have Tmj during the day. Its kinda expensive but if its bad it works!!

Hi J., I have not been diagnosed but I think I have it too. CHiropractor. he can take care of it. and it would be cheaper. dont take drugs, that just covers the problem.

J.,
I haven't checked any of your other responses, but have you considered it could be related to trigger points? If you have any desire for self-treatment with probably the best results I would recommend The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Clair & Amber Davies. It is extremely thorough and walks you through self treatment, also gives ideas on who might be able to help if you aren't able to resolve it yourself. The book you should be able to find from any bookstore, ebay, amazon, etc for around $15, worth a try. The book brings things down to lay-man's terms as well!
Best of luck to you and I hope that you find yourself pain free very soon!
In good health, J.

Yes, I've had this most of my adult life.
Someone suggested getting a mouth guard. That's a great idea, because if you are like me, you probably either tense your jaws or grind your teeth at night.
There are also some easy exercises you can do with your jaw to strengthen the muscles that hold it in place. (Ask your dentist ..... it was an ENT that showed them to me, however)
Also, when mine gets bad, I get a hot water bottle and wrap it in a soft cloth and hold it on my jaw as I watch TV, occasionally switching it from one side to the other. It feels really good and helps to relax the muscles.
Above all, try to stay as stress free as you can (easily said, right ?) and when you feel yourself getting stressed, sit down, relax and practice allowing your bottom jaw to relax and hang open. Um ..... you might not want to do this in front of people ..... it looks silly ... LOL !!! ... but it feels so good ! and is usually enough to keep that jaw in place.

Make sure you stay away from gum, too (doctors don't always think about mentioning gum).

My husband was diagnosed with TMJ - until he went back for a follow-up visit because his symptoms weren't improving and mentioned that he was chewing up to 2 packs of gum a day (to help him stop snacking so much since he was trying to lose weight). The doctor told him to quite chewing gum and his symptoms have completely gone away. I'm not saying that this is what is wrong with you, since TMJ is a "real" condition, but wanted to mention that gum chewing can irritate the jaw muscles.

It can take 4-6 weeks for the swelling to go away and the symptoms to disappear completely(at least that was my husband's experience).

C.

Hey! good news. you can have your jaw adjusted. it has helped alot and a friend too

Hi, J.--

Many people that suffer from TMJ have found profound and lasting relief through therapeutic massage. There are several muscles in the face and neck that can develop adhesions and trigger points (from various causes) that lead to TMJ symptoms. If your TMJ is caused by issues in the muscles, no amount of other care, medications, etc. will produce lasting relief! I am an advanced massage therapy student, and invite you to come to our student clinic and work with me to see if I can help you with this issue. Call BMSI Institute (my school) at ###-###-#### and set up an appointment with me, T. C.. I'd love to help you! The student clinic charges only $25 per 60 minute session, which is an awesome deal.

All the best to you!

T.

I would get my dentist involved in the treatment if it were up to me. I see that a others have already recommended night bite guards, ibuprofen, muscle relaxers for really bad days, I can't think of anything else to add. My only other thought is that my night teeth grinding seems to accelerate when I am upset about something, so is there something unsettling going on in your life right now?? Maybe addressing any issue like that would be helpful.

I have TMJ and have a plastic splint to wear in my mouth at night to put my jaw in a relaxed position. Sometimes when things have really been bad, I've also worn it during the day. I've noticed that I clench my jaw at might - and the splint helps prevent that. Ask you dentist about one -my health insurance covered most of it, I think - it was several years ago.

I have TMJ also and I have dislocated my jaw 3 times from it. I have had a surgery to try and correct it, however, it didn't work. I have to be careful also and when I feel the aching coming on, I pretty much stay away from foods that could lead to dislocation again. There is not much that I think there is left to do except when you feel it coming on to relax. My oral surgeon said the next thing for him to do was to break my jaw and reset it which I do not want!!!

I have TMJ, and I'm sorry to say that it doesn't just go away. I developed it in college. Is it just a dr you went to, or your dentist? Mine was diagnosed by a dr, then treaded thru my dentist. I tried the upper mouth guard, the lower mouth guard, pills, everything, before he decided surgery was my only other option, and my ins didn't cover it, of course. So, I still deal with it. I'm just careful not to eat anything really chewy, or do anything that will overwork the jaw.
I have a scritp for muscle relaxers if I have a really bad day, but ibuprofin helps for minor bad days. Good luck, and you can always pm me if you want. :)