Does anyone have TMJ?

M

mom2twoboyz

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I have it really bad, I've had it for years and I can't take the headaches, neck and face pain anymore!! I have a guard for teeth grinding at night, it doesn't help that much because I clench my jaw ALLL DAY. I am a pretty tense person overall, I guess.

I have to remind myself repeatedly throughout the day to relax the muscles in my face, jaw and neck because it's pretty much involuntary reflexes at this point.

Does anyone have any tips on this? I am in constant pain because of this crap!! Thanks in advance. :)
 
yup i do and i have it pretty bad. sometimes i can't even sleep at night b/c of it. one of my joints is dislocated. i'm told by my doctor that it is the only joint in the body that can still function dislocated b/c it is supported by muscle, etc. they also discovered that there is no cartilidge left in the joints and the bone has started to deteriorate. eventually i will need surgery. (i had an MRI many years ago)

i used to have a night guard too but tossed it b/c it didn't work. plus i don't think the dr. at that time knew exactly what he was doing. i probably could use a new one.

i clench all day at work and especially when i'm driving. and i also have to try to focus and tell myself to relax my jaw muscles. it's so hard i know. but i can totally understand what you are going through. i have no advice for you though, sorry. b/c i honestly don't think they can really do much with it. maybe some therapy and and after all fails resort to surgery, but i'm not sure how common surgery is for that.
 
Don't have it, but after reading the article, it's suggested that you do some jaw exercises. Does that help any, if you tried it?
 
in my case nothing really helps. i've done all i can for mine. i believe my next step is surgery, which i don't want to do, so i've learned to deal and live with it until i can't anymore. everyone is different though.
 
Thanks, I wish I never heard of it myself. Lillian I know exactly what you're talking about .. it's an all day thing. So using the guard (and I even take a benzodiazepine at night to help reduce clenching and grinding) at night doesn't do very much when you're clenching allll day long. I have headaches and major face pain all the time because of it.

I do some stretching and exercises, which provide some temporary relief, but as soon as I'm not paying attention, I'm all clenched up again. I hate it. I feel the same way Lillian, like there's really no solution.

This made me think of something my brother used to ask me .. "Is your face hurting? .. Well it's hurting ME!" Bwah haha. Funny guy.
 
mom2twoboyz said:
Thanks, I wish I never heard of it myself. Lillian I know exactly what you're talking about .. it's an all day thing. So using the guard (and I even take a benzodiazepine at night to help reduce clenching and grinding) at night doesn't do very much when you're clenching allll day long. I have headaches and major face pain all the time because of it.

I do some stretching and exercises, which provide some temporary relief, but as soon as I'm not paying attention, I'm all clenched up again. I hate it. I feel the same way Lillian, like there's really no solution.

This made me think of something my brother used to ask me .. "Is your face hurting? .. Well it's hurting ME!" Bwah haha. Funny guy.
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yup, mine hurts all the time...LOL!

i did find a doctor in NJ that specializes in TMJ and he performs all kinds of therapy and trys anything and everything before having to resort to surgery, but i haven't gone b/c, #1 he's about 45 minutes from where i live, #2 unfortunately insurance doesn't always see this as a medical condition and my hubby's insurance just switched, so i have to see if it is covered, #3 i work full time and it would be hard to fit any kind of therapy into my schedule. i think trying to cram more driving and more into my schedule would just cause me to clench even more. the crappy thing is there aren't too many dr's out there that specialize or treat this.

i get headaches, neck pain, etc. all the time as well. i find it very frustrating, but i try to ignore it as much as possible.

i don't think there is any real solution to it. i've read online that people who have had the surgery don't feel better and sometimes require further surgery or it only lasts so long until you need to redo the surgery. plus the idea of someone doing surgery on my face freaks me out! :eek:
plus i wouldn't want my mouth wired shut...LOL!
 
oh and an appt at the dentist really sucks b/c you have to keep your jaw open while they work on you. i don't recover from that pain until the next day.
 
sorry you both suffer like that. I had a period when I couldn't stop clenching my teeth for about 3 months, (literally could not open my mouth, to talk or eat...) and it was pure misery.

It was ages ago, and I have no clue how it went away I'm just glad it did.

I hope you both find something that can help.....
 
NoLoveLost said:
sorry you both suffer like that. I had a period when I couldn't stop clenching my teeth for about 3 months, (literally could not open my mouth, to talk or eat...) and it was pure misery.

It was ages ago, and I have no clue how it went away I'm just glad it did.

I hope you both find something that can help.....
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thanks diane.
i'm getting used to it. it is now the norm for me, unfortunately. LOL!
 
hey mom2boyz....what state are you from? just wondering cuz if you are from jersey, there was that one dr. i was going to try, maybe he could help you. i haven't tried him b/c he is a little far from where i live in jersey.
 
I have it, but luckily mine is acute rather than chronic.

But when it does flare up, it'll bother me for a month or more, so I feel your pain.

Since its the tendon and not the joint itself, I don't know how well any natural anti-inflammatories might help, like increases omega's from fish oil...but it won't hurt to try.

otherwise i Know they they attempt to surgically repair it by removing and reattaching the tendon after shortening it...but yikes! Since mine isn't so bad I never contemplated that.

Remember TMJ is hereditary too. My mom also suffers from it occasionally, and mine didn't appear until I was a full adult and all my growth plates should have fused and hardened.
 
I too have TMJ - have had it for YEARS -- I believe it came in to play after I had braces at a very young age (don't think mouth was fully developed) and had them on for four years!! Of course ortho would admit to that possibly being the cause - but I am convinced of it. Anyway, in college, I couldn't even open my mouth wide enough to eat anything bigger than a slice of bread :eek: I was on limited food for a while - definitely no bagels, apples, or anything chewy. It used to crack every times I chewed - would freak people out. Fortunately it hasn't bothered me until recently - where it has started 'popping' out every time I eat anything. If I work at it, I can get it back in to place, but sometimes it takes a while. I have been having the chiropractor I am going to (for a herniated disk) work on it, and it seems to help (although the back adjustments might be what set my jaw out in the first place this time -- oy....

Hope you can find something that gives you relief.
 
I know I had it really bad were my jaw popped a lot anytime I was chewing or talking. I ended up having to get braces again (wisdom teeth made my already fixed teeth move around) when I was in my early 20s and it has helped quite a bit with the popping and removing pain. My jaw doesn't lock in place anymore and unless I am super stressed I don't clench. Maybe something with your bite is going on.

I had a friend in highschool who couldn't fit a dumdum in her mouth because she couldn't open wide enough for it.
 
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