TMJ questions

Posted by Pammy @pammyl66, Jun 7, 2015

I clench my teeth at night which has resulted in severe TMJ. I have seen dentist, ortho and medical doctors. I am on Zoloft to help reduce stress and I have a custom mouth guard. My problem is none of this is working. I find if I wear my guard I seem to clench harder, if I don't my tongue has teeth imprints on the end from pressing against my bottom teeth. I don't know what to do. This is miserable pain in jaws, neck and ear pain and headaches. My jaw locks up from time to time and my throat even gets sore. Muscles and probably gets scratched because I can't chew my food properly. Please Help! This has been going on well over 2 years....

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Support Group.

<p>I was diagnosed with TMJ by my family doctor, my dentist and by an ENT. They all told me it may go away. It has been 6 weeks and it is still there. I have had the TENS machine twice and have changed my diet to soft food. Can I still expect the TMJ to go away on its own.</p>

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@reader3013

<p>I was diagnosed with TMJ by my family doctor, my dentist and by an ENT. They all told me it may go away. It has been 6 weeks and it is still there. I have had the TENS machine twice and have changed my diet to soft food. Can I still expect the TMJ to go away on its own.</p>

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Hi @reader3013, welcome to Connect.
I moved your message to a thread started by @pammyl66 about TMJ. I'd also like to connect you with other members talking about TMJ. Please meet @phoebejo @starwitch @catio @ironman84.

You may also wish to read past conversations, such as
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/tmj-27ef7d/
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/tmj/

Was your care team able to identify the cause of your TMJ?

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@reader3013

<p>I was diagnosed with TMJ by my family doctor, my dentist and by an ENT. They all told me it may go away. It has been 6 weeks and it is still there. I have had the TENS machine twice and have changed my diet to soft food. Can I still expect the TMJ to go away on its own.</p>

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Sorry to hear about your situation and also sorry to say that it probably won't go away. There isn't another free floating joint like this in the body. Total joint replacement was the only fix for me. Unfortunately I had to have 6 operations before my insurance would pay for it. I hope you have better luck. It has been almost 20 yrs since my surgery and still doing great. <br />
<br />

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@reader3013

<p>I was diagnosed with TMJ by my family doctor, my dentist and by an ENT. They all told me it may go away. It has been 6 weeks and it is still there. I have had the TENS machine twice and have changed my diet to soft food. Can I still expect the TMJ to go away on its own.</p>

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Welcome back to Connect @ironman84. Really appreciate your input. You'll notice that Connect has been reinvigorated and is an active community again. We've got more updates and improvements about to rollout over the next few weeks. Stay tuned.

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I have this ongoing condition that nobody seems to have an answer for. I have been to an ENT, TMJ Specialist (Dr. K), in Alabama, and have been tested for auto immune diseases and those tests were negative. Dr. K said that I have muscle spasms due to clinching my teeth and he suggested that I wear a special $800 night guard. Dr. B, here in Anniston, made the night guard for me and I have been wearing it since October. I recently saw Dr. K said he did see improvement and I should keep following up with Dr. B. Dr. K did not think that TMJ was causing the symptoms that I have had for approx. 1 year. The night guard helps if I use it during the day, however, it is to bulky to wear all the time. The most annoying symptom is that constantly have a gritty sound and sometimes actually feel like I have sand in my mouth. I don’t have constant jaw pain or headaches. I do have neck and back pain. I live in Anniston, Alabama. If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them. Feeling very Frustrated. Thank you!

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Welcome to Connect, @robinray55,

How frustrating it must be to have these symptoms!
I moved your message to this discussion in the ENT group, and I'd also like to connect you with other members talking about TMJ. Please meet @phoebejo, @starwitch, @catio, @ironman84, @fifi, @lauriedr, @pammyl66, @reader3013, @catio,@tatt00edraven, @sunset74, @lauren123.

I also hope @tallteri, @reg131 will return with some more insight for you regarding wearing a night guard.
In the meantime, here is some information from Mayo Clinic that you might interest you: http://mayocl.in/2m3eG1l

@robinray55, have your doctors suggested any tests to diagnose TMJ disorders? What do you do to get relief from the discomfort and pain?

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@kanaazpereira

Welcome to Connect, @robinray55,

How frustrating it must be to have these symptoms!
I moved your message to this discussion in the ENT group, and I'd also like to connect you with other members talking about TMJ. Please meet @phoebejo, @starwitch, @catio, @ironman84, @fifi, @lauriedr, @pammyl66, @reader3013, @catio,@tatt00edraven, @sunset74, @lauren123.

I also hope @tallteri, @reg131 will return with some more insight for you regarding wearing a night guard.
In the meantime, here is some information from Mayo Clinic that you might interest you: http://mayocl.in/2m3eG1l

@robinray55, have your doctors suggested any tests to diagnose TMJ disorders? What do you do to get relief from the discomfort and pain?

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Yes, I have had tests done. I take muscle relaxers at times but get no relief

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Hello @robinray55. I also have TMJ and similar pain symptoms. I also have tried the night guards and wearing them during the day. I have a narrow upper bit and sleep apnea.
Treatments I have also tried: Chiropractic care, acupuncture, acupressure, ice packs, eating soft diet, all still cause pain and my jaws would fatigue very quickly even with talking which would cause locked jaw. Finally found a relief with the removal of my wisdom teeth.

Has the dentist notice your teeth may be crowded?

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@dawn_giacabazi

Hello @robinray55. I also have TMJ and similar pain symptoms. I also have tried the night guards and wearing them during the day. I have a narrow upper bit and sleep apnea.
Treatments I have also tried: Chiropractic care, acupuncture, acupressure, ice packs, eating soft diet, all still cause pain and my jaws would fatigue very quickly even with talking which would cause locked jaw. Finally found a relief with the removal of my wisdom teeth.

Has the dentist notice your teeth may be crowded?

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I have tried all the same things. Yes, I have been to 3 dentists and orthodontist and a periodontist

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