Jaw troubles...?!
Question: I've been putting up with my jaw locking and popping for a year or so now. This morning it locked very bad,and I couldn't open my mouth for a couple of mins.
I AM going to the Dr. on Thurs., I made that appt. a while ago.
Right now I have a headach that goes from my jawline to the top of my head,and it feels like I've been overusing it (it feels "tired")
I can't chew anything ,so today I've been eating yogert.
My question is, whay does it keep doing that? My dentist had thought it was from grinding my teeth, but I don't do that. I still ave wisdom teeth. I was also wondering if there is any relief besides Advil and rubbing it every so often.
Any ideas?
Answers: I've been putting up with my jaw locking and popping for a year or so now. This morning it locked very bad,and I couldn't open my mouth for a couple of mins.
I AM going to the Dr. on Thurs., I made that appt. a while ago.
Right now I have a headach that goes from my jawline to the top of my head,and it feels like I've been overusing it (it feels "tired")
I can't chew anything ,so today I've been eating yogert.
My question is, whay does it keep doing that? My dentist had thought it was from grinding my teeth, but I don't do that. I still ave wisdom teeth. I was also wondering if there is any relief besides Advil and rubbing it every so often.
Any ideas?
I am VERY sorry to imform you that you have TMJ. There can be several causes, doctors have not been able to narrow it down to an exact cause and even more unfortunate- treatment. Grinding is just one cause. Please go to a TMJ specialist before starting ANY treatment. It sounds like your dentist doesn't know alot about TMJ, and he could end up suggesting a treatment that could possibly damage your joint further. I have had TMJ for a couple years now and I started out by getting a respositioning splint which was suppose to change my bite and then I would get braces to fix it. But I have read some stuff saying not to do that so I am now considering taking it out and just going with more conservative methods of treatment such as chiropractor and massage therapy. So far massage therapy has proven really successful for me. The splint was successful at first, but now I'm not so sure as the other side has started popping. Hopefully I will be figuring out what I'm going to do soon, and I can let you know how it goes. My first suggestion to you would be to find a TMJ specialist in your area. Then ask for a prescription to a muscle relaxer such as SOMA or Flexoril which will help unlock your jaw. Also using a heating pad on your jaw can help open it up. Then I would suggest massage therapy, and probably a chiropractor. You can also try magnesium vitaments. You might want to try a stabalization splint, but make sure it is made just for you by a TMJ specialist. Try all of this before going down the repositioning splint route. Good luck, I would appreciate it if you let me know what you end up doing!
I would suggest visiting this site:
www.tmjsupport.com
It is a message forum where a bunch of people who have TMJ ask questions and answer other people's questions. There's also a doctor on there who answers some questions. There are also a few rare other conditions that you could have which could be causing these TMJ symptoms. Good luck!
Please don't do what some of these people are suggesting and buy over the counter splints. These can end up making it worse. You have to get evaluated by a TMJ specialist and have Xrays taken to confirm what your cause is. Alot of people hear the words TMJ and automatically assume that it is from grinding your teeth. I have TMJ and it is not from grinding.
my husband had a similar situation after a visit to the dentist in which his jaw had been over extended. The dentist had him buy a mouth guard to wear at night..in case he was grinding his teeth and didn't know it. He was on pretty much of a liquid diet for about a month. Little by little his jaw began to heal..now he's mostly o,k, but sometimes it will still pop. p.s. the Doctor wanted to operate on his jaw...the dentist said no way...it just needs time to heal...he was right in our case. god luck
It probably is from grinding your teeth. Most people don't even realize they do it. It is usually done in your sleep. More than likely you have TMJ. I was diagnosed with TMJ quite a few years ago. You might try alternating heat and cold packs. Sometimes that helps. It is good that you have made an appointment. They may give you a retainer type mouth piece to wear to bed at night to keep you from grinding your teeth and releave the pain and pressure. You should avoid chewing gum, eating nuts or hard candy, anything that requires a lot of chewing.
Good luck.
The dentist is probably right. Grinding your teeth is not something that you would know you are doing. It is a subconscious thing that happens while you are sleeping. The best way to prevent this is to get a nightguard made. They are fairly expensive at the dentist and are not usually covered by insurance. If you cannot afford one right now then get a cheap one from your local drug store until you can afford the dentist made one.