joekel
04-21-2008, 11:52 AM
Hi everyone I have been lurking here for a few weeks. I think I might have TMJ but who knows I will try to list my symptoms I began getting a sensation on the right side of face during the summer it felt swollen near my jaw and burned. The back side of my jaw was tender that seems to flare up and down(paratoidgland?). Other symtoms include burning tounge on right side only, Fatigue, pain in jaw like the kind caused by a bad tooth,burning face right side, jaw stiffness, burning sensation in my throat,sinus pressure, terrible pain in my neck when I look over my shoulder and terrible shoulder pain I suffer from sleep apnea and use cpap, I also take nexium for burning sensatrion in throat. Dentist said teeth ok. I have had my thyroid checked numbers ok, CAT scan of neck looked good except found 2 cyst in thyroid GP wanted to have Fine needle biopsiy done went to endo he said no need to because of size(small) and his blood work normal also. Went to ENT about burning in my throat put scope up my nose and said everything looked normal. put me nexium in case GERD is causing burn. He said parotoid gland seems fine he milked it fluid is clear.I asked him about my thyroid he looked at CAT scan I have the scan He agreed that the cyst were to small to bopsiy Thisis over the course of the past 2 months. I do clench but i don't know if caused by not feeling good or Tmj. My concern is I seem to be getting worse and it is beginning to consume me all the time, I am miserable to be with. It is really affecting my marriage my wife thinks I am lazy(no energy) she gets angry evry time I say I don't feel goodI wish I could just fade away. I am going back to the ent this week Thanks for listening I feel all alone Joe H
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joekel
04-21-2008, 07:02 PM
Thank you for the response i have had sleep spnea for about 5yrs the The only medication I am taking is nexium. My face seems sore and tender especially under my jaw rt side and near joint on right side to the touch even when I move my tounge it hurts. Also I was wondering why most Drs put their fingers in front of your ears and ask you to open your mouth and then tell you that they can't feel anything and then they rule out tmj?Also it seems like something is seeping in my mouthlike Sorry for the long post Thank you so much for responding JOE H
Thelma-Louise
04-21-2008, 10:59 PM
TMJ in its purest form is when the tm joints do not work correctly due to their position. This can be felt and heard when one opens/closes their mouth as the joint will make a popping sound when the disc is not moving correctly and a small "jerk" may be felt as well.
But quite often the joints are ok (so there is no popping or cracking) and the problem is actually an imbalanced bite where a few teeth do not meet together correctly or at all. The imbalance leads to muscle stress so some refer to it as muscular tmj since there is not physiological problem (abnormality, deterioration, displacement) with the tmj joint or condyles. Sometimes this can happen as fillings (or crowns, bridges, bonding, etc) are done where the exact height or occlusion is not maintained from the natural tooth - and even if this is the case - it may take years before any symptoms arise. Also as we age, teeth may shift due to a number of reasons - periodontal issues (infections or bone loss), missing or broken teeth, - also clenching and/or grinding may cause shifiting due to the extreme forces put on the teeth. Signs that clenching or grinding may be the culprit are flat or worn tooth surfaces and a rounding of tooth edges and in extreme cases, surface cracks visible on tooth enamel or tooth fractures. Clenching/grinding also accounts for most jaw pain.
A good tmj dentist, neuromuscular dentist, holistic dentist or an ortho should be able to evaluate your bite and make you either a nightguard to help with the clenching or a splint that will help re-balance the bite and then changes to your teeth can be made permanent either through crowns, overlays, orthodontia, etc. to prevent this from recurring.
I am not sure what you mean by seeping in the mouth - could you elaborate a bit more? Are you tasting or sensing seepage such as from an infection within the mouth? Have you had your salivary glands checked recently?
But quite often the joints are ok (so there is no popping or cracking) and the problem is actually an imbalanced bite where a few teeth do not meet together correctly or at all. The imbalance leads to muscle stress so some refer to it as muscular tmj since there is not physiological problem (abnormality, deterioration, displacement) with the tmj joint or condyles. Sometimes this can happen as fillings (or crowns, bridges, bonding, etc) are done where the exact height or occlusion is not maintained from the natural tooth - and even if this is the case - it may take years before any symptoms arise. Also as we age, teeth may shift due to a number of reasons - periodontal issues (infections or bone loss), missing or broken teeth, - also clenching and/or grinding may cause shifiting due to the extreme forces put on the teeth. Signs that clenching or grinding may be the culprit are flat or worn tooth surfaces and a rounding of tooth edges and in extreme cases, surface cracks visible on tooth enamel or tooth fractures. Clenching/grinding also accounts for most jaw pain.
A good tmj dentist, neuromuscular dentist, holistic dentist or an ortho should be able to evaluate your bite and make you either a nightguard to help with the clenching or a splint that will help re-balance the bite and then changes to your teeth can be made permanent either through crowns, overlays, orthodontia, etc. to prevent this from recurring.
I am not sure what you mean by seeping in the mouth - could you elaborate a bit more? Are you tasting or sensing seepage such as from an infection within the mouth? Have you had your salivary glands checked recently?
joekel
04-22-2008, 08:30 AM
I am going back to ENT this week to get gland checked again to see if that is where the fluid is coming from in my mouth. I will also get to the dentist to get my teeth checked When I lay down everything seems fine but when I wake up in the morning my face feels like it gets full and my ear seems stuffy. It seems that I am always going to a Dr. It really gets me depressed and short with the people I love Thanks again it least I know someone has a similar condition Joe H