MRI - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

abby320 · 06-10-2003, 07:07 PM

I am scheduled for an MRI next week and am pretty terrified. For those of you that have had this experience I would appreciate some feedback. The thought of being in that "tunnel" flips me out. Is it really bad? How long does it take? What about keeping my mouth open - I can't imagine keeping it open longer that 30 seconds. Is it incredibly painful to do so? Thanks for any feedback you can provide.

TiffanyAnn · 06-10-2003, 10:09 PM

Hi Abby:
I just had an MRI done last month. It takes about an hour to an hour and a half. I would suggest you ask your dentist/doctor to prescribe some type of sedative for you to take prior to the test because it really is a pretty long and difficult test to go through. The part where I had to have my mouth open was approximately 15 minutes. Every hospital where you go to have the MRI done uses a different method for keeping your mouth open. The way I figured it was I didn't have much choice and I really wanted to get the MRI done and over with so I concentrated really hard to get through. But if you get some medication to take prior I think it will make the test so much easier.
Tiffany

Eric1 · 06-11-2003, 02:39 AM

Hi abby, I had my MRI done also about two weeks ago and I found keeping my mouth open almost impossible during it. I really think they shouldve had some kind of plastic device to help. Well right afterward he told me the MRI came out really bad alot of movement. Fifteen minutes was way too long for me to keep my jaw still so I'd suggest maybe practicing postitioning your hands and testing yourself first. You could also ask in advance if they have anything that might help. Take care and hope it goes well.

Lori Lynn · 06-11-2003, 11:23 AM

I had mine done about two weeks ago. I kept my eyes shut the entire time. If I had to do it again, I'd have taken a muscle relaxant, instead of just pain pills. I had a roll of medical adhesive tape to bite down on to keep my mouth open. Even with ear plugs, the noise was very annoying, and my face hurt so much when I was done, I felt disoriented... almost drunk.

But it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and wasn't in any more pain than usual the next day. Breathe deep and think happy thoughts.