Hi. For the past year and a half my right side-(jaw and cheek) area has been swollen. After dealing with so many doctors, they finally said it is nothing to worry about. They said it was my mass muscle and protoid glad was enlarged. They said it could possible be caused by TMJ. For the last month it has been hurting me. Its even bothering my ear. I hate looking in the mirror or touching my face because its swollen. This is really effecting me. Aside for the part that it looks funny...it scares me that it hurts. I have just been to so many doctors and through so much and finally they say it might be TMJ. So now what do I do? Where do I go? I have wasted so much time and money going to diffent doctors that they send me too. No one has been able to help me. I'm going to get that mouth guard. I was just wondering if there is anything else that I can do to help my face. Will the swelling ever go away?? I also heard accupunture may help. Has anyone had this done. I am just really upset about how my face looks and the pain. Please help me out. Thanks
I started exatly the same way. My endodontist thought it was either an infected salivary gland or tmj. Turns out my jaw sublaxed (one side came out and protruded on the side by my ear) and my condyle was not moving correctly so I overworked my muscles. My upper jaw was not closing correctly accounting for the pain under the cheek bone. You need to find yourself a tmj specialist who deals with head, neck and facial pain to see what the exact cause of your muscle enlargement is due to. Sometimes they are also called maxillofacialists or neuromuscular dentists. An orthordontist who specializes in tmj is also good. You will probably need to have an mri or sonogram done to look for any abnormalities but they should advise you regarding this. I am sure others on the board with more experience will have more recommendations since I am only a novice when it comes to this. Try some ice packs and over the counter pain relievers for now (I find Aleve or Advil works well) and if it progresses to your neck and shoulder area see a chiropractor who also knows about tmj. Good luck.
PS... I forgot to mention my swelling has gone down although not 100% yet. I have been told once the problem is fully corrected your muscles will return to their normal size and you will look like your old self again or very close to it at least.
Thanks so much for your help. I have had a CAT SCAN done and an MRI. Everything looks to be fine when the doctors saw those. I will call tomorrow to find a good TMJ doctor. Hopefully they can help me so the swelling will go down and my face will be back to looking normal w/ no pain. I am on pain killer, muscle relaxers, and a steriod to reduce the swelling. Anyone else have anymore advice?
I am in the care of a massage therapist who practicing myofascial release. It is not pleasant treatment and it has done me a world of good. I also see a chiropractor once a week.
They both tell me to ice my face for 10 minutes at a time and to NOT use heat. I also have a night splint to wear which helps me with my clenching problem. The combination of the three have been very necessary for me in order to function.
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