Ezekiel,
It sounds like I'm in a similar boat. I have been aware of my teeth grinding/clenching for the last 15 years, and I have never really experienced serious or intense jaw pain just soreness, jaw clicking, and tight muscles. In the last two years I have developed this nerve racking dizziness. Of all the symptoms that I have, for me the most debilitating is the constant dizziness. Lately, I have notice that I also wake up with an adrenaline-type throbbing feeling, almost like a nervous feeling. I can live with the other symptoms as is, but the dizziness is horrible. I always describe my "everyday" dizziness as if one were walking down the hallway of a rocky cruise ship where it's difficult to keep one's balance. On the days which the dizziness is more intense, it feels like someone put a blindfold on me, spun me around ten times, and then took the blindfold off. On those days I have no choice but to lay in bed. (I did the ENT, Neurologist, etc. route to rule out anything.)
I have had several night guards/splints made by different dentists. All of which seem to work less and less the longer I wore them. Two years ago I saw a TMJ specialist who my doctor recommended. He suggested that I try the drug Elavil (20mg), which worked wonderfully for six months but then gradually stopped working. Unfortunately, nobody including my doctor warned me that one has to taper off the dosage. A year later when I stopped Elavil since it wasn't working anymore, the panic attacks/anxiety were like nothing I have ever experienced. I thought I was going insane. Last year I had an NTI made, which to my surprise did not help at all. Currently, I'm working with another TMJ specialist, who has done a tremendous amount of imaging and computer modelling of my head and jaw. He has given me a splint which is not a flat plane splint, but one that is grooved to fit/train my optimal bite. It's been three weeks, and the dizziness has subsided to mild-moderate dizziness but certainly has not disappeared.
It's all very disheartening since this has all added up to a mini fortune that I have spent on my jaw. I wish there was more information available. I hope sharing my TMJ story with you helps. If you should hear of any other remedies for the dizziness I would be grateful if you shared them with me.
Thanks.
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Originally Posted by ezekielchariot I apparently have TMJ but it seems without the extremely painful jaw or painful bite issue so many here seem to actually have. I have a single side clicking joint with an infrequent tearing feeling in the joint. While I mention the lack of pain in my jaw or joint, I do get dull aching sometimes and at times a few small sharp pains in that region but nothing painfully devastating as other sufferes mention. By far my worst problems are extreme eye pain with dark rings and sunken eyes which varies in intensity and never ending dizziness. Ive had these symptoms continuously for 4 years as well as a mirriad of other symptoms as the panic of the whole issue seemed to peak after the first 2 years. I had panic attacks, night sweats, inner ear/tube spasms, change in pitch in one ear, suffed blocked ears and head pressure.
By far the worst of my symptoms is the combination of eye pain and dizziness combined. Because of these two combined I had to give up a high paying job. I cant do work which requires concentration for either coordination or high intelligence anymore.
I was fitted with a moulded top teeth splint but it did nothing except make my teeth ache. I tried a general sort of splint I bought off the internet which doesnt make my teeth ache but it still has had no effect but at least I wear it at night so I dont grind my teeth.
Does anyone else have TMJ which isnt so noticable in the jaw joint as pain but have other symptoms instead which are worse? Did it take forever to arrive at a TMJ diagnosis because of this?
I can deal with some of the eye pain with pain killers but Im not sure how to take the edge off the dizziness/zombie/trance feeling. |
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