Do I have TMJ? I need to know! - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

Tmansdc · 10-03-2004, 05:24 PM

Everytime I open my jaw i hear a weird popping noise in my left ear, everytime i open my jaw long and hard that is. Could it be TMJ and that's what my hearing loss is coming from? and my left ear pops everytime i open it.

I don't have any of the other symptoms, but decongestants, drops, and antihistamines haven't worked. Could I have TMJ? And if so what do I have to do to get rid of it and regain my hearing?

ezekielchariot · 10-03-2004, 07:39 PM

Yes you could have TMJ. Many hearing/ear related problems occur as a result of TMJ due to the fact that the jaw joint is right in there amongst all the ear electronics.
My TMJ caused me to go quite deaf in both ears as if they were half filled with wax, which they werent. Dont be surprised if other ear oddities occur. If you have wear marks on your teeth you may want to seek out a splint to wear at night to stop any teeth grinding issue. If you chew gum or tobacco

on a regular basis, stop that habit.
The jaw muscles can make you clamp down with your teeth with an almighty force, just try biting one of your fingers with your back teeth till it hurts and realise you only used mild force to do that. All that mechanical force gets hinged at the TMJ jaw joint.
Im have had TMJ for 4 years but I get "reffered" symptoms which are transferred along cranial nerves such as painful eyes and dizziness. I dont get the painful jaw as many others do but Ive had a whole host of ear related issues with it also which have subsided. One of the worst ear problems was irritation to sounds such as people talking.

Tmansdc · 10-04-2004, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ezekielchariot

Yes you could have TMJ. Many hearing/ear related problems occur as a result of TMJ due to the fact that the jaw joint is right in there amongst all the ear electronics.
My TMJ caused me to go quite deaf in both ears as if they were half filled with wax, which they werent. Dont be surprised if other ear oddities occur. If you have wear marks on your teeth you may want to seek out a splint to wear at night to stop any teeth grinding issue. If you chew gum or tobacco

on a regular basis, stop that habit.
The jaw muscles can make you clamp down with your teeth with an almighty force, just try biting one of your fingers with your back teeth till it hurts and realise you only used mild force to do that. All that mechanical force gets hinged at the TMJ jaw joint.
Im have had TMJ for 4 years but I get "reffered" symptoms which are transferred along cranial nerves such as painful eyes and dizziness. I dont get the painful jaw as many others do but Ive had a whole host of ear related issues with it also which have subsided. One of the worst ear problems was irritation to sounds such as people talking.

Will it go away by itself if I stop chewing gum so much? Or will I have to get surgery? I hope the ENT can diagnose it. I don't chew tobacco. Nasty that stuff is.

ezekielchariot · 10-05-2004, 03:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tmansdc

Will it go away by itself if I stop chewing gum so much? Or will I have to get surgery? I hope the ENT can diagnose it. I don't chew tobacco. Nasty that stuff is.

It is possible that a developing TMJ disorder may subside if you identified and removed certain known bad habits. Bad habits may include chewing gum, nail biting, yawning with your mouth wide open, poking your tounge out far too often and perhaps chewing your food on one side. Other reasons can be due to posture while using a computer or a past blow to the jaw or a shock like a car accident. There are many possibles. However I imagine that TMJ can just develop regardless of how perfect you treat your body. If you go to a doctor then you could mention TMJ. If your doctor is the type to quickly dismiss things then you should perhaps consider a second opinion. If you read the second posting in the health board TMJ listings here, you will find a list of symptoms. Also below are a couple of links to the TMJ Association of America.
I am lucky not to have the painful jaw of TMJ but I do have the horrible referred pain in the eyes and terrible dizziness. It took 3 years to come up with TMJ as the reason. I dont have any bad habits that I know of now, I used to frequently bite my nails and I have teeth wear marks suggesting I ground my teeth at night. Ive given up hard foods.
Also, if in fact you are a gum chewer then consider seriously giving it up as you wont want to get into a full TMJ health issue, just read some of the horror stories in the listings. It is highly likely to be the gum chewing but it sounds as if you might have done some damage already. The damage is done to the cartilage in the jaw joint and cartilage is very slow to self repair.
Be open minded also for other causes of your troubles but.
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