Anybody Diagnosed With Tmj Capsulitis? - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

Sircatnip · 11-28-2005, 03:39 PM

Hi - Just wanted to know if anyone out there has been diagnosed with capsulitis in their TM joint? What are your symptoms and how are you being treated? Any luck? How long is it taking to heal? And what caused the capsulitis, i.e., dental work. etc. Thanks

SerenaNaomi · 11-28-2005, 07:13 PM

Hi I've been diagnosed with tmj capsulitis. I've had chronic tmj for the past 5 years. My symptoms are headaches, jaw locking episodes, jaw pain, ear pain, jaw joint pain, muscle spasms in neck and face, muscle pain in face and neck, facial swelling, jaw joint noises also known as crepitus, trouble eating, and pain while talking. My treatments have consisted of a splint, trigger point injections, botox injections, physical therapy, muscle relaxants, and a tmj arthroscopy. None have given me any relief from my pain. How long have you had tmj? I got tmj from a whiplash injury. I don't know if it heals no doc ever told me. Maybe your tmj symptoms would get bad so you won't have to suffer chronic pain. Good luck to you. Let me know how long you have had tmj.

Sircatnip · 11-29-2005, 11:58 AM

Hi - Thanks for the response. My dentist of 30+ years retired about 2 years ago and I was left to seek out another dentist. I had never had jaw problems in my life. The dentist I picked was so rough - I should have never went to him. He told me I had cracked fillings and old fillings that needed to be replaced. When he would do a filling he would keep my mouth open for so long I couldn't hardly shut it when he finally finished. He used so many novocaine shots I was numb for hours. I noticed my bite started shifting several months after he started the reconstructive dental work. I told him about it. He didn't seem to get excited about it. But one morning I woke up and couldn't open up my mouth for the muscle spasms - I called his office crying and he gave me muscle relaxers and finally made me a splint which I paid $275 for. It was worthless. It didn't help me at all. The change in my bite got worse and I started having terrific migraine headaches and pain in my left jaw joint to the point that I lost a lot of weight because I couldn't eat and I just wasn't hungry. I finally sought out a TMJ specialist on my own. He is 2 hours away, but worth the drive. He did x-rays (my dentist never did offer to do any x-rays on me) and made me a new splint which cost $750. He told me I had capsulitis in my left TM joint which was caused from all that dental work the dentist did on me. That splint has really helped me.

I have never been back to my dentist. My TMJ specialist has a son who just graduated from dental school and he took over the practice there. I got all my old records & x-rays and I'm now seeing the dentist in with my TMJ specialist.

It has been a long journey - I still wear my splint at night and sometimes during the day when I am hurting. I hold ice packs to that joint and still stay away from foods that are hard to chew. I stick to a soft diet. My bite is better but it was off so much when all this started that it was affecting my speech and my jaw joint would burn.

I have thought about suing that dentist, but I know I probably wouldn't get anywhere. My entire family were seeing him, but we all quit going to him and picked up all of our records. I can't help but wonder if he has caused jaw problems on his other patients. What a nightmare.
Thanx for listening.
Lisa