Is my problem really caused by TMJ???? - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

Drewsm0m · 03-30-2006, 10:25 AM

About three years ago, I began to have problems with my left ear, feeling of fullness, mild pain, etc. The doctor diagnosed me with TMJ and sent me on my way with a steroid perscription. The problem never went away totally. The little bit of pain was gone, but my ear still felt full. About a month ago, the fullness feeling in my ear got worse, and it was accompanied by ringing in my ear, dissiness, unexplained bouts of vertigo, balance problems, horrible headaches, hearing loss and numbness that has spread all the way across the left side of my face. What I don't have is jaw pain. I went to an ent who said TMJ causing headaches, hearing loss, ringing and numbness. Everything else she wrote off to allergies. Can TMJ be so severe that it presses against the nerves to the face and yet have none of the pain normally associated with it? Please Help!

Thelma-Louise · 04-08-2006, 11:44 PM

tmj can start out that way - my first mild bout with it was a thick feeling right in front of my ear and dizziness or vertigo and my hearing became affected. I also had head aches on that side. I never associated those symptoms with tmj. It subsided on its own after a year. 15 years later I now have a really bad case of it with just about every symptom associated with it including facial tingling. You may want to ask your doctor about the trimengial (spelling?) nerve. It runs along one side of the face and can produce tingling and numbness and a neurolgia on the face. It can be treated with meds (tegretal).

RingingNJ · 06-11-2006, 10:22 AM

here's the question..you say "vertigo"..how long does the vertigo last??? seconds, minutes, hours??? Is it TRUE vertigo..the kind of vertigo where you FEEL like you're on one of those crazy TEA CUP rides that spin and spin and spin...

DrewsMom..if you have vertigo lasting for more than 30 minutes..you may want to look into a condition called "meniere's disease." You seem to have all the other symptoms...if it's LESS than 30 minutes..or if you've never thrown up violently from the spinning..you prolly DON'T have meniere's...good luck.