MaggieMay - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

Jammix · 09-04-2006, 12:55 AM

Maggie wrote:

"It is the same story for me too, sadly. The oral surgeon kept my mouth wide open for 2.5 hours, with only about a 5 minute break when I went to use the restroom. He also used a lot of force while my mouth was wide open, trying to pry 4 deeply impacted wisdom teeth out of the bone."

Wow. This sounds just like my case. I open my mouth a small amount for 2 seconds now and it strains it. To think that some idiot held my mouth very widely open for the entire length of the procedure......
And then when I approached him afterwards about the jaw problems I was having, I received only a piece of paper with trivial methods of coping. He was oblivious to any effect his actions could have caused.
Submitting yourself to IV or general anesthesia when in the chair of a dental or oral surgeon is a very risky thing to do. With only local anesthetic, you can ensure that your jaw is not being abused.

But what are we to do now?

MaggieMay78 · 09-04-2006, 10:32 AM

"With only local anesthetic, you can ensure that your jaw is not being abused."

Jammix,

Oh boy, I wish that were true! I was not even under IV sedation! I know that may sound weird...BUT, I did have nitrous oxide, which made me just "foggy" enough to believe what the oral surgeon said. He kept telling me, "Don't worry, I'm just taking my time so that we don't damage any nerves." Yeah, in the meantime, he was overstretching my jaw joints!

eggghhh...Anyway, all I can tell you is that early on, I just had AWFUL muscle spasms and headaches. I will tell you my story, because it might give you some hope:

Within a month, I was feeling MUCH better. I could open my mouth normally, no joint problems, etc. But 2 months after the extractions, I had a *major* leg surgery with an extremely painful, long recovery. I think that being on crutches ("head-forward posture"), clenching my teeth from the pain, etc. made my TMJ problems come back. Several docs also agree with me on this. Also, I was under a *tremendous* amount of stress w/moving cross-country, marital problems, still recovering from leg surgery, etc. i think all of these things contributed to my TMJ problems getting worse. My first MRI showed no disc displacement whatsoever, and I could open my mouth normally. But the 2nd MRI, over a year after the original extractions, showed displaced discs, and I have trouble opening my mouth as widely as I used to.

Bottom line: Your case may get better if you take care of your body, take simple self-care steps, and minimize stress. *Try your very best* not to stress to much right now. Stress will only make things worse!!! I cannot emphasize that enough! Also, baby your jaw for some time. I'm not sure how long you've had these problems, but it's best for you to stick to a soft diet for at least a few weeks--mashed potatoes, yogurt, smoothies, scrambled eggs, pastas, etc. Use LOTS of moist heat as well. And finally, take a good anti-inflammatory on a *regular* basis, not just when you have pain. Do this all for at least a few weeks. If you don't start seeing improvements then, you may want to look into seeing a TMJ specialist.

I am so sorry this happened to us! Please try not to get too down...we can't change what has happened. We can only try to influence the future. Good luck and keep us posted.

Meg

MaggieMay78 · 09-04-2006, 08:29 PM

Jammix,

I just read your other post that said you've had this problem for years now. So, that changes my advice a bit...

First of all, I believe there IS still hope. It's still important to try not to stress too much (I know, easier said than done!) Like I said in my last post, my case progressed, but I think only because of other circumstances that perpetuated my symptoms (leg surgery, extreme stress, etc). If you can eliminate stress or anxiety as much as possible, that will at least help you to make the best possible decisions about your treatment.

So...with that in mind, I would say that it's time to seek out a qualified TMJ specialist. I believe other people recommended this to you already, but I will say it again, and cannot stress enough the importance of finding a GOOD specialist! You dont' want someone who only "dabbles" in TMJ treatment...you want someone who is very experienced in these problems, and can design a quality treatment plan for you. If you live near a big university, you may want to try finding a TMJ dentist there...some of the really large universities even have orofacial pain clinics, and that's often a great place to start.

Nutrition recommendations: Make sure you're taking a quality multivitamin, and getting enough MAGNESIUM! Magnesium is key to helping muscles relax...and even though you've had this problem for awhile now, I would still try to stick with a soft or semi-soft diet until you can see a dentist that will help you. And again, I find heat helpful for relaxing the muscles. some people swear by ice, and if that helps you, then by all means use it...but heat is usually recommended for chronic muscle pain and helps bring blood flow to the area.

**As far as feeling like you are still under local anesthetic...I could very well be wrong, but that is often a sign that you had damage to your inferior alveolar nerve. It is a nerve that runs through the mandible, and can get bumped or even severed during wisdom teeth extractions. Are you numb anywhere?? When there is damage, people often end up numb in the chin, lower lip, gums, etc. Many times the numbness is temporary, but if it persists after a year or two, it is sometimes permanent. If you have any feeling at all (even crawling or tingling sensations) then it means the nerve was probably just slightly damaged, NOT severed. I think that complete severing is VERY rare. Unfortunately, I don't think there is much that can be done for this problem....again, I could be wrong, and I don't even know if this is the problem YOU have...but that's just an idea of what it could be.

I hope this information has helped a little bit. And I hope you can get your muscular problems resolved soon. Again, please keep us posted and hang in there...

Meg

MaggieMay78 · 09-04-2006, 09:33 PM

this post won't be as long as my last two, LOL

Anyway, I was just researching more nutrition information...I have actually been following these recommendations as well, and was just reading what doses should be taken. Of course, this is NOT meant to be medical advice...I just read this on the Internet, so you should research more yourself/check with your doctor. But these are just guidelines to give you an idea:

Calcium: 1200mg at bedtime
Pantothenic acid: 200mg daily
Magnesium: 400mg daily (the citrate form is very well-absorbed by the body)

All three of these are specifically good for fighting TMJ problems. And of course, getting your share of antioxidants is important too...

Sircatnip · 09-07-2006, 10:11 AM

About 2 years ago my dentist forced my mouth open for about an hour or more re-doing 3 old fillings with new. He used what he called a "rubber dam" and kept my mouth open for so long that I started having TMJ problems. I had severe muscle spasms afterwards and headaches like you wouldn't believe. I finally found out about a good TMJ specialist and went to him and had a splint made which I have been wearing now for a little over a year. It has helped, but I still on occasion have muscle spasms. What he did to me changed my whole bite. My teeth fit in different positions (they don't shut in the front) than they did before that idiot dentist forced my mouth open for so long. Needless to say, I have never been back to that dentist.