I have TMJ and I don't know what to do - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

karel · 08-19-2008, 08:03 AM

I am having a horrible TMJ flare up. This is the second time I've had it flare up. My first attack was several years ago. This go round does not seem to be getting any better. It is absolutely killing me today. Everytime I open my mouth, you can hear the popping and cracking. It sounds as though there is bone rubbing against bone. I went to my family doctor with it a few weeks ago and he prescribed soma, Celebrex and pain killers. I took the medicine just as he told me to and it did seem to help a bit, but not for long. Today is an extremely bad day. My jaw is killing me and causing a massive headache and earache. I don't know what to do. As long as I keep my mouth closed, it isn't so bad, but I can't work and not talk all day. I've been on strictly liquids for two days and that is getting old fast. I appreciate anything you can suggest.

nynavey · 08-19-2008, 09:25 AM

Have you tried applying heat compresses of some kind? I know that's hard to do at work, but if you can get your hands on a heating pad or some of those microwaveable bean bag things and hold that against your jaw and the muscles on the sides of your head/neck, it might give you some temporary relief? I am so sorry you're in pain, especially at work!

temera2 · 08-20-2008, 01:03 AM

Oh goodness.... GOSH i know how you feel .. i keep holding my ears.. which ears hurt.. i haven't experienced head aches but with the earaches.. HEATPACS do help!nynavey had great advice...

What sort of treatment plan are you on... Chiro will help you... and splints? Are you wearing splints?

Much Love.... The pain will go ...! i Promise .. please hang in there.. you can do it.. i know how you feel..

P.s are you're earaches on the rim or inside like a sharp stabbing pain????... the jaw aches are ANNOYING! but it will PASS!

karel · 08-20-2008, 07:35 AM

Thank you for your responses and concerns.

I do not really have a treatment plan. I've had flare ups in the past, but they usually go away with in a week or so if I take care and eat a soft diet, etc.; but, this time is different. This attack has been going on for over a month and it just doesn't seem to get any better. I did go to my family doctor and as I said in my previous post, he just prescribed Celebrex, Soma and a pain killer. Those do help a little (they don't get rid of the pain entirely). He also gave me a pamphlet of exercises to do, but I can't do them because it hurts too bad. There is supposedly a TMJ specialists in my area, but after some of the horror stories I have read about the treatment some people have received, I'm terrified to go.

As to my ear pain, it is not a constant pain, I have a shooting pain in my ear every once in a while. It is really painful. As long as I keep my mouth closed it does not hurt, but any sort of movement causes really bad pain on the right side. I have also been getting horrible headaches, and I know that is the cause of those as well. My doctor told me it was the muscles in my jaw, but I think it's the bones. You can hear them poping and it also sounds like bone rubbing against bone when I open and close my mouth.

It is just so frustrating not to be able to eat or talk. I just wish it would get better.

nynavey · 08-20-2008, 12:11 PM

If you are like me, pain pills and not talking/not eating real foods isn't a long-term option. It sounds like you want the problem to go away, not just the symptoms, and I understand that completely. While everyone's pain is different, until you get something a little more substantial going, applied heat, resting the jaws, soft diet, and medication may be your hold-overs. Although some experiences have been pretty bad, you won't know how yours is going to be until you make an appointment and see for yourself. The doctor there may be an excellent practictioner who is exactly what you need. They may also be the worse, but you have to decide at what point is it worth taking the risk. I've never heard of anyone's TMJ going away and getting better on its own, but there may be instances of it out there somewhere. The way my dentist explained it to me (in his 2.5 hr initial consultation!) was that the joint is out of alignment, just like a sprained elbow or knee. Disc is displaced in the front, and every time I open wide, it "pops" back into place for a moment, then pops back out. The pain is deferred to other areas of the face, neck, and body in general because of nerves in and around the joint. Getting the joint back into the correct position will take time, and can only be accomplished with 24/7 splints and eventually braces or crowns to make sure the correct joint positioning remains. Considering every time we swallow our back teeth try to close (and our jaws move), and that we swallow an average of 2000 times a day, the joints are never getting a real rest period until they are in the right positioning.

I am new at this and may not know what I'm talking about, and of course the info I have deals with my own problem and yours may be very different. I have popping on one side and grinding on the other. There's a great deal of controvesy in correct handling of TMJ...so you are very smart to be cautious and to shop around if you can. Listen to your gut and look at all your options before you do anything permanent. Sending good thoughts your way.