TMJ And What to Do

My TMJ syndrome was mainly caused by me grinding my teeth at night while I slept. My husband is the one that told me how bad I was grinding. My dentist made a night guard for me to wear at night to keep me from grinding and it really helped. I still have the "popping" in my joint but not nearly as much. I know that if the pain gets unbearable and/or you can't open your mouth very wide anymore, surgery can be done by an Oral surgeon. Chewing gum can make it hurt as well. Good luck! It's definitely not any fun.

You are probably grinding your jaw at night. Go get a mouth guard at target. They cost $.99 plus tax. heat it and shape it to your jaw so it is comfortable. I wore mine for almost 2 weeks and slowly but surely the pain went away and it got me back on track to stop clenching my jaw.

Are you grinding or gritting your teeth? I found myself clenching my teeth all the time...I couldnt even seem to stop when I thought about it. Then I found out that one of the side effects of one of the medications I was taking is teeth clenching and had my doctor switch me to a different medication in the same class....no more problems!!!
You could also ask your dentist about getting a bite guard to wear at night, I have one that I used when it was still an issue and it did seem to keep my teeth from being so sensitive.
Good luck!!

Go get a neck adjustment at the chiropractor. If that doesnt work then have your dentist do some xrays. I had this happen to me AFTER I had some neck adjustments.... so I went back and got adjusted again and it stopped. Mine doesnt just ache tho, so you might not be experience TMJ it might be something else. When I had it I would be chewing and a little snap and lock up would happen, quite painful, but would usually fix itself within a few minutes, only to do it again next time I ate some chewy. An aching jaw could be your lymph nodes as well. Hope you figure it out regardless, pain sucks.

Mine wasn't diagnosed until two years ago. I have had TMJ since I was probably 10 years old.

I now see a physical therapist and a specialist. I have a night guard that I wear at night and even naps. I can tell as soon as I wake up that I forgot to put it in. My husband has even woke me up in the middle of the night to give it to me if he sees it in the bathroom.

There is things you can do but I learned them all at therapy and they are hard to explain. You need to release the jaw and it kinda hurts but is really worth it in the long run.

I also see a chiropractor to help me keep my neck in alignment. That's where the TMJ starts, the neck.

Good luck.

As the others have said, clenching your jaw / teeth or grinding your teeth at night. My chiropractor was the one that told me what it was. I had went to her because I was also having severe headaches & she started asking me about my jaw. I was going to make a dentist appointment, because I thought I had a tooth problem or something. She worked on my neck & jaw (for an hour, but that was because I had let the headache go on for a month) & it was better the next day. You can try chewing gum during the day to try to relieve some of the tension from the night, but most likely you will have to have an adjustment. I believe in the "medicinal field" they just give you a mouth guard to keep you from clenching.

You don't want to know about my issues with this!

If it just started, make an appointemnt with a dentist who is knowledgable about it. I would not suggest that you go to one who specializes in it just yet, there are many who have thier own "thing" to sell you, from specially made pillows, to expensive evaluations that shoot sound waves in your nose and mouth...and you just do not want to go there unless you are desperate.

If you are grinding your teeth, you may have agravated your muscle, and caused some inflamation. Most likely, the dentist will fit you with a splint, and recomend that you take some ibuprofen for the inflamation, and if the pain is bad enough, they may prescribe muscle relaxers for a few days.

If you are lucky, the splint will help, and you will reduce the inflamation and it will be better in a few days or weeks.

Heat helps me too, but like I said, you do not want to know how long I have had this issue, and it has never gone away. I hope your experience is differnet than mine.

M.

I also have it but without the pain. Are you under any extra stress lately or worried about something? You might be grinding your teeth more-or even clenching them while you are sleeping. Try getting a mouth guard and see if you have any relief. If not, definitely see at least yor dentist to check things out. Sometimes exercises help tremendously. I have to check myself now and then during the day to stop the teeth clenching, especially when my jaw feels tight. And no surprise, a dentist once told me that they find women after having kids have more issues due to the stress.