Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Posts: 82 Location: USA, Earth
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Is It Possible That My Dentist Inadvertantly Caused My Tmd? Posted: 07-22-07 12:03pm
Hello! I was wondering if anyone has had
any experience with TMD being caused by a
dental procedure. I'll try to explain in
as much detail as possible.
On June 25th of this year, I had two
cavities filled; one in a lower right side
back tooth, one in the upper left back. A
week earlier, on June 19th, I had 3
cavities filled on the upper left side of
my mouth (my bad for not keeping up my
dental visits...). During the first
procedure, I was given a bite block to use
(which makes it possible for you to relax
your jaw while still being open), but not
during the second procedure.
My symptoms began (I believe) on June
27th, two days after my last appointment.
The first thing I noticed was a ringing in
my left ear, some soreness there as well
as some slight pressure and the feeling
that the ear needed to 'pop.' I figured
ear infection. Well, most adult ear
infections go away on their own, so there
you have it. Then I started getting a
headache from the ear area up into my
temple. "O.k." I think, "This is weird...
why would my migraines be coming back
after all this time of not having them?"
But hey, migraines it is, even if it is
only all on one side... There's that one.
After that, I start getting this massive
pain in the left side of my mouth, in the
gum and surrounding areas, particularly
after I eat. No problem.... the dentist
said my teeth would be sensitive to heat
and cold for a week or two after the
fillings, and since I have an ice cold
Diet Coke with just about every meal, that
one's explained.
Finally, I start getting a soreness and
tight feeling in my throat, similar to the
glands swelling and blocking off your
throat; felt a little bit like I had
tonsillitis, but only on the left side.
Well, no biggie; the ear infection may
have spread a little to the glands. Still
nothing to be overly concerned about.
The symptoms I've listed all occurred
within about a 2 day period after I got
the last of the fillings done, so I still
figured they were either related to that
OR parts of other issues altogether (the
ear infection). For the most part, I
seemed to be waking up just fine (albeit
with a slight amount of jaw pain) and by
the end of the night when I go to bed, I
have the full out headache, jaw pain,
earache, neck tension and swollen glands.
Like clockwork.
It isn't until July 4th rolls around, and
I'm popping my second round of 800 mg of
Ibuprofen that I realize that I've been
popping about 1600 mg of ibuprofen
everyday for the past week and a half (not
to mention the 400 mg of Tylenol PM at
night in order to get to sleep). O.k., I'm
getting concerned... shouldn't this be
going away by now...?
On July 5th, around 9 AM I called the
dentist and told her what was going on.
She ordered me in at 10 AM, and took casts
of my teeth to make me a night guard to
wear. I picked it up on July 9th (Monday)
and ended up having to go in twice in the
next week to have it adjusted, because I
was waking up with more pain than before.
The second time I went in, she also hooked
me up to a T.E.N.S. (Transcutaneous
Electrical Neural Stimulation) unit (a
device delivers a mild electrical impulse
to the muscles that move the jaw) for
about an hour. This had little to no
effect.
I have been wearing the night guard every
night since July 12th and I noticed that,
since wearing it, the pain has NOT been
present in the morning when I wake up,
however, between noon and 2 PM, the pain
is right there and just as bad as ever.
After wearing the night guard
continuously, I also noticed that, in the
morning, my back teeth meet, but I cannot
get my front teeth to meet for at least 30
minutes. When I was finally able to get my
front teeth to meet (thereby having ALL
teeth meet) I notice that there is a tooth
on the right side that feels as though it
is touching before all the other teeth
come together.
I went to the dentist on Thursday, July
19th, and explained to her what I was
feeling. She did a bite test and swore
that nothing was hitting, but shaved down
the tooth, anyway. It does not feel any
different. Actually, it feels as though
she shaved down the cusp parts of the
tooth, and not the middle part where it
still feels like it's hitting. I am also
now waking up with jaw pain (where I was
not, before).
I am currently taking 800 mg of ibuprofen
up to 4 times a day to control the pain
and symptoms. I have already tried
Cyclobenzapren (Flexiril is the brand
name; this is a muscle relaxant) and it
was as useless as popping a Tic Tac. I
have been told by a pharmacist that, at
this point, only Percocet or Vicoden would
be any better, but I am hesitant to go for
anything more than OTC drugs.
At this point, I am at a loss. It seems to
me like it MUST have been something
relating to the dental work, but my
dentist is treating me as though this is
just a normal case of TMD that came on
with no provocation. She does not seem
willing to entertain the fact that the
filling procedure could have caused it and
look for treatments related to this end.
Tomorrow morning, I plan on calling my
dentist, again, explaining that the most
recent treatments have been unsuccessful
and ask what she feels the next course of
action will be. I plan to then tell her
that I want to think about all of this and
I plan on calling both my regular doctor
and another dentist for a second opinion.
Can anyone tell me if they've had an
experience like this and what worked to
help bring you some relief? I would really
appreciate hearing that I'm not the only
one (validation is often a beautiful
thing, don't you think?)...
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Tmddyan
Moderator
Joined: 13 Jun 2006 Posts: 4346 Location: post falls, id usa
Thanks: 93
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Hey There Posted: 07-22-07 14:11pm
first off welcome.
If you read further in the board you will
find that many people have had tmd started
by a visit to the dentist. Its not at all
an uncommon thing. I would recommend that
you go see a neuromuscular dentist. they
can get you on the right track. I know
that that type of dentist was the only one
that got me anywhere. Yes Im sure that we
all pop a lot of ibuprophen---I know that
as of late i have been
these symptoms all sound like tmd. Ive had
most of them. keep your chin up there is
hope. we are here to help and we will get
you squared away. Im here anytime you need
me. pm me or email me at anytime.
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catswold
Supporter
Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 404 Location: Flint, Michigan
Yes Posted: 07-23-07 12:10pm
Hi Duchessljb,
Sadly yes, and the more I read of your
posting made me think you should see a
different dentist who is more familiar
with TMJ. Forcing us to keep our mouths
open for so long and so wide is not a good
practice, in my opinion. In doing so,
your ligaments could have been severely
stretched, and even pulled the meniscus
out of place, making it "catch" when using
your mouth normally.
To go to the beginning - whenever we have
work done on our teeth, there is a
possibility that the bite will be changed
by the new filling, etc. That is just
about the first thing that a dentist
should check if you have pain after dental
work. If the bite appears to be perfect
(and it should be checked with you sitting
up straight also), then it should be
usually assumed that the jaw has been
strained or "sprained." The patient
should be put on a soft foods/liquid diet
for a few weeks. The mouth should be
rested as much as possible (little/no
talking or smiling big, etc.) Ice should
be used to reduce the swelling and moist
heat for pain relief. Ibuprofen is best
to use in my opinion but you must be
careful with your stomach. I understand
why you are taking as much as you are, but
it can eat at your stomach. You could try
and ask your doctor for Vicoprofen, which
is Ibuprofen plus Hydrocodone (used in
Vicodin). But this still should not be
used excessively and not taken long-term
(it just works more intensely at lower
doses).
You can and should still do these
self-help "treatments." You really should
not even need a bite splint in my
opinion.
I hesitate what to say anything about your
bite now because your dentist should fix
the bite until it is balanced, but it
sounds like your current dentist does not
know how to do so, and it can be difficult
to get a new dentist to only work at
correcting the mistake of another dentist.
I would continue trying to fix the bite,
though.
You've only been experiencing these
problems for a short time (and it is very
obvious to me what caused the problems,
which is actually common sadly). I
believe it is possible to "fix" your
problem but you seriously may have to find
a dentist who spends a lot of his/her
practice on TMJ patients. See if the
self-help tips I gave will help. Read
more of the postings here, especially the
one to Jodestar.
I do hope and pray that you will get the
help you need.
God bless...
Carol
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Duchessljb
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Posts: 82 Location: USA, Earth
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Posted: 07-23-07 16:16pm
Thank you, both, for the support and
suggestions.
dyanmatteson, my dentist is
actually a neuromuscular dentist, so I
have that part covered. I think the
problem, now, is just that this particular
dentist is treating this as a normal case
of TMD, where it just came about one day,
with nothing bringing it on. I think that
these types of cases are where a night
guard and the like are the best
treatments. However, in my case, I believe
that it is safe to say that the dental
procedures I was subject to had something
to do with it and there are different
treatments in cases where something
actually is believed to have caused the
TMD. I believe that my dentist is avoiding
this (perhaps concerned that I will blame
her for the issue). At this point, I am
not concerned with blame; I am concerned
with making the pain go away.
catswold, I have been eating
soft foods (as well as lukewarm foods,
since I am currently sensitive to both hot
and cold due to the fillings), using
heating pads (cold doesn't seem to work
for me) and popping enough ibuprofen for
the last month to ruin my liver! I think I
may stop using the night guard, since I'm
not really sure it's helping and may
actually be making my symptoms worse. I
also read another thread, today, that
mentioned that taking Magnesium helped
with the pain, so I picked up some of
that, today, and am going to try taking
it, daily (in addition to the
multi-vitamin that I already take).
I have another question; something I was
reading about and hadn't considered: is it
possible that allergies to the filling
material can cause TMD or TMD-like
symptoms? These visits were the first time
I've ever had the tooth-colored fillings
and I have been experiencing some sharp
pains in the tooth area, today. I wonder
if that's a possibility, as well.
Thank you, both! Other
opinions/suggestions are always welcome.
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grassy
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Posts: 116 Location: northeast
Hi, It Happened to Me Also Posted: 07-24-07 12:42pm
Hi, i'm cindy...A dentist did it to me,
altho he did more... he not only
dislocated my jaw right out of the socket,
he injured my neck with such force(getting
a tooth out) that he almost killed me. now
when i see a post like this it bothers me
right down to my soul.... what if it does
not get better? tmj can be hard to fix.
The results of this(my) dentists mistake
on me has been THOUSANDS of dollars. he
knew he did it...it has been 7 years of
chiropractic treatment 3 times a week,
plus mri bill,tmj specialists etc. i will
say one thing. please keep EVERYTHING,
keep all the bills, all the receipts,
write down everything as you go. throw it
in A BOX. Keep what every doc says and
write it down. It may come in handy some
day. now looking back on it, i wished i
had consulted with a lawyer. but at the
time i was SO sick, we were just trying to
get me help. I hope yours goes away and
being positive, It will, Good luck!!!!
your in good hands with dyan and carol.
love cindy
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Tmddyan
Moderator
Joined: 13 Jun 2006 Posts: 4346 Location: post falls, id usa
Thanks: 93
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Hey Posted: 07-24-07 13:17pm
its good that you found nmd so early. I
dont think she is to blame. you may have
something else wrong up there that she is
unaware of . have her check for all your
teeth touching. tell her about your
concerns. I know that my doc had to go to
20 different docs because i got to a point
and got worse and he was worried to death.
It was simply because my jaw was too big
for my head. that will cause all kinds of
problems. they cant find it unless they
look for it.
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allyc
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 26 Jul 2007 Posts: 1
Tmj Posted: 07-26-07 14:38pm
I had never experienced any tmj symptoms
until I went to my dentist to get a crown
on my rear left molar which had cracked.
He told me the reason the molar had
cracked was because my teeth were uneven
and my back molars were hitting first and
taking all of the pressure from my bite.
He told me he was going to shave down a
couple of my molars to even out my bite.
This sounded reasonable to me at the time
and allowed him to shave down the molars
necessary. Well, he did an occlusion
treatment that has turned my life upside
down. After the treatment my jaw felt
constantly sore and was experiencing
stuffiness, extreme hearing loss and
ringing in my left ear. About 2 weeks
after I had an extreme vertigo attack. I
ended up in the emergency because I did
not know what was happening to me, I
thought I was having a stroke. My head
started to hurt terribly and everthing was
spinning at about 60 miles per hour and I
couldn't stop vomitting. I couldn't even
stand. I was told in the emergency room
that I had a vertigo attack. They advised
me to see an neurologist and/or an ENT. I
was diagnosed with tmj. The tmj was
caused my dentist changing my bite - there
is not doubt about it. I have been to
many dentists and ENTs and no one has been
able to find a solution/cure to my tmj. I
have tried several mouth splints, none of
which have been helpful - they only seem
to excacerbate the symptoms, exercise,
massage, and nothing has helped. The
symptoms just seem to be getting worse and
with more frequency.
So, for the past 7 years, I have been
living with headaches, jaw pain, temporal
pressure, ringing and 85% hearing loss in
my right ear and 30 % loss in my left,
dizziness, and vertigo attacks that have
been so violent that I've ended up in the
emergency room. All of this because a
dentist didn't understand or know exactly
what he was doing. TMJ and Menieres
Vertigo have exactly the same symptoms. I
believe that TMJ can produce Menieres
Vertigo.
Had my dentist mentioned any possible side
effects from this occlussion treatment, I
would never have let him do it. I,
also, have stayed away from invasive
treatments. I am afraid it could possibly
cause more damage.
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grassy
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Posts: 116 Location: northeast
Allyc Posted: 07-26-07 14:54pm
Hi allyc, i'm cindy... I understand, i had
all you have... even to the throwing up.
In my case it was a dislocated jaw out
sideways... so no tests picked up on it. I
also had a neck that was pushed severely
out of alignment,all by a dentist. the
neck effects my ears, and you are RIGHT
about menieres and tmj. i am in a menieres
group right now to see if i can find us
any help by learning more about
menieres.... and ears and dizziness. i was
talking to a very knowledgeable fellow
there, who said it is possible to have tmj
and menieres.... ok if you have had it
this long....i would go get your neck
checked for alignment issues, and the jaw
also, some how ...by either a very
experienced chiro or pt. it HAS to be a
GOOD one. the neck and jaw are very close
1/4 inch and the ears and the neck 1/4
inch away. Anything wrong at all in there,
the neck-the jaw-the ears... will make a
person very ill. if you have tried this
and it didnt work, then we will have to
think of something else. But just file it
away as another alternative. cindy
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catswold
Supporter
Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 404 Location: Flint, Michigan
Posted: 07-26-07 19:37pm
Oh Allyc, I'm so sorry to read about all
that you have gone thru. It really makes
me sad and mad. I'm at a loss right now
what to say other than to let you know
that you are not alone. I hope it's okay
with you if I pray for you. I have
nothing else right now.
God bless you,
Carol
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Duchessljb
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Posts: 82 Location: USA, Earth
Thanks: 0
Thanked:3
Posted: 07-26-07 20:39pm
Hello, again, everyone!
I recently went to the dentist, again, and
she had me go see a massage therapist that
specifically deals in TMJ/TMD massage.
She hit a couple of very specific pressure
points (and also taught me how to do it),
and when I left I felt better than I had
since it all started. I actually slept the
entire night through, last night, without
waking up once (something that hasn't
happened since June 27th)!
Today, I have felt some soreness here and
there, but NOTHING like what I usually
feel. I hit the pressure points this
morning (just as she told me to do at
least once a day) and have taken a total
of 4 ibuprofen since yesterday at 3 PM.
That's 5 full doses (20 individual pills)
LESS than I have been taking in a 24 hour
period. Also, each time I took medication,
I only had to take 2 to feel better
(rather than the 4 I normally need).
I plan to keep up the pressure points,
myself, everyday, but I think I'll make
another appointment, next week, to go back
and see her; just to make sure it keeps
getting better!
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grassy
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Posts: 116 Location: northeast
Me Too I Get Mad Posted: 07-27-07 09:36am
Carol, me too I get MAD !!!when i read
these things, because it happened to ME
also.. i HATE to see it happen to
anyone!!! maybe thats why i joined the
boards, Maybe we can be alittle help here
and there, thats why i joined. i'm doing
ok, but it has been a LONG horrible
miserable road this tmj, i hate to see
anyone get this... and it seems to be from
dental work.they ought to start being alot
more careful...so everyone, if at times i
seem mad, i am too, i dont want anyone to
have to go thur this!!! cindy
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catswold
Supporter
Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 404 Location: Flint, Michigan
Posted: 07-27-07 11:24am
That's great Duchess!!! Treat that
massage therapist like a queen and go to
her as regularly as you can afford it.
Even once the spasms have calmed down and
there is no or little pain, still see her
maybe once a month or so.
Cindy, I'm so sorry that you've had a
rough ride also. TMJ is a nightmare and a
life-zapper that's for sure. I honestly
don't know if I would be around today had
it not been for my faith and my nieces
& nephews. As they came into the
world, I loved, played and read to them
but always in terrible pain. It almost
didn't seem fair but where in the manual
of life does it say life is fair?
Bummer.
But, we have to keep our spirits up anyway
we can and enjoy as much of this wonderful
life as we can. We also must continue to
"fight" for the help we need no matter how
discouraging it gets. Prayer does seem to
help me a lot, thank God! And support
groups are invaluable.
Take care Duchessljb, Allyc and Cindy.
Remember that stress is your enemy and a
good massage is sooooooooooo wonderful!!
God bless...
Carol
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Duchessljb
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Posts: 82 Location: USA, Earth
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Posted: 07-27-07 11:54am
Hello!
Well, I'm experiencing some pain, today,
but I have to admit that (even though it
is annoying), it isn't NEARLY as bad as
the pain that I had been experiencing each
day... I haven't taken ANY medication
since yesterday around 5 PM and that was
only 2 ibuprofen (rather than the 4 I
normally take) so I think this is a good
sign!
I'm planning on going to see her, again,
on Monday, just to make sure that things
stay nice and loose and then again,
probably on Friday, just to keep things
up. I'd like to see her twice a week for
the next month, or so (assuming I can
afford it), and then maybe drop it down to
once every 2 weeks after that.
I'm sorry to hear about the issues that
others are experiencing; I've only had to
live with this for one month and I'm
already desperate to find a solution, so I
can't even imagine living with it for a
year or longer.
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Tmddyan
Moderator
Joined: 13 Jun 2006 Posts: 4346 Location: post falls, id usa
Thanks: 93
Thanked:63
Hey Posted: 07-27-07 12:27pm
it will get better and better. Its great
that you havent taken meds. Its a good
sign that somehting is working. keep us
informed.
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bpw
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 23 Sep 2007 Posts: 3
Points Posted: 09-23-07 23:56pm
Hi, Duchessljb -- so glad you did get
help, but I agree wholeheartedly that it's
the dentists that can cause the problem.
When it first occurred to me, I was a
dentist's second TMJ patient back in 1982.
He fixed an appliance for me that I had
to wear 24 hours -- after a week I woke up
and my mouth was locked in the "mid"
position, and it's been that way ever
since (worsened lately by another
sociopathic dentist). Of course, the
original doctor sent me to his best
friend, a specialist, who snapped at me
"You can't prove it" when I suggested it
was the appliance that caused the problem.
The appliance forced my bite in a locked
position with no room for grinding, and
they know not to make those kind of
appliances anymore.
I was intrigued by the points your massage
therapist told you about. Is there any
way you could let us know what they are?
I'm trained in acupuncture and I'd love to
know if they are standard acupuncture
points or something else. Thanks very
much. Good luck with your continued
healing, I hope you go all the way with
it.
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debm
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 06 Sep 2007 Posts: 44
Posted: 09-24-07 00:23am
A dentist messed up my jaw years ago and
now I have a huge phobia about getting
work done. It really sounds to me like it
was the dentists work that created the
problems you are having. I hear about
this more and more about dentists. Go to
a different dentist. This one will just
mess things up further.
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Duchessljb
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Posts: 82 Location: USA, Earth
Thanks: 0
Thanked:3
Posted: 09-24-07 09:14am
bpw, the trigger points that she pointed
out to me were in several places: One was
on the neck, where the neck meets the
head, just below the bone that's behind
the ear. Another was under the
jawbone/chin, pressing hard up into the
muscles below the face and the last two
were actually inside the mouth; one was in
the upper lip area, outside the teeth,
pressing up into the cheek and the other
was in the far back part of the mouth,
again pressing into the cheek.
I recently did discover that I did NOT
have TMJ, however. After seeing another
dentist, who immediately referred me to an
endodontist, I ended up having a root
canal on one of the teeth in the back left
area of my mouth and that fixed ALL of my
problems.
At this point, I'm annoyed at the first
dentist for refusing to admit that this
might not have been TMJ and for not
referring me to an endodontist sooner.
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catswold
Supporter
Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 404 Location: Flint, Michigan
Posted: 09-28-07 22:30pm
Duchessljb, that is wonderful news! You
have seen first hand the difficulty with
TMJ. Doctors and dentists just DO NOT
seem to know enough about TMJ and what can
mimic TMJ. Our bodies are also so very,
very complicated, but awesome! Praise
God!
God bless you,
Carol
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Duchessljb
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Posts: 82 Location: USA, Earth
Thanks: 0
Thanked:3
Posted: 01-19-08 17:16pm
Well, as I mentioned, I actually looked up
my symptoms and had suggested to the
dentist that it might not have been TMJ
(TMJ was one of the possibilities, but
several sites mentioned that a tooth dying
can give off symptoms similar to TMJ.
That's when I asked my dentist to check
and see if there was something wrong with
the tooth. She insisted that it was TMJ
and wouldn't even look at the teeth in the
area (even after we'd attempted all the
normal tratments for TMJ that seem to
bring at least a little relief, but didn't
in my case).
That's when I sought out a second opinion
(believing that the first dentist wasn't
listening to my concerns and feeling that,
if I was wrong, a simple check wouldn't
have been too much trouble to prove I was
wrong...) and the second dentist agreed
that it was a possibility and sent me to
an endodontist. The endodontist confirmed
that the tooth had died and that I needed
a root canal.
On a happier note, the root canal was
absolutely painless, both during and after
the procedure. My endodontist was
excellent and, although they gave me
vicodin for afterwards, I never had to
take any at all and was up and working by
that afternoon.
Thank you all for the support, even though
the condition turned out NOT to be TMJ. I
truly hope they come up with SOMETHING to
help successfully diagnose the condition,
because if it's anything at all like what
I went through for 4 months, then
something definitely needs to be done for
the suffering.
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Tmddyan
Moderator
Joined: 13 Jun 2006 Posts: 4346 Location: post falls, id usa
Thanks: 93
Thanked:63
Posted: 01-20-08 15:44pm
well its good to hear from you again. glad
all is going well for you. do keep us
updated.
