I think I got tmj from my last dental
visit. Has anyone ever heard of that,
getting tmj from extensive dental work.
As I was having the root canal done I had
such pressure in my head, I actually had
to make the dentist stop to take a break.
Since then I have popping sound in my jaw,
which I never had before, and the dizzy
(unbalanced) feeling is ridiculous.
I have 2 lower impacted wisdom teeth still
left and they need to be removed and I am
so scared it will make things worse. Has
anyone had wisdom teeth removed only to
find the symptoms are worse?
Anyone have a similiar story??? Any
advice would be great! Thanks!
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IhaveTMJ
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 24 Feb 2006 Posts: 3
Posted: 02-24-06 13:18pm
I had my wisdom teeth removed and got tmj
as a result. I'm not feeling any pain
(it's been 4 years) but my right jaw is
definitely misaligned and it also pop at
times. I haven't seek treatment because
a lot of the doctors I talked to don't
really know what to do. I'm currently
looking for a specialist in the area who
knows what he's doing so I don't get
worse. I'm having mild tmj and it is
affecting my life. I could only imagine
what it does for those suffering the full
effect. I would like to share
information w/ anyone who want to. I
would really want to know anyone who's
cured of tmj and what they did to achieve
that.
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Shoteka
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Posts: 3
Posted: 02-24-06 15:56pm
I have heard of people getting tmj from
wisdom teeth removal. At least I have
heard of people reporting that- don't know
how much truth medically speaking. But,
I do think that when they "pry" your mouth
open to do the procedure, they may
inadvertantly do some damage. I haven't
had my wisdom teeth out because I have tmj
and I have to manuver my jaw open, so I am
terrified of a dentist doing more damage
while i'm unconscious (and subsequently
not able to open my mouth for him/her)
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catswold
Supporter
Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 404 Location: Flint, Michigan
Posted: 02-25-06 09:25am
For .Brandee,. Ihavetmj and. Shoteka,.
Sadly too many people get tmj (mild or
severe) by oral surgeons who just don't
seem to realize that opening the mouth so
far and long and then yanking at the
wisdom teeth is ***bad***. You would
think they'd be trained differently or
something, I don't know.
Since you all sound like your symptoms
might be just starting or mild (one or the
other or both), a no-chew diet and muscle
relaxant (valium, zanaflex, etc.) at night
for a few weeks might allow the muscles to
allow relax enough and everything get back
where it should. Also use lots of moist
heat.
If this doesn't work, the next step would
be a bite splint. This can be tricky if
you don't find a good bite splint
maker/dentist. A good bite splint
should have to be adjusted several times
by the dentist especially at first and
even later. A bite splint will again
allow the muscles to relax at night so the
disc will go back where it's supposed to.
They will be expensive but shouldn't be
too far away from $500.00-$800.00. Many
insurance companies will pay for them, but
you might have to fight a little with
them.
***.Do not listen to anyone who suggests
braces or surgery of any kind.***
.Conservative methods really ought to
work. Yes, tmj can be "cured" or
managed.
I hope you all get the proper help that
you need. Don't get too frustrated by
the many medical people you will run into
who don't know squat about tmj. And
even the "specialists" are a little scarey
too. I pray the best for all of you.
From a long time tmj sufferer who did not
use conservative methods at beginning and
saw too many ignorant dentists and
doctors,
carol
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billablonde7
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 20 Feb 2006 Posts: 1
Hey There..wisdoms Posted: 02-25-06 11:43am
Hello. I began to feel dizzy with severe
vertigo last august, and two days before
xmas, my wisdom teeth started to hurt!
Bacause of the impacted teeth, I now have
tmj. Has this ever happened to anyone
before? Does the tmj ever go away? I am
terrified to be this dizzy for the rest of
my life. I was fine before the teeth came
on though!
Thanks a lot
danielle
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catswold
Supporter
Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 404 Location: Flint, Michigan
Posted: 02-25-06 15:30pm
Danielle,
have you had the wisdom teeth removed?
If not, you should by a very good oral
surgeon and aware of your tmj symptoms.
Once the impacted wisdom teeth are
removed, your tmj symptoms might disappear
after healing.
If your teeth have already been removed,
try the methods I mentioned in the earlier
posting.
God bless...
Carol
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IhaveTMJ
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 24 Feb 2006 Posts: 3
Posted: 02-25-06 18:45pm
Carol,
thanks for your input, I really appreciate
it. Right now my symptoms are more
annoying than painful but reading people's
stories i'm scared to think that is where
i'll end up. I mean thoughts of suicide
to end the pain... That's scary!!! I
wonder if let alone, tmj would get worse.
I can live with this irritation if need
be. I don't even think about tmj most of
the day. It's only when i'm by myself
when I notice it. I just don't want it
to get worse. Also it feels like my disc
is dislocated. So how is it that
relaxing my muscle would get it back to
right location. It seems like it would
take more than that. Also I would like
to know, if you are willing to share, your
experiences with tmj. How it came to be
and how you have dealt with it and are
dealing with it now. Thanks
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catswold
Supporter
Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 404 Location: Flint, Michigan
Posted: 02-26-06 22:40pm
Hi "ihavetmj,"
it really depends on what your tmj is
doing to aggravate you and how you are
responding to it. If it is occasionally
popping when you open your mouth and
that's it, you could ignore it. But any
more than that and if there is pain
involved, you might want to see your
dentist or a tmj dentist. Many people
can have the tmj disc out of place and be
just fine, it's how it is affecting you
that matters.
Yes, tmj can be so painful that people
think of suicide. It's also the lack of
caring by medical people, family and
friends that almost kills. I know I
don't have the worst case, thank heavens,
as I have not lost much function or had
surgery. Those are scary.
I have had tmj for 25 years. I just woke
up one morning in excruciating pain and
jaw locked. I was dx with tmj right away
but was not treated properly, I don't
believe, and permanent damage resulted.
I had braces but later vetoed down
surgery. I saw several different
"specialists" trying to get "cured" as I
had just got my master's degree in music
to become a professional wind musician
(bassoon) in a symphony orchestra.
After the first few years of shear h*ll, I
did start getting breaks from the
continuous pain because of a wonderful
chiropractor and bite splint therapy. I
advocate massage or physical therapists,
though, over chiropractors as I don't
think cracking is particularly good.
Massaging inside my mouth by the chiro
(and massage therapists) has been the best
method. The older I have gotten the more
the tmj affected my neck and shoulders so
therapeutic massage is very necessary for
me. I've never lost function but
experience various kinds of pain that
range from a level 2 to 9 (10 is dying in
my book).
At one point about five years ago, I
thought I was "cured" as I didn't have
pain for over a year, but I now know it
was because I was working a very
unstressful job that I liked, on a
completely liquid diet, and had just
started taking an anti-depressant.
A little over two years ago, my tmj flared
up nastier than ever and I have a much
more difficult time coping with the pain
now being older I guess. Finding pain
management help has also been a nightmare.
So few medical personnel take tmj very
seriously. My primary doctor finally did
(after many crying breakdowns) and found a
neurologist who knows nothing about tmj
but was willing to try and help. After
many trials and errors with medications, I
take prozac, small dose of buspar for
night-time clenching, lyrica (a nerve pain
med that I don't think really does
anything) and vitamins daily, and take
vicoprofen, zomig and zanaflex when needed
for pain. I've been to physical
therapy but just started going to a
wonderful massage therapist, I wear a
bottom bite splint (the most comfortable
and best one i've had), use heat, ice,
tens & ultrasound at home when needed,
and very important - changed jobs again
from a very stressful one back to the one
I liked that wasn't and isn't very
stressful. I also very recently had my
bite balanced for the first time by my tmj
dentist by filing some of my teeth. I
watched him very closely, though, because
this can backfire if too much filing is
done. I finally feel like i'm getting
this back under some control even though
i'm smart enough to know it will flare up
when I get under too much stress or tire
the jaw muscles too much.
I have done a lot of research on tmj and
related problems with all the books I can
find and the wonderful internet.
Healthboards or support sites are a great
source of information also.
Okay, so much for boring you. When I
mentioned relaxing your muscles, it's more
than just muscles but trying to relax the
whole jaw/face/neck area. The disc is
cartilage but ligaments, bones and muscles
are all important for efficient use of the
jaw; similar to a knee joint but much more
complicated and used more. Sometimes
relaxing muscles helps, sometimes it
doesn't. Zanaflex is the first muscle
relaxant to help me. Others haven't
touched me.
Tmj is probably one of the most
misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and
mistreated physical problems that exists.
One treatment may work for 200 people but
make it worse for another 200. Stress
highly effects it and appears to be the
only joint in the body that surgery has
too high of a failure rate to risk it in
my opinion. And sadly, the medical and
dental communities are all over the board
when it comes to good treatment, which
usually means tmj patients have to spend
more money than should be necessary to
find the right treatment.
I could go on and on but this is far too
long. I hope I have helped a little bit.
I really do have a passion to help
fellow tmj sufferers. No one should
suffer with this, and go through all the
bad information, doctors and dentists out
there, and the lack of support that so
many do sadly.
Take care of yourself and god bless...
Carol
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catswold
Supporter
Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 404 Location: Flint, Michigan
Posted: 02-27-06 12:33pm
I did forget to mention how important
posture is to tmj. With computers now,
we are becoming people who slump and
thrust their heads, necks and chins
forward. That will definitely contribute
to tmj problems. Keep shoulders and chin
back and down. It does help.
