Is There Really Hope? (please Answer) Posted: 09-07-06 03:44am
Hello everyone, i'm a 18 year old with
extreme jawpopping and clicking.
I also have some pain from time to time.
I've had this since I was 15, for no
apparant reason, the only thing I can
connect it with was that I had a second
molar extracted when I was 15, a few
months later I developed tmj.
It's not the sound of the joint popping
that's bothering me too much, it's that I
can't use my mouth normally.
When I open it it feels like it's stuck
and my muscles in the jaw just get so
tensed and I have to open it to the side
to get it fully open this affects my
eating, speaking and ofcourse it's
bothering with the loud noise it makes
each time I try to speak.
I've got exercises to do from my dentist
also been to some other "jaw specialist"
with zero result or help.
This is really getting the best of me and
really destroys leading a normal life, i'm
willing to spend whatever it takes and do
whatever it takes to get my jaw and life
back.
Is there really anyone who's been cured?
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catswolds
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 28 May 2006 Posts: 62 Location: Michigan
Yes, There Really Is Hope! Posted: 09-07-06 14:09pm
And yes, there are people who have been
"cured" and many more who "manage" their
tmj. My personal experience and research
tells me that you could either have
developed tmj when you had to have your
mouth open very wide for a long time in
pulling the molar. The other very good
possibility is that your bite balance was
thrown off when it lost that tooth. Was
the molar an adult tooth? Was it
replaced with an implant or anything?
It is essential for our mouths and jaws to
work together in a balanced fashion.
When that balance is interrupted, it can
cause night-time bruxism. Your mouth is
trying to find a new balance while you are
sleeping. If the grinding and/or
clenching goes on for a while - pain.
Either the jaw muscles just get exhausted
and cause pain or the cartilage disc in
the joint (usually only one side) is
slightly displaced, which causes muscle
spasms and pinched nerves, etc., etc. -
pain.
What do you do about it? Research,
research and more research. You will
need to be more knowledgeable about tmj
than many medical professionals (sad to
say). After you have got some
information in your head, see your
dentist. Ask him about your bite. Is
it balanced now? Even a very small spot
on one tooth can disrupt that precious
balance. I pray that you have a good
dentist who will understand what you are
getting at because some don't and won't.
You might need to have one little spot
filed (.Do .Not allow many teeth to be
filed. That can cause more problems.)
you might be prescribed valium or xanax
for a few weeks to take at night to break
up any bruxism while sleeping. Try not
to use your mouth very much for talking
and eating for a few weeks. Eat softer
foods. Use moist heat and/or ice
directly on the jaw joint and area.
If you are popping your jaw(s) - .Stop.
You will feel like you are going crazy
when you don't, but you are damaging the
area every time you do. This is how my
tmj got so bad and for so many years.
Work on relaxation therapy (exercises,
yoga, massage, physical therapy) and
posture changes/corrections. I can't
stress the importance of posture enough.
I had been told posture once or twice
along my tmj journey of 26 years and I
poo-pooed it. I didn't take it
seriously. Not until several months ago.
Wow! It has made a huge difference.
With the heavy use of computers nowadays,
we tend to sit totally wrong in front of
the monitor putting undue stress on the
jaw joint surprisingly. If you are a
head and chin thruster (bring your head
forward toward the monitor), you must
correct this. Sit back and straight with
head over body. Shoulders should be
relaxed back and down. Chin must be kept
back and down. Again, posture is very,
very important for a healthy tmj.
This posting has gotten too long and I
must close. Don't get discouraged. I
can name names of people "cured" and
"managed" (i am in the managed group), so
if I didn't give up after 25 years, you
can't either.
Don't let dentists, parents and doctors
not take you seriously when you tell them
you have tmj and you don't feel good. My
hope and prayer is that you will find a
good support group of parents, friends and
medical people who will guide you to the
help you need. There are too many bad
tmj "specialists" out there, so be very
careful. That's why I mentioned that you
be smart and research. Make wise and
rational decisions and don't make any
decision about tmj when you are emotional.
Take time to think it all out. Tmj
tends to be an expensive disorder to fix
sadly, but you might be surprised that the
people who really can help you, will tend
to charge less or take payments. They
seem to be the ones who care.
I have to go. Let me know how you are
doing. Relax. Relax your body and
sleep well. It will help.
God bless...
Carol
(i didn't have time to proof read.
Excuse any oops please.)
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mrwhat
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 07 Sep 2006 Posts: 17
Posted: 09-15-06 20:44pm
Thanks a lot for responding so quick.
I went to a chiropractor and he claims he
can help me, i've had 3 sessions already,
but feel no change, is he just lying to
get money or can chiropracting really heal
this?
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catswolds
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 28 May 2006 Posts: 62 Location: Michigan
Posted: 09-16-06 12:38pm
It depends on what he is doing. If he is
concentrating on your back, I would say
good-bye. If he is massaging inside your
mouth - yes, he will help you. The first
person to help me was a chiropractor. He
cracked my neck and massaged inside my
mouth for just a minute and he finally
broke up the 24/7 pain. No other
chiropractor was able to help me since,
sadly.
I have found therapeutic massage and
physical therapy more helpful, but I do
know others who have been helped by chiro.
Do you grind or clench your teeth while
sleeping? Is your bite okay? Don't
overlook these areas while looking for
relief. And don't forget to reduce your
stress. Stress very bad for tmj.
God bless...
Carol
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mrwhat
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 07 Sep 2006 Posts: 17
Posted: 09-16-06 17:13pm
No, but I learned the massage inside the
mouth by someone else.
He started with breaking my back a few
times, cause my balance in my whole body
had been getting imbalanced.
But he mostly "break" my neck and push my
jawbackwards while I open my mouth.
You think this is no help?
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catswolds
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 28 May 2006 Posts: 62 Location: Michigan
Posted: 09-16-06 17:58pm
It does make me nervous to read that he
pushes your jaw back when you open your
mouth. It depends a great deal on where
the disc is placed in the joint. If it's
displaced forward, pushing the jaw
backwards wouldn't be so good. Only an
mri can show where the disc is positioned.
The only thing I can recommend at this
point is if what he is doing doesn't help
very soon (3 more sessions?), you might
want to consider ending the sessions.
Have or are you seeing a tmj dentist?
That is another recommendation if the pain
and popping continue. And I know I have
harped on this a bit but reduce your
stress. Your body must be able to
completely relax especially while sleeping
and that is not all that easy to do.
Take care...
Carol
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mrwhat
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 07 Sep 2006 Posts: 17
Posted: 09-17-06 14:45pm
Yeah i've had 3 or 4 sessions and no
relief, he just sent me to mri, so I hope
that'll clear things up.
He also said he wouldn't do any more
sessions before he saw pictures, so
hopefully he isn't just some scammer
wanting money.
I have braces still, and my bite is pretty
messed up, but it's getting fixed.
I've been to 3 dentists with my tmj and
they claim it doesn't affect it that bad
because your jaw is resting when teeth
isn't touching.
I'm not sure if I grind/clench my teeth in
sleep, but maybe as my tmj is worse in the
morning.
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catswolds
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 28 May 2006 Posts: 62 Location: Michigan
Posted: 09-17-06 16:12pm
I'm glad to read that you currently have
braces. That means you are working on
fixing your bite and that is great! Your
chiro does sound like he might be good.
You have run into the problem we tmjers
run into all too frequently - dentists who
think they know tmj but really only know
the basics. Since you have a poor bite
and (wearing braces to fix it), plus you
are experiencing tmj symptoms (worse in
the morning), you are obviously grinding
your teeth while sleeping. You need help
to get through this time with your
jaw/teeth changing (your balance is thrown
off). The easiest ways are medication
(valium, xanax, zanaflex, etc.) for just a
few weeks taken at night and a special
bite splint to be worn at night while
sleeping. I say special bite splint
because you have braces and it has to be
made and fitted differently than the
average splint. The problem you may
experience is finding the dentist (or
orthodontist) who can make this special
splint and adjust it as your teeth
shift.
I hope I have given you some information
that can help you to get the help you
need. Because you are young, your body
can heal easier and quicker. Until you
can get the help you need, be careful with
your jaw. Try not to pop it. My hope
for you would be to find that tmj
specialist (dentist, orthodontist, oral
surgeon, etc.) or other (chiro,
physical/massage therapy, medications) who
can help you with the pain that will
probably go away when your bite gets more
balanced (not necessarily straight, but
balanced).
But I have to stress the be gentle with
your jaw and don't pop it. To give you a
quick bio of my tmj - I developed tmj in
mid-20s, grinding teeth (stress), poor
bite. I got braces to fix my slightly
crooked bite. But no one addressed the
excruciating pain I was in 24/7. My jaw
popped all the time and I would even hit
myself the pain was so bad. No one
really believed me about the pain and tmj
was so "new" then. By the time my braces
were removed (and not balanced), my joints
were damaged. Over the years I have had
some relief in pain, but spent a lot of
money seeing jerks, etc. Now that i'm
older and wiser (right), I won't let
medical people treat me like dirt. I
know what tmj is and won't let
"specialists" knock me down anymore. My
family doctor has now come to realize I
know what i'm talking about and she is
helping me with medications, but I also
have to see a tmj dentist for a bite
splint, a massage therapist, watch my
posture (hard), and keep stress to a bare
minimum (also hard to do).
I'm hoping you won't get to this point.
The mri may show something or not, but if
you are in pain - you have tmj. That
doesn't mean you won't be "cured" and even
soon. Braces is a good step, but do not
ignore your pain (kind of hard to anyway,
but I did somewhat). Another thing I
want to mention is that since you have
braces, don't remove the braces until your
bite is balanced. I'm saying balanced
rather than straight because that is more
important for both of your jaws to work
together as one. One side affects the
other, greatly.
I think if you can just get some pain
control for a few months, that would help
you sleep better and not grind your teeth.
That is my hope for you.
God bless...
Carol
(sorry for the length)
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girly2006
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 12 Mar 2006 Posts: 66
Posted: 09-29-06 18:29pm
Carol - your post helps me alot. I always
have really bad posture at the computer
and etc. Ive been grinding my teeth for
over a year. I got braces and it hasnt
helped. It actually might make it a
little worse. Im wondering if I get a
night splint and all this bruxism stops,
will my symptoms go away?
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mrwhat
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 07 Sep 2006 Posts: 17
Posted: 09-29-06 23:16pm
Hey, you have no idea how much help you
are.
I'll thank you further later as
unfortunately i'm in a rush right now, but
yeah the xrays showed no damage to the
bones etc. So i'm positive and hope this
will be fixed.
You think some chiro lessons and more
gentle use of the jaw for a few months can
seriously heal and cure the whole tmj
permamently?
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catswolds
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 28 May 2006 Posts: 62 Location: Michigan
Posted: 10-02-06 10:07am
Girly and mrwhat,
it's hard to say for sure that all will
work out. The bite splint might help
with the night-time bruxism girly. The
most difficult part will be getting the
right splint made for you to wear with the
braces. Many dentists don't do splints
when the patient has braces. Does your
orthodontist make splints? Does he have
any other suggestions to help you at
night?
Mrwhat - yes, baby your jaw for a few
weeks/months and this should help a lot.
Both of you need to be careful with your
posture, talk as little as possible, and
try not to eat foods that make you chew a
lot. Rest those muscles, ligaments and
tendons, especially while wearing the
braces.
And something very important - try and
reduce your stress level. Stress is a
big reason why we clench and grind our
teeth at night. And if we don't have a
good bite (or a changing bite with
braces), this night-time bruxism can cause
pain as you have found out. Stress -
very bad.
Take care of yourselves. Be gentle and
kind to your body.
God bless...
Carol
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mrwhat
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 07 Sep 2006 Posts: 17
Posted: 10-16-06 21:40pm
Hey I just come back from a holiday, sorry
I haven't replied earlier.
Thanks a lot catwolds, you've been great
help.
I'll follow your advices fully, but I have
one last question, the last week i've
developed a new kind of sound from my jaw,
I still got the loud popping whenever I
open my mouth wide, but I now have a
constant craving/crumbling sound when I
just talk or eat or whatever, this is
really annoying, you got any suggestions
for that and is it normal?
Thanks again!
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girly2006
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 12 Mar 2006 Posts: 66
Posted: 10-27-06 22:27pm
Reading about your tmj is like reading
about mine. Your symptoms are like mine.
Its affected me in every possible way.
Even my speech slurs more now. Its
amzing.. Message me or something so we
can talk. Heres my email cocobe
anyum@yahoo.Com
i have the exact same problem as you.
Its pretty freaky.
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Mamma-Wanna-Be
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 30 Oct 2006 Posts: 82 Location: Las Vegas, NV
Cst... Posted: 11-02-06 23:19pm
I would recommend "cranial sacral
therapy"
when I went to massage school, and was
taking that class, my instructor (who also
was a chiropractor, kinesiologist, adn a
nutrisionist) asked me to be his demo in a
treatment for "tmj" and so I tried, since
mine was pretty bad & from time to
time it would hurt to eat and open my
mouth (to you know what) and my jaw would
get stuck to the point where I needed to
use my hand to pull it to the side and put
in back into place. Well, he did work
on me for about an hour and it helped
emensaly (sorry i'm a bad speller)...
It works only if you go to a therapist
like this consistently. I only had it
done once in class and never again, but it
doesn't really hurt anymore like it use
to. Still have to click it back into
place while .. "you know what." but
i'm pretty sure that it will help you a
lot.
Good luck!
P.S. "tmj" dysfunctions are mostly
developed because of constant grinning of
your teeth at night - you should try one
of those night guards. That helps -
even if you keep droolin on your pillow
the whole night, when you wake up in the
moring & have no pain ... It's worth
it.
Joined: 13 Jun 2006 Posts: 4346 Location: post falls, id usa
Thanks: 93
Thanked:63
Hi Posted: 03-08-07 13:48pm
grinding your teeth is not necessarily the
cause of tmd. I didnt grind my teeth
untill after i developed tmd. I was hit by
a car. the most common cause of tmd is
trauma. after--stress and any other number
of causes. one treatment that works for
one is not always a help for another. Ive
been through just about every treatment
that i can think of with out success. yet
some have stopped at treatment #3 because
it worked. having braces often causes tmd.
that is simply because the muscles are no
longer in tune with the bite. it can be
fixed---what treatment is the key--that
you must find out for yourself. you are
the only one that will know if something
is working or not.
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cali_guy
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 06 Jun 2007 Posts: 11
Posted: 06-08-07 00:55am
I know there are already a lot of
responses but this is something I can
relate to. I've had the same symptoms of
jaw clicking and popping, intense pain and
it also has made my face look messed up as
well. I'm 22 and just started going to a
new college this year (moved to the area)
so it wasn't exactly a good time for my
TMJ to get worse but I think I've actually
had problems for years but never had
enough pain to seek treatment.
There definitely is hope, I just got a
splint made for me by my orthodontist that
holds my jaw in a better position and its
cut out most of the pain and clicking in a
week, although I still have a long ways to
go to where I would say I am cured of
TMJ.
I have been told that I may need
arthroscopic surgery, I am trying to get
an MRI done to have a doctor be better
able to see what may help me, MRI's are
very expensive though so I am hoping my
insurance will cover it.
Since you're only 15 you have plenty of
time to fix this, the main thing is to try
to get insurance to cover your medical
costs. Talk with your parents and see what
insurance they have for you. Go to an
orthodontist and a dentist and tell them
about your problems, be persistent and
keep going to other doctors if the ones
you go to don't believe your problem or
don't seem to be able to help you.
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metalcrystal
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 112 Location: most boring state, USA,
Trigger Points Posted: 06-08-07 08:00am
I tried cranial sacral therapy for a few
months and it didnt help at all. BUT, now
I am having trigger point massage in my
neck, jaw and back and it is amazing. My
tmj dentist brought her in since he
thought it might help me. She has found
all these "triggers" in my muscles, hard
little knots, and when you press on them
they hurt. Sometimes I can feel the entire
referred pain pattern when she presses on
one spot. They are caused in my case by
muscular tension and a bad bite. Carol is
right, at least in my case, tension,
stress and anxiety are the culprits. This
massage technique is the most helpful of
anything I have tried. I am very
encouraged.
