Dizziness Connected to Tmj?

10 view and no replies?? Anyone??

Hi luvmyboxer (cute name!) Don't worry. I'm working on something. Just didn't have time to finish.

Thank You catswold I was starting to think I was alone here!

Hi again,
Wow, I can't get over how well you described most of my symptoms from the last 27 years. One exception seems to be that it was definitely my jaw that was the problem because my mouth was locked and the sharp stabbing pain was directly at the jaw joint in front of my right ear. The clicking and crackling that you feel is the biggest indicator to me that you might have TMJ. What do you do to help yourself? Have you seen a doctor and/or dentist about this problem? That should be your first step.

Ear pains, fogginess, sinus problems, sore throats, dizziness, headaches, neck and shoulder pains are all unbelievably symptoms of TMJ (or TMD - temporomandibular joint dysfunction). I can only use my experience to try and make some suggestions that might help. Again, I must advise that you see a doctor and/or dentist. It might not be TMJ at all but chronic sinusitis or something along those lines. Before going to the appointment, though, I highly urge you to educate yourself as much as possible by going to support groups, message boards and general Internet surfing. There is a lot of information on the Internet (I wish it had existed when I really needed it), but be careful when comparing your situation to someone else's. Sad to say, TMJ is so very different for each of us (but sometimes so alike). What may work for me, might not work for you.

I can tell you here and now the basic instructions that most new tmj patients are usually told to help themselves -
1. Use lots of moist heat and/or ice
2. Eat only soft or liquid foods for some weeks. Stop all gum chewing.
3. Do not open your mouth wide for any reason (yawning). Be gentle to your muscles, etc.
4. See if the dentist or your doctor will prescribe either valium or xanax to take at night for a few weeks. Good sleep is essential.
5. Ibuprofen tends to be the most effective pain killer (600 to 800 mg)
6. Evaluate your posture. How you are sitting at a computer or a desk can play a very large role on the stress put on the tmjoint. Go to nismat.Org (physical therapy, tmj) for some pictures of posture problems and some good exercises to do, etc.
7. Reduce your stress anyway possible (yoga, exercise, massage).
8. If above doesn't work - ask your doctor to refer you to physical therapy with a tmj-trained therapist. Good massage therapy can be very helpful also.
9. Bite splints (but I must make this comment that bite splints are only as good as the bite splint maker. A good bite splint maker is worth his/her weight in gold).
10. No surgery. No surgery ever. Never.

I better close this as it has gotten long. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have here on ehealthforum.com or PM me or email. Education and support is so important. Please take care of yourself and let us know how you are doing.

God bless…
Carol

(Catswold and catswolds)

you may want to see an ENT to rule out inner ear problems as they too can cause some of the symptoms that you mention - I am unfortunate to have both so I would definitely check both out
wish you well

all that catswold has said is true-----i have had vertigo on account of tmd for most of my life. try rubbing the back of your ear down the jaw line. that has helped me in the past. good luck.

I have the exact same symptoms- for 4 months straight
Went to a TMJ dentist, had a night guard made- helped the headaches but not the dizzyness. Now the headaches are back even worse- actually constant at the base of my head on the right side. Someone said to try gingko biloba- I've tried for two days, so far, no difference- You are in NY, me too- If you find a good Dr let me know- the one's I'm seeing are starting to tell me to see a psychiatrist- not the answer I'm looking for

go to www.lasvegasinstitute.com< /a> and search for a good neuromuscular dentist in your area. I havent had dizzyness since going to a neuromuscular dentist.

Hi everyone!!! I'm so excited to be here, I can barely contain myself. I've been searching high and low for something like this. Thank you for being here.
Of course, I have TMJ problems. I seem to have gone a little beyond the "normal" treatment options. I now have "mandibular condylar hyperplasia with resultant malocclusion"...Yep, I'm a mess. To make a long story short, I'm scheduled for a total joint replacement in about a month. I'm terrified. Of all of the other symptoms I've been having, headaches, neckaches, dibilitating ear pain, sleepless nights, etc, etc, I can't believe I didn't even relate my recent severe bouts of vertigo to this!!!!! Thank you Luvmyboxer!!
I've been doing all kinds of research to see if there are other options. I currently am working on getting a second opinion, but dang it ain't easy. My most recent research is showing that maybe I don't have a choice. I thought that maybe rebuilding would work. But that seems to have its own set of problems. I am one of the very lucky ones, in that, currently, I have no pain! I have a great dentist who made a beautiful splint for me which literally saved my sanity! Problem is, my condylar is extremely large and will continue to grow. It doesn't even sit in my tmj anymore...it doesn't fit. Basically all that's holding it in are my muscles.
I really just wanted to get in here and introduce myself and again Thank You for being here!!!!

Hi MustangSally,
I'm sorry to read about your problems. I have never heard of this problem. Interesting. I'm glad to hear that you are getting more opinions. I understand the need for a joint replacement for you but if you are not in pain and can function, I think I would have off the surgery for as long as you can because I don't think those replacements are supposed to last your entire life-time. Meaning you will have to have future surgeries maybe. I don't want to scare you. Your dentist sounds great and if the bite splint can keep away the surgery that's even greater.

I am glad that you found us. Since you are so unique, I would love to follow your story. What else do you do to keep the joint functioning and pain-free? Love to hear from you...

God bless...
Carol

Carol,
Thank you so much for your well wishes.
I know what you mean about putting off the surgery. I've been seriously mulling that over. I am completely pain free. I still have headaches, but they occur much less than they used to. I really don't need to do much else to stay pain free now. I faithfully wear the splint. My bite has changed so much that not having it in feels very uncomfortable, not necessarily painful, but uncomfortable. The teeth on the right side of my mouth, from about my canine tooth back do not touch at all. The splint is configured to close my bite up. If I leave it out overnight or for a couple of days, I will get sore. I won't leave it out any more than that because the thought of feeling as I did before is a horrid one!
The doctors say I should not put it off. It is still growing. I also think they are anxious to get it out of there and figure out what is making it grow. They are sending it away for biopsy after the surgery. I feel in my gut that the growth is simply due to the pounding its been taken for years and years when I did nothing about it. But I guess I'm too nervous to completely trust my gut.
I'm hoping to get my second opinion by next week.
Gosh I'm sorry I keep rambling....its just that I've never been able to talk to anyone who really understands. It feels really really good

Hi Folks,

i have been suffering from TMJ and all the symptoms that "luvmyboxer" mentioned I have also.

I am actually going to the dentist today to get an NTI-TSS mouth/tooth thing which the dentist assures me will sort me out once and for all!

look it up on google. It actually looks quite convincing. But it costs a small fortune. 620.00NZD I'm paying for it.

I used to have a rubber tooth/splint but it didnt take long for me to bite right through it and it never worked anyway.

I hope this new things clears my Jaw, gets rid of my "drunken fogginess" and lets me sleep better.

I will post again in a few days to let you know how I get on.

Cheers

Murray
www.murraydouglas.com

Hi Dauntless111,
That does seem to be a bit expensive for me also. The NTI is just a small little thing too. Make sure that it is adjusted and that you are allowed to go back as much as needed for adjustments. I have an NTI but don't wear it because it didn't make my bite feel stable enough; like a rocker. I have heard of people having problems with it, but someone always has a problem with something. You have to try for yourself.

By the way, rubber bite splints are not really very good for you. Biting through it is one big problem, but it is also not good on the jaw joint and teeth. I wear a harder bite splint. It's hard for me to describe the material as it is acrylic but yet has some softness to it. How, I don't know.

I hope you will come back and say how you are getting along. I loved your photos. New Zealand is beautiful.

God bless...
Carol

Yes dizziness, that was my latest symptom along with all the pain in my jaw and neck. If I tilted my head back I got really dizzy. I got my LVI othotic put in and the dizziness is pretty much gone. My pain is lessened to a degree also, I still have pain flare-ups when the weather changes but my docs think that is some kind of arthritic problem. By changing my bite my dentist has already decreased symptoms and stopped the progression of the symptoms, thankfully.

neuromuscular is a life saver with dizziness. It releives the pressure on the eustation tube and equalizes the pressure between the inner and outer ear. go find a neuromuscular dentist and it will all go away

Hi everyone, I thought I was getting an NTI but I got a Myohealth Clenching Inhibitor.... MCI

Quite uncomfy but I have only been wearing it for 2 nights so far. Its definetly stops pressure on the jaw so much... Ill keep you posted!

good luck with it and do keep us posted.

Well the MCI things does stop the clenching and I got used to it easily enough but I still have my fogginess, cant focus properly, eyes glaze over when I am in a conversation for more than a few minutes....

Someone out there must have the answer. More sleep? more exercise? drugs? I just want to open my head and give my mind a good wipe with a cloth....

I need clarity!!!