Anyone ever get stiffness/pain in their jaw like TMJ?

I'm having a helluva time the last week or two with stiffness in my jaw. It came on pretty suddenly, so I think it is just inflammation from the Crohn's. I am having trouble eating because I can't open my mouth very wide. It seems like "TMJ" but I've never had any issues with my jaw. Every time something like this happens, by the time I can get in to see a doctor/dentist, the problem is gone. Murphy's Law.
Anyone else have this happen before?

For some unknown reason I have pain on both sides of my lower jaw upon taking an intial bite of any food as I start to chew. Figured it was some form of TMJ. Hasn't caused me stiffness yet and some would say it would be a blessing if my jaw actually locked(: If you have inflammation there, might I suggest an ice pack or a bag of frozen non-cooked rice in a pillowcase? The rice seems to conform better to the body than those stiff ice packs and it would be reuseable.

I have suffered from TMJ for many years... caused many , many terrible headaches... A couple of years ago, my denstist said my jaw on both sides had completely collapsed... it was bone on bone. Now I have days when my jaw hurts ... it is difficult to eat... and it leads to migraines. My denstist suggested massage therapy which helps some and for me a hot or warm compress actually helps relieve some of the tension in the muscles supporting this collapsed jaw.
Good luck ... I know how much it hurts! Hope you find a solution very quickly and you are relieved of your pain.
Mary

Okay, that's so weird you posted this. I was just diagnosed with a slipped disk in my jaw on my right side. I have had pain in my jaw for about 6 months, but lately, I can't even open it more than an inch, and it pops all the time, when I'm eating. And, I get headaches and earaches from it. I was wondering the same thing... if it is related to my crohn's or my meds, as I was on Cipro for five years. I asked my crohn's doctor and he said it is not related, but I think everything is related.

I am due to see another dentist who specializes in jaw treatment shortly. I'll keep you posted.

Recently, I had a lot of tooth and jaw pain.  The pain was on the right side right in the joint.  The tooth pain floated around.  I saw a doctor who said I had sinus congestion and allergies.  I took an antibiotic for 10 days and am using flonase, claritin, and sudafed.  My pain is mostly gone, but the allergy connection is hard to understand since last year I tested negative for the 30 most common allergies of the area.  My allergist upon hearing what the doctor said and prescribed is ordering some RAST blood tests to check for allergies again.  Meanwhile, I emailed my gastro specialist to ask if the pain could be inflamation from the Crohn's and he said that it is not likely.  I'm sooooo confused, because honestly, I think it must be from the Crohn's --especially if I keep testing negative for allergies!

I've had this since I was a teenager. A few times it was so bad I could only open my jaw a little bit. Preventing me from even being able to eat! I had to sit there with my jaw relaxed for a few hours before it would allow me to open it all the way again. Now I mostly will have episodes of pain, stiffness, and clicking. Lots of clicking! Drives me bonkers!

My dentist told me to stay away from chewing gum, said it would make it worse.

Wow. Thanks for the responses everyone. I saw my chiropractor again last night. Did some pressure point stuff to try to help it, and he also gave me some TMJ exercises to try out. Most of the stretches involve stretching the neck and shoulders, and only two which involve actual movements of the jaw.

I have to believe this is just inflammation in yet another area of our bodies from this lovely disease. Seems to do a lot of things that can't easily be explained medically.

I have had TMJ problems since around the time my Crohns started.

I was diagnosed with TMJ too (~1year ago). My dentist suggested Ibuprophen; however, that's a no-go for my tummy. I wear a mouth guard at night and sometimes throughout the day when I have problems, and that seems to help. I'm currently having a severe Crohn's flare, and I don't know if it's just so mild compared to other pains but no TMJ problems so far. Mostly, my fingers, elbows, hips, knees, and ankles hurt. Maybe I just don't talk as much when I'm having a flare because talking to people gets pretty irritating when you're in pain.

What is TMJ?  But no jaw or dental issues for me at this time.