Just dx'd with TMJ

After 6 weeks of incredible stress, won't go into the details, but trust me, these past weeks have been horrible, devastating.  So, I went to my dr., still having headaches, they had gone away, but after what happened to me and my husband they came back.  My neck and shoulders are always so, so tight.  Dr. said they are as tight as a flagpole.  Had that MRI in March of this year and I'm still scared something is there and that it's just growing.

Anyway, dr. did a test on me for TMJ and it was positive.  So I researched the symptoms, and I have everyone of them.  I am a terrible teeth clencher, but I always thought that only people who had TMJ ground their teeth in their sleep.  Guess that's not true.  Does anybody else have TMJ, and if so, what are your symptoms.  I'm sooooooooooo tired of having headaches all the time.  I also have sinus headaches everyday, I know they're sinus because of all the drainage, sore throat and sneezing, plus all the pressure behind my cheek bones and forehead.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Melanie

Hey guys,

I have wicked bouts of TMJ, usually during times of extreme stress.  I never "grind" my teeth, but I clench my jaw, usually sucking on my tongue and teeth.  I do it in the daytime (which I am aware of), and probably at night also.  In addition to affecting the jaw and neck muscles, it also puts pressure on my teeth, so I usually end up needing dental work.  If I get dental work done first, a bout of TMJ is on the way, and will last for weeks.  The pain is usually so bad that I need Lortab/Lorcet or similar pain killer, then a muscle relaxer also works to loosen up the jaw and neck muscles. 

I am in the throws of a TMJ attack right now.  After the pain medication and muscle relaxers are gone, and I still had the pain in my teeth and  neck/jaw muscles, I got referred to a TMJ specialist by my dentist.  He diagnosed that my problem is less jaw malformation, and more muscle related.  He said that he could operate on the jaw (the right side pops and clicks), but that I would probably do better having physical therapy. 

Thus, I am now in the middle of having physical therapy sessions for my TMJ.  I have two sessions a week where the therapist twists and stretches my neck, shoulders and jaw muscles.  After all the weird stretching, then I get electronic heat and muscle stimulation for about twenty minutes.  Being hooked up to the electric stim machine feels pretty good, but I'm not sure it's actually doing a lot of good for my TMJ.  However, I would recommend having the physical therapy 100% before having a mouth guard or splint made, since those really are a waste of time. 

I have to go to the dentist again on Tuesday, so whatever progress I've made will just be undone.  SSDD.

Wish me luck,

Leigh Ann

Edit - I forgot to mention that my TMJ is a major trigger for my migraine attacks.  However, I have now been labeled a "drug seeker" since I have received narcotic pain prescriptions (LORTAB, LORCET) from both my dentist and my PCP, as well as getting pain shots at the ER for major migraine atttacks.  Our town is now on a unified database, so it shows how many times I've received narcotics in the last year.  Being labeled as a "drug seeker", I can't even get a Narcotic pain shot at the ER when I get a serious migraine attack.  I've been turned away untreated the last three times I've sought relief for a bad migraine at the ER, and no doctor will prescribe any narcotic pain medication for me anymore.  I've also now been referred to the local drug rehab center for evaluation and treatment.  My legitimate health problems now have me lumped in with the local crackheads and heroin addicts.  Isn't that just lovely.  I'm so screwed.

Well, it's been over a month now, and I still haven't gotten an appointment to see the doctor at the "detox" center.  My PCP office can't seem to get my records copied and sent to him.  He should have received them last week, but I haven't heard from him yet.  My TMJ is worse than ever, having had another dentist appointment, and the migraines are running rampant.  I found a brief reprieve by going to the ER in the next town, but after four visits, they will not treat me anymore either.  I have put out an emergency call to a friend of the family who designs dental appliances to get a referral to another dentist.  Hopefully, I can talk to him tomorrow.  My current dentist is lousy.  He has put a filling in my back left molar four times now I think, and it has disintigrated again.  I've been trying for almost a week to get my PCP to refill my muscle relaxer prescription without success.  I'm only getting about two hours of sleep a night, the rest of the time I sit and suffer.  My entire mouth just throbs and I've resorted to using Ambesol on all my teeth and gums for brief reprieves.  I keep getting sick to my stomach because I invariably end up swallowing a bunch of the stuff.  My stomach is totally trashed since I'm trying to get by using Ibuprofen and Excedrin.  They help some, but I'm just so miserable, there doesn't seem to be any end in sight.  I think I've got a referral to a pain clinic at the University of Virginia, but I can't seem to get a date lined up yet.  Will give you another progress report when something happens.

Be well (or at least, better than me),

Leigh Ann

Hey Guys,

Just wanted to update you on my TMJ problem/migraines.  My physical therapist stopped my treatments, since I kept having to go back to that crappy dentist repeatedly.  I got a referral from and old friend, who sent me to the best dentist I've ever met.  Apparently, since my previous dentist started working on me about a year ago, the number of cavities has doubled.  I have cavities in almost all my teeth now.  That dentist just kept fixing the same teeth, because his fillings kept falling out.  I think he has charged me $4000 out of pocket, since I have no dental insurance.

My new dentist is fantastic.  He's x-ray'd me twice, done some work on me to take care of some EXPOSED NERVES, and put me on pennicillin to kill the infections in the roots of my teeth.  My former dentist didn't seem to be bothered or even see my exposed roots, no matter how much I told him they hurt.  I've also been on Robaxin, a muscle relaxer, to try to keep my TMJ pain down, and help with my migraines.  It hasn't been really effective, but has helped some.  I can't do the heat/cold thing 'cuz that will send me directly into a migraine.  The muscle pain/tension from your jaw is caused by inflamation of the teeth clinching or whatever you do to inflame the jaw muscles.  Mine is combination of having my jaw streched during dental visits, and I catch myself sucking in on my cheeks when my teeth hurt.  This inflamation can work its way down into the neck and shoulders.

Anyway, my new dentist hasn't even charged me a penny for all the work he's done already.  In order to solve my problem, I've got to get all the work on my teeth done at the same time.  It took three weeks to get an appointment, but next Wednesday he has set aside the whole day for me.  He'll start in the morning and keep working until everything is fixed.  I'll get my cavities filled, but if I need a root canal, he's just going to pull the tooth.  I'll probably end up with a particial plate on the bottom of my mouth.  The best part is that it's only going to cost about half of what the bad dentist already charged.  I'm going to pursue a refund from my old dentist, or possibly take him to small claims court.

Hopefully, my TMJ should be gone pretty soon.  Let me know how you guys are doing.

Leigh Ann