Does anyone suffer from TMJ? Any tips on Coping?

oopsadaisydoddle

Hi,

As the title says, I am just wondering if anybody has TMJ disorder and if so, how do yoh cope with the pain?

I have just been diagnosed with this and referred to my local hospital by my dentist. I suffer a lot from teeth clenching and tension. I also get neck pain and headaches and facial pain. Sometimes it's worse than others.

My dentist reckons it's due to teeth clenching which I can agree with although i remember about 16 years ago, a previous dentist told me my jaw was 'out of alignment'. He gave me diazepam l. I took 1 and didn't like the side effects so didn't take the rest. Thinking back though, I can't actually remember being in any pain at that time!!

I have anxiety and depression and IBS. I also feel fatigued quite a lot and now I'm wondering if it is because of this and the fact that I don't sleep well.

I know medical advice isn't allowed so I'm just wondering if anyone had any experiences to share.

Thanks!

Oops.

oopsadaisydoddle

Anyone????

miduck

I have TMJ, I was referred to the hospital but saw the most useless doc - he suggested I eat more soft foods! I also cannot take diazepam due to the side effects. Have you tried pilates or yoga? It sounds like you have a build up of tension caused by the misalignment (mine has got so bad my neck is partially frozen), and pilates etc can help to release the tension and strengthen the surrounding muscles. My GP also suggested acupuncture for the discomfort - I haven't tried it yet, but know it has worked for others.

Has your dentist fitted you for a mouth guard? It didn't work for me, but then I don't appear to grind my teeth. Would be worth a try?

brook2jack

there is a large body of opinion that says tmj problems are a physical manifestation of stress. There is alot to say that if you can manage your anxiety and depression well then tmj problems become much less of a problem.

Gum shields can be made to allieviate symptoms but many practitioners feel talking therapies such as CBT are a better starting point than medication, which you may be on anyway due to your anxiety etc.

Take the advice and treatment from the hospital but also chat with your gp about ways to cope with your anxiety and depression as when these are in a bad phase then tmj problems get worse.

oopsadaisydoddle

Thanks for the replies. It's funny because i thought my depression and anxiety was under control. I'm currently on citalopram. I have just gone back up to 30mg because I had a bit of a relapse.

I generally feel ok though. My meds are working and I am quite well in myself.

I was on amytryptyline for years for depression and i never suffered with this or with IBS...I wonder if that is linked - maybe that worked better in general for all of my issues!

I do need to lose weight and get fed up with the lack of help for my IBS and PCOS from my Doc. I also compulsively overeat and when I asked for help re this, the doc practically shooed me out of the surgery.

I have a session of hypnotherapy on tues to help me with my self esteem etc.

I actually believe that my stress is caused by my IBS and not being able to find something to help it. I think it's a bit like a viscious circle. I get stressed with that which in turn makes it worse!!

miduck

brook2jack wrote: »

there is a large body of opinion that says tmj problems are a physical manifestation of stress. There is alot to say that if you can manage your anxiety and depression well then tmj problems become much less of a problem.

Whilst I wholly agree that depression can exacerbate the condition, it is all too easy to blame the MH problem and miss the physical issue.

sophief333

What a coincidence! I had never heard of TMJ until recently!

I had been experiencing pain and clicking in my jaw since the summer. I was getting worse and worse and my jaw was slowly locking. It got to the point where I could only open my mouth so that 1 finger fit between my teeth.

I woke up one morning in the worst pain of my life! And my face had completely swollen up on the right side. I went straight to the GP who said I had an infection and gave my some antibiotics. That night the pain got even worse, I was actually crying it was soo bad (and I'm pretty hard!). So I went straight back to the GP the next day who sent my to the hospital to see the on call MaxFax surgeon. He gave my stronger antibiotics and told me to come back in a week.

I turned out I had TMJ that was causing my jaw pain, clicking and locking. Because my jaw had locked so bad I couldn't clean my teeth properly so I had a huge infection in my wisdom teeth. I had my upper and lower wisdom teeth removed just yesterday!

I was given jaw exercises to help the TMJ but tbh, it hasn't helped yet! I have heard that if it is just a small episode, eating soft food for a few days can help. If its is more sever you may need a mouth guard or even surgery!

brook2jack

Actually alot of recent research has pointed towards psychological causes being more important. There has been an explosion in TMJ problems along with a more stressed lifestyle. In the past many dentists treated teeth that didnt meet together perfectly thinking that creating the perfect bite would solve the problem.
Whilst modern thinking still sees a place for this stress management seems to be a primary factor http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Temporomandibular-Joint-Disorders.htm

In America TMJ surgery was very fashionable and now is resulting in massive law suits.

Really for the majority of people the message is manage your stress ,manage your tmj problems.

sophief333

I think my TMJ my be to do with stress and clenching. I don't grind my teeth but I have noticed I clench my jaw when concentrating, for example I am a pianist and even when I was little my teacher used to tell me I moved my jaw around when I was playing. I also rock climb and have noticed I clench when climbing.

oopsadaisydoddle

miduck wrote: »

Whilst I wholly agree that depression can exacerbate the condition, it is all too easy to blame the MH problem and miss the physical issue.

I agree with this! I'm not for one minute saying that having stress and anxiety doesn't make it worse. My depression and anxiety have been better (for the most part) than they have been for years. I started with health anxiety after having my DS, 3 years ago. I was put on Citalopram for this and had CBT then for the health anxiety. I have improved A LOT since then.

I never had any issues whatsoever with my jaw when I was at the worst of my depression and health anxiety though so how is it that it has flared up now when I'm on a level? I also don't grind my teeth but clench. This is because of the muscles being in spasm, I believe.

The only thing that stresses me is my weight and seeming inability to lose it. And also my IBS because I struggle to find things that don't bloat me therefore end up bingeing on rubbish.

brook2jack

For most people clenching , grinding, gum chewing is the physical issue. Most people benefit from simple measures. There are very few that have a physical problem that needs "fixing" and ,of course, the hospital will be able to assess that.

Most people ,75% or so, will suffer tmj problems at some time. For most simple measures are effective http://tmj.org/site/content/help-yourself-first-remember-less-best

Many people have had extensive dental treatment to solve the problem only to find they are no better, or worse , off .