Lots of Pain and Really Scared. :(

[laparish]

I posted a while back about thinking my wisdom teeth were coming in. Turns out, the pain was from TMJ. My top wisdom teeth are just sitting there waiting for me to extract them, causing no issues. My dentist said the chances that of the pain I'm feeling being due to my wisdom teeth is slim to none. I got a full xray last August. I'm only 22, and his assistant said that she didn't need another one because wisdom teeth typically didn't move that fast and they're not coming in at any weird angles or anything. He felt all in my mouth and gums, checked my teeth did a few xrays. Checked my mouth guard, it was perfectly fine. Gave me some muscle relaxers and sent me on my way. I asked him if he thought I should get my wisdoms out sooner than my appointment at the first of the year and he said I was fine and that he actually wouldn't suggest me getting them out right now due to the fact that I've been having TMJ issues, and that that would be the majority of my recovery since I'd have my mouth open for so long. Let me just add that my dentist is absolutely amazing and very, very good at what he does. So, I do trust what he has told me.

That was two weeks ago. I'm still in pain and tons of it. My jaw doesn't hurt but my teeth do! It's my bottom middle molar and my top middle molar. I can feel some pain radiating from the top and bottom, my neck has been hurting and my shoulders as well as my ear. The other side of my mouth hurts every now and then as well. Well, I'm freaked out. If anyone has dealt with TMJ, is this what it sounds like? I trust my dentist completely, but I'm getting a little scared. Should I call him again to get a full xray? Or should I switch the muscle relaxers for some tylenol and just wait it out. I'm fairly new to TMJ. (I was just diagnosed last August). The reason I found out is because last summer I was suffering from a similar flare up. Any suggestions?

 

[kitkat]

Any chance you have anything going on with your sinuses? Sometimes it can cause teeth, ear, and neck pain. I also noticed you mentioned a mouth guard. Are you a teeth-grinder/clench-er? Even if you are using the guard I'm sure if you are putting a lot of pressure on your teeth it can cause pain to the jaw/teeth/neck. May I ask why you are extracting your wisdom teeth if they are causing no problems? Are they just too difficult to care for properly? Surely there is a possibility they are having some effect on the surrounding structures in your mouth if they are still coming in. I'm not a dentist but that is just a few things to consider.

 

[laparish]

I was also wondering about my wisdom teeth. He said it's because I'm young and it's easier to recover when I'm younger but I'm not sure if I want to go through with it just for that reason.

I do clench at night. Sometimes during the day as well. I feel like a lot of the pain is in my neck. When I applied heat to my neck the pain in my mouth subsided. Could me possibly sleeping at a weird angle at night hurting my neck affect my tmj?

 

[rob wain]

I was also wondering about my wisdom teeth. He said it's because I'm young and it's easier to recover when I'm younger but I'm not sure if I want to go through with it just for that reason.

I do clench at night. Sometimes during the day as well. I feel like a lot of the pain is in my neck. When I applied heat to my neck the pain in my mouth subsided. Could me possibly sleeping at a weird angle at night hurting my neck affect my tmj?

TMD can show up as pain in the jaw joint, the teeth or the muscles which is why its so difficult to diagnose and often gets missed.
Muscle relaxants help but if it's a muscular pain then a splint should help though not the 'thin gumshield' type.
Applying heat and alternating it with cold is pretty good, put these over the joint, not just your neck.
Go back and see your dentist so they can check the diagnosis and best treatment - they wouldn't want you to just put up with the pain.
To answer your question - The neck pain and tooth pain could be due to the TMD rather than the other way round.

 

[laparish]

TMD can show up as pain in the jaw joint, the teeth or the muscles which is why its so difficult to diagnose and often gets missed.
Muscle relaxants help but if it's a muscular pain then a splint should help though not the 'thin gumshield' type.
Applying heat and alternating it with cold is pretty good, put these over the joint, not just your neck.
Go back and see your dentist so they can check the diagnosis and best treatment - they wouldn't want you to just put up with the pain.
To answer your question - The neck pain and tooth pain could be due to the TMD rather than the other way round.

Thank you! I called today after I saw this and he pretty much told me exactly what you did. I haven't tried the heat yet, so hopefully that will help.