TMD caused by lots of work and prolonged by anxiety

[Jennylynn]

I have 1 bad tooth and a lot of anxiety. In jan, I had a crown redone. Since then u have been in pain. Three courses of antibiotics, crown adjustments, root canal retreatment, trips to GP, ENT and a psychologist. Finally, the tooth was extracted a month ago. I still have pain, but it's in my jaw. Dentist said today she thinks its the joint and I'm clenching in the day and night. She wants to make a night guard. She told me I have to relax. I have awful pain in my face, neck, jaw and shoulders on one side. I am highly anxious. Has anyone fixed Tmd by relaxing??? If so, how??

 

[sunflower32]

Hi there. I just wanted to share that I have some mild jaw discomfort that is brought on by my teeth being seriously misaligned due to grinding/clenching at night for years. I didn't even know I had this problem until I went back to the dentist after almost two decades, but it's gotten to the point where it's so bothersome that I have to do something about it. I'm now about to start orthodontic treatment (Invisalign) to fix my bad bite. The orthodontist told me that once my teeth are in alignment, my jaw will follow suit and will stop bothering me. Maybe you should try seeing an orthodontist to see if you have misaligned teeth that are causing your jaw problems.

Hope everything works out for you!

 

[Jennylynn]

I had braces when I was a teenager, and have always been a good brusher and flosser. I just have this one dang tooth and I have been seeing military dentists, who have lived up to their reputation. We live overseas, so now I am struggling to trust the German dental system because the military one is just absolutely awful. The German dentists can find nothing else wrong with any of my teeth or gums or anything. They say everything looks perfect. I wish I had a specialist out here for the TMD. I really need some advice to get this to stop. It's a dull ache pretty much all day but gets worse if I'm stressed.

Thank you for you reply Hope yours clears up too!

 

[carole]

Hi I have TMJ and I have seen a specialist who has suggested that an injection into the jaw bone might help. It won't cure and you can only have so many of these injections. I have a night guard which does help a bit but doesn't cure. I was told that I could wear it through the day if I want. They are designed to keep out teeth apart we are supposed to relax the jaw and keep teeth from touching and not clenching.

 

[Jennylynn]

Thanks Carole! I don't know if I even clench at night. It seems like this diagnosis was because they can't find anything else wrong. There are no specialists where I am in germany. I'm taking magnesium and glucosamine to help also. I am freaked out that I will just have to live with this forever. It's really annoying and sends my anxiety through the roof. I can't get the guard until after a bunch of approvals through my insurance because the german dentist said it will be around 500 euros at the end. My neck and shoulder on that side are constantly tight, so I am trying massage next week also. Have you found anything besides the guard that helps?

 

[carole]

No I haven't sorry, I know they aren't ideal but some people buy sports guards and they seem to help. If you clench or grind at night you usually hurt more in the mornings and can wake with a headache.

I don't think i am going to have the injection as I haven't heard good things about it.

A long time ago on here someone mentioned a cream or spray that helped them. If I can find the thread I will link it for you. I am nearly 60 and have never found a cure for this. I do have periods where it doesn't hurt as much as others and treatment is a pain because of this, as I am sure you know.

 

[carole]

If you go to the top of this page and click on the Dental FAQ's tab there is a bit about it there:

TMJ Pain, Clenching and Grinding

What can you do about TMJ pain, clenching, and grinding? We've collected tips from our readers and from dentists!

www.dentalfearcentral.org

I found this give it a read and see if it is any help to you. I was also told that when I want to yawn to put my chin down onto my chest this stops the jaw from opening too wide which causes pain.

 

[sunflower32]

Hi again. I just wanted to clarify my earlier response. When I said my TMJ was caused by misaligned teeth, it wasn't actually something that was ever noticable to me until recently. My teeth are only slightly crooked (which doesn't bother me at all), but it's my bite that's bad, which is why I'm getting Invisalign. Even though you had braces before, I know this issue can still come up, as I have a friend who had braces in high school, but when her jaw started locking up a number of years later, she was told by a dentist that it was caused by a bad bite (her teeth had shifted), which she had never even noticed.

Anyway, maybe this is your problem and maybe it isn't (I'm sure TMJ can have many different causes). Maybe your dentist already checked your bite and it's fine. Or maybe your recent dental work caused your teeth to shift into a position that's causing your jaw pain. I just wanted to clarify because I know that even if you have had braces before or you have "straight teeth", that doesn't mean you don't have a bad bite.

Hope this makes sense. Good luck to you.

 

[Jennylynn]

I think this is possible. So frustrating not to know what is causing this. I am so thankful for all the responses.