TMD symptoms

[Toofypegs]

Hello, I am looking for some help as I am losing my mind.

I had a root canal treatment in May that didnt go to plan. I then went to a different dentist and the experience was miles better and it was completed and has so far, been ok. Its settling and will be having a crown put on it in the near future.

However, during the period between getting the initial procedure done and the “fix” job done (which was around a month and a half) I have developed strange and painful TMD symptoms.

I was nervous of the dentist to start with and its now been made worse since the first treatment.

It started with pain in my ears which the gp thought was Eustacian Tube Dusfunction. However I now have very tense masseter muscles, shooting pains that go along the bottom of my jaws, pain right in the edge of my jaws under my ears, tender temples, pressure in my ears and my jaw feels stiff. I get clicking when i open my jaw but the clicking sounds come from the bottom jaw, not near the ear. When i chew on my left, I hear pressure noises in my right ear. I also have loud tinnitus in right ear. And everyone looks at me like im going nuts but my bottom front teeth touch the back of my top teeth and its REALLY uncomfortable and hasnt always been this way. It can shift during the day. Sometimes my left side can touch and the right aide doesnt, then later in the day it evens out a little more but still doesnt feel right. When the front teeth clash its really uncomfortable.

When i went to the gp and the dentist with this, they said they suspected tmd. The gp prescribed Amitriptyline which I have been taking at a dose of 20mg at night, which worked to start with however the pain has returned. The dentist suggested a very expensive bite guard (as i have evidence of teeth grinding) which has a ramp type thing on the front to prevent the back teeth from touching. I have been reluctant to get this as ive spent so much money recently on teeth, I just cant afford it.

The pain exhausts me and is affecting my quality of life drastically. The gp has referred me to maxillofacial but the wait time is 6 months (NHS - UK) and im terrified of how im goinf to cope in the mean time.

Ive tried osteopath appointments which seemed to be helping (£45 per session though) but due to the cost, for the last 2 weeks ive been unable to book one and this is when the pain has started again.

I dont know what else to do. Is it worth me getting this guard made? My dentist didnt really explain what the guard would help with.

I told the dentist that my bite felt miles off and he did this test with shiny paper stuff where I had to bite down on it, move jaw forward, backward and then bite down side to side. He said there was a large difference on my right side compared to the left (16?) he said average is 5 (not sure what this meant) but didnt give advice on how to fix that?

So im really hoping someone can answer the following:

- Is the bite guard going to be worth it? I have no pain when I first wake up, the pain gets worse later in the day, but they do say my teeth show signs of heavy bruxism. When i wore the night guard my previous dentist made, I feel it made my bite worse
- What can be done about the bite discrepancy? I dont know what he meant when he said my right side was 16 and its usually 5 on average?
-does tmd go away on its own when you get the bite sorted?
- Why do my front teeth now clash when its not been an issue before?
- Can dentists do xrays to check whether theres issues with the TMD bone? As i dont know if its muscular or bone at this point.
- What can I do in the meantime? Ive tried hot and cold therapy and I dont feel that helps. Ive tried stretching the jaw and that doesnt seem to help either. The only thing that seemed to help (not sure if its was convenient timing) was getting massage done by the osteopath.

I just dont know whos problem this is, is it dentist or GP? I keep getting passed from one to the other, meanwhile im stuck in the middle feeling so low that I just cant cope anymore. Its making me miserable, affecting my relationship and my work.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Gordon]

Is the bite guard going to be worth it?

Should be. As a quick cheap idea, try getting a sports mouthguard for a couple of pounds from eBay, a soft one like this will probably do OK https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/132588785951?_skw=sports+mouth+guard&itmmeta=01K3NN67ZHTRD4MXRGZKXKMDYC&hash=item1edee8511f:g:RfgAAOSwroxffzaP&itmprp=enc:AQAKAAAA8FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1eENnUiBKc65EiUpZ8cOT53B8algnwR4BC2PjAEvmgSAv+QOp6/AKtUen3Oy+NBpfXye4gHKpcy1Y7riCKF6oo7K/jQF+6J0gtL80Oi1dzTShImYd+cbVu0/ErCjj0u1OMVlk2rYnOEdrsOtP9to92nV01/qitQLh7gVbG3uECTgnsdfjlG0nAU3T41HFIMiQ5Qtom/NrfHE5VE9nrkvYot8v/4eu8OmPmGT7WQE95LeUXYSLr7KgSBVC1fRPG3vxUNhdfOqkW3I+cSwl/rmY4DHh5qO+cFGlHLz2EiQiEFBQ==|tkp:Bk9SR46AmbWdZg

What can be done about the bite discrepancy? I dont know what he meant when he said my right side was 16 and its usually 5 on average?

Don't know, I don't recognise the numbers you've quoted. Normally if it's slightly off then a bit of careful grinding down of various areas can help.

does tmd go away on its own when you get the bite sorted?

Yes. Which is one of the annoying things about it, it can spontaneously improve so it's hard to know which treatments are actually most effective for it. Be afraid of Google though, I think there is more quackery associated with TMJ Dysfunction than almost anything else dental...

Why do my front teeth now clash when its not been an issue before?

Something in your bite has changed. Can't say without examining you, sorry.

Can dentists do xrays to check whether theres issues with the TMD bone? As i dont know if its muscular or bone at this point.

TMD is not a bone, it means temperomandibular joint dysfunction. The joint is called the TMJ for short, it connects the temporal bone in your skull to the mandible, the lower jaw.

The dysfunction bit means that it's not working properly (which you already guessed!)

The whole thing is muscle/joint related, x-rays really don't tell you anything useful.

What can I do in the meantime? Ive tried hot and cold therapy and I dont feel that helps. Ive tried stretching the jaw and that doesnt seem to help either. The only thing that seemed to help (not sure if its was convenient timing) was getting massage done by the osteopath.

Have a look here:

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

A Physiotherapist will be much more useful than an osteopath, ask your GP for an urgent referral to an NHS one.

It's kind of more in a dentist's line of work than a GP, but you kind of need both working together on it.

 

[Toofypegs]

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to respond. The bite guard I was using felt like it helped to start with for the actual “grinding” side of things but I felt that over time it was pushing my bite out of line.

My bite seems to vary a lot on a daily basis.

I agree with Google. I have researched quite extensively and its hard to know whats useful info and whats not.

Thank you for clarifying what it is. I assumed as it said “joint” that it would be bone issue as opposed to muscular.

I did wonder whether taking Magnesium supplements may help in that case, as its meant to help relax the muscles.

Its just scaring me so much that it wont ever go away. Ive read so many stories online of people suffering with it for years and mine seems to be getting worse quite quickly. My lower jaw seems to click when I yawn as opposed to the joint near the ears.

I think ill try to get in contact with my dentist again in that case.

You sound like you have quite a lot of knowledge of this topic, is it likely to have been caused from having to open my mouth for repeated long treatments? Or is it often more associated with stress?

Thanks again.

 

[Gordon]

I wouldn't claim to have a lot of knowledge about it, just a basic grasp of the principles and what works for most people in my hands.

The answer to your question is either or both, it's absolutely stress related, (I got it bad immediately before and just after exams for instance) but also having your mouth open for an extended period can make things worse or bring on an episode.

Most people find that it kind of comes and goes, it's rare for it to go on permanently for extended periods of time (although of course, that can happen to some poor souls, it's fortunately quite rare).

 

[Toofypegs]

I am hoping for some further advice.

Its now 5 months after I posted this initially and I am absolutely losing the plot.

The original symptoms have progressed and gotten worse. Despite doing muscular stretches, wearing a nightguard and doing all the stuff I was told to do.

If this TMD was caused by the extended periods of mouth opening, shouldnt it have gone by now?

Im waiting for an MRI on the TMJ’s to check the discs but everything seems to be pointing to muscles.

Is it worth me trying to get the bite corrected? It seemed to come on suddenly after the initial issues I had at the dentist but thinking back further, I have always had extremely tense muscles in my back and the dentist I am under says I have signs of tooth grinding so perhaps the treatment just pushed the muscles over the edge?

I dont know what else to do. Its impacting my mental health so badly to the point where I dont know how I can carry on.

 

[Gordon]

It's definitely worth getting your bite checked over.

A physiotherapist referral would also be a very good idea. if you're not seeing one already. There's a lot that they can do to help.

 

[Toofypegs]

Thank you. I will get a second opinion. I spoke to an orthodontist who said I do have quite an overbite but hes seen worse and people havent had problems with their jaw because of it.

I did ask my dentist to send me the xray they recently took of my root canalled tooth that was done in July 2025.

Whats the stuff at the bottom of the root? Could this be causing inflammation? It looks to me like they have overfilled the roots?

I had tmd very mild symptoms before I had the root canal done as I had to keep going back and having a filling adjusted/taken out etc. But the muscle irritation has only been since I had the root canal.

 

[Gordon]

Those are "sealant puffs" actually a sign that the canal has been properly filled so good news. The material is slowly digested by the immune system and doesn't cause any issues.