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TMJ?

M

Menopausal Magpie

Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2009
Messages
52
So, this is a bit weird...

Been with my new (private) dentist (in the UK) for about 18 months now, and things have been going well. Had my bridge fitted, had a filling replaced, was concentrating on getting my gums into better health. Last saw my dentist in September, and she was pleased with the way things were going and couldn't see any issues. Saw the hygienist for a clean a few weeks ago, and that also went OK.

So...for the last couple of weeks my teeth on the left have been 'twingey' - I have one area on the top left where the gums are very receded, and it's normally sensitive there, but I've been told it's nothing to actually worry about if I keep up the cleaning, interdentals etc. Then my jaw itself was aching, on and off, and just felt very 'tense', and I've had earache now and again on the left too. Sometimes my mouth feels sore, and sometimes there's a 'burning' sort of pain up the lower jaw/cheek. And the jaw joint itself seems to be 'clicking', which it has in the past, a little, but more so now.

I looked online, and everything seems to suggest I might have TMJ issues. Oh, lovely.

I've been trying some online exercises I've found for TMJ, and they do sometimes help. Paracetamol (aka Tylenol, for US folks) helps a bit too (I would try ibuprofen, but I'm on Sertraline and I know they can interact, so probably not a good idea). Sometimes the pain's hardly noticeable, and it's never really intense, just sort of 'niggling'. I've been trying to relax my jaw and not eat anything especially chewy, and most of the time I can distract myself from it. There's no pain or bleeding when I actually brush or use the interdentals, which tends to suggest this isn't an actual issue with my teeth or gums (which I presume the hygienist would have noticed on my recent visit).

I read that TMJ is associated with teeth-grinding at night, but my husband doesn't think I do this (he says I snore, so he'd probably notice if I was grinding!). I have had a bad habit of picking the skin off my lower lip (please don't judge me...it's a nervous habit I've had for years, and I know it's gross), and I wonder if that's made me tense my jaw and led to this. I've been trying to stop myself from doing that, obviously.

Does anyone have any advice on what to do, aside from what's under TMJ in the A-Z advice on this site? Should I go back to my dentist for help, or try my NHS doctor? (I can only get to my dentist at weekends, and I suspect getting an appointment this side of Christmas could be tricky - and getting a face-to-face with an NHS GP at the moment is also pretty tricky, they're snowed under). Anyone else dealt successfully with this issue?
 
I have TMJ issues, and have been told repeatedly that there really isn’t much that can be done, other than a nightguard. I don’t grind my teeth, but I clench my teeth at night. It doesn’t make any noise. I have a nightguard, which helps, but honestly I have just gotten adjusted to having it hurt now and then. It flares up and then goes away a while. Hot packs help me but mostly just trying to make myself relax my jaw throughout the day. I will take a deep breath and then think about relaxing my jaw as I breathe out. I don’t often even realize I had tension in it until I do that.
 
Thanks MountainMama! I actually went and got a night guard from the chemist at the weekend - wasn't sure about it BUT woke up at 5am this morning, and whaddya know, my back teeth were fairly clearly clenched! Had to go to the bathroom, so picked up the guard, popped it in and went back to sleep for an hour and a half before I was due to get up. Not sure yet if it helped, but it wasn't too uncomfortable, so I'll be trying that from now on.

Is your guard a custom one from the dentist?
 
Yes, I had a custom one made eventually, but I used an OTC one for almost a year first.
 
OK, so, I kept the OTC guard in my mouth all night last night (I think it went a bit squiffy at one point as I had a sore place in one corner of my mouth at the back when I woke up, but that went off after I took the guard out - suspect it just needs a little adjustment). I THINK it's improved thing somewhat. But I'm trying to relax my jaw during the day as well...easier said than done. Someone online said that pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth helps - I always wondered why yoga books told you to do that when you meditate!...
 
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