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Answers to Readers' Questions on Health:
TMJ Dysfunction
The following 24 comments and questions have been sent in. They are listed according to date.
List of first 10 items
- Been having constant grinding pain in my ear
- TMJ and menstrual period
- Can a chiropractor can diagnoise TMJ?
- Having pressure in my ears from TMJ and other things
- Jaw has locked open
- Can you expect hearing loss from TMJ?
- Sudden change in my bite due to bad tooth
- Did anti-depressant drug cause TMJ problems?
- Having problems with getting veneers from dentist
- Got in car accident and now have TMJ symptoms
Been having constant grinding pain in my ear
Question
August 30, 2009
i have been having constant grinding pain in my ear and around jaw line below ear for 3 weeks, the pain wont let up nagging all the time what do you think it is
catherine - UK
18236
Answer
It could be caused by clenching your teeth, due to stress. But it also could be related to your ear. If you think it is from clenching your teeth, see your dentist. If you think it could be something else, see your physician. In either case, it is good to have someone look at the problem. Three weeks is a long time to have such pain.
Best wishes in getting relief from your problem.
TMJ and menstrual period
Question
March 23, 2009
Thanks for replying to my e-mail. Since the last e-mail, I have visited my primary doctor and without my saying a word about what the ENT told me about my jaw. After looking at my jaw himself, and listening to my symptoms, he said the words, "TMJ" also. After he finished talking, I shared with him what happened when I went to see the ENT.
I have only one more question for you. At this point I have been fitted for a mouth guard from the dentist. I am now waiting for the mouth guard to get back. It seems now that sleeping on my back is not working as much. I can only get to sleep after using Oregel ointment. My doctor told me to keep using it until the mouth guard comes back. Here is my final question....I seems like when my menstrual period comes on, the pain seems to be a little worst at night. Could there be a connection with the pain from TMJ and my menstrual period?
Lisa - USA
17495
Answer
Sometimes women are more sensitive to pain during their menstrual period.
Some things to help with the TMJ include:
- Try to catch yourself clenching your teeth. Sometimes a little self-talk will help, even when you sleep.
- Take smaller bites when you eat. Reducing the everyday stress on your jaw joint can help reduce the overall pain.
Best wishes with your mouth guard. I hope it helps solve the problem.
Can a chiropractor can diagnoise TMJ?
Question
March 19, 2009
I would like to know if a chiropractor can diagnoise TMJ?
An ENT told me that my jaw looked out of lign when I went to him for what I thought was a sinus infection.
There are not oral surgeons in my area , and according the chiropracter's secretary, people come to their office all the time for treatment or TMJ. Can a chiropractor treat TMJ?, or will they make it worse....I have some popping noise and some pain....At night , sleeping on my back relieves the pain in my temples.
lisa - USA
17471
Answer
A chiropractor mainly specializes in the spine. TMJ is related to dental and jaw bone problems.
The fact that you get some relief from sleeping on you back indicates that you may be clenching your jaw at night. This can increase when a person sleeps on her stomach.
The starting point for curing your problem is your dentist, who can check your bite. The dentist may refer you to a TMJ specialist. It is surprising your ENT physician didn't recommend some sort of treatment.
You could try a night-guard mouthpiece to prevent you from clenching your teeth at night. Drugstores often have night-guard for about $20. It is worth a try.
I recommend you check with your dentist as opposed to the chiropractor, since it is a dental problem.
Best wishes in getting relief.
Having pressure in my ears from TMJ and other things
Question
February 7, 2009
Hi
Please HELP!!! :-(
Ok you can get hearing loss with TMJ, but can it cause the effect that you have pressure in your ears, eg someone pressing on your ears/poking their fingers in your ear canal, also can it cause you to hear your heartbeat extremely loudly, not only that, but cause you to feel the clonking pulse sensation in your ears.
I have been diagnosed with TMJ but I'm thinking I may have issues with impacted wisdom teeth and I'm trying to sort which one can cause these problems.
I would appreciate your help/assistance/comments regarding this issue enormously....PLEASE HELP.
Kindest regards
Julie :-(
JULIE - UK
17226
Answer
You may have inflammation in your ear canals or sinuses that are giving your those symptoms. Infection or irritation from the wisdom teeth could also cause or aggravate the problem. It could even be allergies.
How is your blood pressure? Do you eat a lot of salt? As a long shot, they may be factors.
Having the problems with your ears can make you tense, causing your to clench your teeth and thus making your TMJ worse.
Check both with your dentist and an ear, nose and throat specialist to start to correct your TMJ and to make sure there are no infections or inflammation causing other problems. Often the dentist may send you to a TMJ specialist, who may also be a physician.
Best wishes in solving your problem.
Jaw has locked open
Question
August 8, 2008
I was wondering what kind of doctor would be best to go to. I am in my 50's and have had a lot of dental work done in my life and went this week even and my problem is my jaw has been clicking and locking up on the left side and my ear stopping up, it seems to be worse when I yawn, well tonight I yawned and it locked up and stayed that way like the back part want shut all the way and it's painful and I can't chew at all now. Could you please tell me what I should do and what can be done. Thank you !
Brenda - USA
16324
Answer
If you have had a lot of dental work over the years, it is quite possible that your bite is no longer correct, due to poor dental work, teeth wearing down, grinding at night. But there are also other possible causes for your problem, besides a poor bite.
The best place to start is with your dentist. Explain your problem and ask to talk to your dentist before making an appointment. Either the dentist will want to see your first or will give you a referral to a dentist or oral surgeon who specialize in treating TMJ.
With your jaw in its present condition, you should want to see someone immediately.
I hope you are able to get your problem cured and healed soon.
Can you expect hearing loss from TMJ?
Question
July 14, 2008
Hi there. I was wondering if you would expect any hearing lose associated with TMJ to be conductive hearing loss or more likely to loss affecting the inner ear.
Thanks
Carolyn - New Zealand
16220
Answer
Since your jaw joint is so close to the ear, it can cause temporary hearing loss. The area becomes inflamed and that affects hearing. Inner ear problems usually result in balance problems and getting dizzy.
Eating carefully and concentrating on not clenching your teeth can reduce the effects of TMJ. Of course, a bad bite is a major culprit.
Sudden change in my bite due to bad tooth
Question
July 1, 2008
I didn't experience any TMJ symptoms at my last dental visit (about 6 wks ago). The reason for going was to follow up on my last tooth on bottom left needs to be pulled. I wouldn't have pain, but it was hard to bite down and felt uncomfortable. Xray showed that the root was decayed. I opted to pull it. Now, while waiting for my appt. I've experienced a sudden change in my bite, I clench my teeth, I grind them sleeping. Is it the back tooth that's causing this, by pulling it will that make the biting down worse. Also, what is scaring me is that 20 yrs ago I had wisdom teeth pulled in lower left (same place). A nerve was severed and never completely got feeling back so now my gums are very sensitive back there. Needless to say, I'm terrified to have this tooth pulled for more nerve damage and the TMJ bite problem.
Marsha - USA
16162
Answer
Any major change in your bite can cause you to put extra pressure on individual teeth, causing them to be sore. Also, it changes the natural way that your jaw joint acts and can cause pain in the joint.
Let your dentist know about your problem. You might try a night guard to wear when you sleep to prevent grinding. You can get relatively inexpensive ones at the drugstore for temporary use.
Note that dental science has improved greatly in the past 20 years, so hopefully you should not have the same problems as before. But also it is important to have a good dentist who will make sure your present problem with your bite will be corrected, as well as doing a good job with pulling the bad tooth.
In the meantime, be conscious of how you chew and what you eat, so that you don't break your decayed tooth off.
Best wishes in getting your teeth fixed and your bite corrected.
Did anti-depressant drug cause TMJ problems?
Question
February 23, 2008
I have seen my dentist and two doctors regarding the pain the I have in my right jaw and ear. They have all told me the same thing that I have TMJ. My question is that for three months I have had this pain with no relief and it is only getting worse to the point of not being able to eat or open my mouth to wide. In the morning when I get up it is the worst, it takes awhile for me to even open my mouth due to the pain. Three months ago is when it started like I said...that is when I got put on an anti-depressant. I am currently taking 100 mg of Sertraline generic for zoloft. I guess my question is the TMJ could that be a side effect from the medicine? Or maybe the side effect is grinding resulting in TMJ? I have no insurance and I am in so much pain PLEASE HELP! I would greatly appreciate your opinion. Thank you for your time
Ang - USA
15424
Answer
There have been cases where people had pain from TMJ, such that they soon became depressed. But in some cases Zoloft has been used as an attempt to stop TMJ symptoms.
But it certainly seems suspicious that once you started on an anti-depressant, you then suffered with TMJ symptoms.
For both your depression and TMJ problems, it is a good idea to seriously look at your lifestyle for activities and habits that could cause you stress. Taking time "to smell the roses" and reducing your stress levels can help both problems. Also, cut back on coffee or cola drinks and such.
Zoloft-type drugs can make you irritable and might cause teeth grinding at night. You might get a mouth guard to wear at night. One from the dentist is extremely expensive, but the drug stores sell inexpensive versions. Ask you dentist what he thinks.
You might also check on using an alternative medicine. The doctor that prescribed it should be able to make a recommendation.
It is a tough problem, because you want to control your depression, but also, you don't want to be serious pain. Hopefully, you can solve both problems.
I hope these ideas help. Best wishes in stopping that TMJ pain.
Having problems with getting veneers from dentist
Question
February 6, 2008
I sure hope you can help me. Right now I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and hard place.
I have always had chalky teeth, just like my dad(he had all his teeth pulled at 19). Anyway I have had them filled over and over and my teeth were and are nothing but a mess. They are made of nothing but fillings, I also wear a night guard as I grind my teeth at night. As you can imagine my teeth were so discolored as they had so many different filling on them.
Last June I asked her if she could please fill then as this was getting just crazy, always in getting then filled,she said no, but I could put crowns and venners on them o-kay I thought she went through some stuff ect. So I told her what I wanted, the day she was to start she brought one tooth and showed me the color of it and said this should work, I told her I wanted them to look white white but not extremly. She had also said come in and we will go look at different teeth blah blah blah, went to make an appt. for this and the girls said just talk to her while she is doing your work. o-kay.
So me with my brain fog ( this is for real)due to health issues, brought up as much as I could, her saying this was going to be great, I told her I wanted to have crowns on the bottom front 4 but she insited I only needed to have venners, she did the top four and I complained from the beginnig that they stuck out like buck teeth, she never said anything, some were longer than others ect.
Then she put in the veeners in Oct/Nov 2007. Right away I noticed a crack in one, and before she started the bottom this I now had a real bad over bite,she never said much, should of been listening to my innervoice right along. Then I noticed the colors on some of the bottom do not look like the ones on top, they were more yellow, mentioned this and her and her assistant are saying it's just the light, their fine. Have been having problems with pain along top upper bones around eyes and nose associated with sinus infection, so at first I thought that maybe I have beengrinding my teeth.
I was going to leave the rest of my teeth as this is not cheap,and I was having second doubts. Wanted to have a comsoltion with her, they booked one and phoned me back and said oh just talk to her when she goes to do your work, as now I'm thinking oh my god the pain must be from me grinding. I said no I want a consoltion with her. Seen her went over some things, told her my issues we better get the rest of the teeth done so we can get you a night guard blah blah blah. She insists that the bottom veener cracked as I was grinding my teeth. Well I have been sitting here thinking I can't grind my teeth as I have such a overbit it is impossible.
Also she said I had to get my lover back molar fixed before we do anything as it has a huge cavaty in it. That was the first I had heard of that, I asked to see the x-rays and the only ones they could come up with were from 2004. So I let her do it like a dummy, now hear is what I think I should do. Please I really do need some imput into this so I can have some sort of diretion. But I was thinking I would go in there and go over all of this and tell her she has to do them all over or something cause this is just stupid, do I say I want her to send me to a specialist who actually does this and she can foot the bill or what, I will be waiting for your reply, thank you very much.
Roni - Canada
15289
Answer
First of all, try to avoid grinding your teeth when you sleep. Try not to sleep on your stomach, try to reduce tension in your life, and before you go to sleep each night, remind yourself "Don't grind your teeth."
Although you want your teeth to look nice, the most important thing is that your bite is correct, so they you don't get TMJ or other pains around your sinuses.
A dentist can see cavities without x-rays. If you are prone to cavities, it is good to get your teeth cleaned every 6 months and have the dentist check them. It is more difficult to find cavities under a crown.
Dental veneers can make your teeth look whiter and nicer. See: http://www.yourdentistryguide.com/veneers/ for some information on them.
If you aren't satisfied with your dentist, you probably should try to find another one. Check around to get a dentist that is well recommended. At the very least, you can get a second opinion on the condition of your teeth and your veneers.
Don't be hard on yourself for the decisions you made. It is difficult to know which way to turn. But also, if you go to another dentist, try not to criticize your old dentist. Start with a clean slate.
I hope you are able to get your teeth so that they look real nice, the way you want them.
Got in car accident and now have TMJ symptoms
Question
January 16, 2008
I was in a car accident on December 22, 2007 whereas the left side of my face was impacted by the seat causing pain in the area of my ear within an hour. I went to the doctor two times with classic symptoms of TMJ and I was sent to an ear, nose, and throat specialist. This doctor diagnosed me with TMJ but said that my TMJ was related to my ill fitting denture, and that the impact on the side of my face aggrivated or onset the symptoms of TMJ. I had never experienced any symptoms of TMJ before the accident...so I guess my question is, is it possible to live with TMJ and never have a symptom, or is it probable that my TMJ is more related to the car accident.
- USA
15152
Answer
Injury to the joint in the jaw could cause pain in your ear. Also, a good whack in the ear can cause pain that will last a while. The big thing is to avoid aggravating your jaw joint, so that it will hopefully heal.
If your dentures do not fit properly, it may cause stress on the joint. But typically, the stress is caused by clenching and grinding your teeth. Do you wear your dentures at night? Clenching at night or sleeping on your stomach could irritate an already sore jaw joint, leading to more ear pain.
Also, try removing your dentures during the day to see if you have as much pain in your jaw. If that gives you relief, you might go without them for a while to help the healing process.
It is not a bad idea to look into getting your dentures adjusted, so that your bite is correct. In the meanwhile, eat carefully and try to avoid any aggravation to your jaw joint. It should heal and, hopefully, you won't have any symptoms of TMJ.
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