hornblower Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 I've always carried a bit of tension in my TMJ and neck. I grind my teeth & wear a night guard (custom made from the dentist) The thing is, I swear the night guard makes me grind more & harder ...... and a couple nights ago, I think I did something very hard in a left to right motion. I suspect I actually pushed my bottom jaw really far to the left - perhaps even past the mouth guard? - because the last two days I have significant pain and reduced range of motion. I've done some myofacial release massage on myself. It hurt doing it & it continues to hurt but feels a bit more mobile & I've taken a methocarbamol and advil. Anything else I should be doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 (edited) I had it for over twenty up years. Chiropractor did one adjustment, it's never bothered me since. I also don't chew gum, ever . I had it for over twenty up years. Chiropractor did one adjustment, it's never bothered me since. That was twenty years ago. I also don't chew gum, ever . Edited August 15, 2016 by KatieinMich 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Closeacademy Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 I had it really bad as a teenager and young adult. My jaw even locked up while getting a filling once. It wasn't until I quit working and had kids that all the clicking and popping really stopped and my jaw felt a lot better. Basically, I got away from what stressed me (the real world) for a few years and learned how to just relax and be myself and not worry about everyone else and what they thought of me and if I was doing a good job and all that. By learning to relax, limit those things in my life that stress me and making plenty of time for myself to get centered every day, I don't have the issues anymore. I do work part-time in addition to homeschooling but when I feel that sort of nervous tension that I get, I pull back from things, cancel outings and isolate until I feel right again. Basically, I've learned how to manage stress so that I do get to the point where I clench my jaw in my sleep and while I'm awake. Good luck. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 (edited) A woman I met at one of my dc's activities told me about her DH who had TMJ and even lock jaw. He went to their chiro. She said "there were tears" on her DH's part, but he's had zero problems since. Worth looking for a good chiro. Edited August 19, 2016 by Angie in VA 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 I'm going to the doctor tomorrow to ask for what helped me 8yrs ago. I want to take flexeril and diclofenac together for 6 weeks. I've tried them alone and neither works well, but together, if taken every night, it seems to kick it. My previous doctor wanted me to take flexeril around the clock and diclfenac only at night, but I can't tolerate it. He said I could take a double dose of the flexeril at night instead of 3 throughout the day instead. After the first month, I only took it as needed and now, 8yrs later, I still have half a bottle of the flexeril, so I didn't need it much. I am really hopeful that this will work again. Last time it only took about a month and I never had another problem until recently. I told the dentist a couple of months ago that I was having a little soreness again- not bad, but a warning- and he made me do all sorts of stretching and weird movements so he could see what my joints did. That set it off and I've been having problems chewing and talking ever since. He told me I had no evidence of teeth grinding, but wanted me to wait 6mos before treating it to see if I noticed myself clenching my jaw during the day. NO. Six months is too long to deal with this daily pain, and I don't clench much. It's related to an old neck injury and I knew it was coming when my neck and shoulder started acting up again. I find chiropracters terrifying. I went after the initial accident and it didn't help. PT didn't help either. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted August 16, 2016 Author Share Posted August 16, 2016 Chiro is out. I have & will used a chiro for mid back & down but I will not let a chiro near my neck. Too dangerous IMO. I could see a registered massage therapist tho... I also have to consult a physio this fall because I'm having surgery on my neck in Nov & want to create a pre & post op rehab plan. Having a TMJ flaring up at the same time would be bad so I want this healed up... I guess this was not a good time to get loosy goosy about my meditation routine. I didn't think I was really getting stressed but this is stuff creeps up. Gotta get the butt back on the cushion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 Chiro is out. I have & will used a chiro for mid back & down but I will not let a chiro near my neck. Too dangerous IMO. I could see a registered massage therapist tho... I also have to consult a physio this fall because I'm having surgery on my neck in Nov & want to create a pre & post op rehab plan. Having a TMJ flaring up at the same time would be bad so I want this healed up... I guess this was not a good time to get loosy goosy about my meditation routine. I didn't think I was really getting stressed but this is stuff creeps up. Gotta get the butt back on the cushion. My chiro back then pushed on a pressure point in my mouth .He did not adjust my neck or go near it. As PP mentioned, there were "almost" tears, but it worked. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 I had problems with this, slowly getting worse, about 8 years ago. It was so bad at times that I couldn't even open my mouth to take a bite of sandwich. I finally saw my dentist about it, and he taught me some exercises to try before prescribing me a night guard. I was just at the point of ordering one when we had our family emergency and it got put on the back burner for a couple years. During that time though, I slowly became aware that two of my molars (a top and bottom one) were touching before any of my other teeth every time I bit down. I finally went back to my dentist and asked him if he could sand those two teeth down a bit. He did, and the pain slowly died down over a period of two-three months. Eventually it was completely gone, and I've not had a single problem since. That was a couple years ago. (I'd probably had it for about five years.) I realize this was pretty unusual, but just thought I'd throw that out there. It's amazing how something as tiny as two molars touching before the others could throw everything off so much and cause so much pain. I hope you find relief soon! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted August 16, 2016 Author Share Posted August 16, 2016 J-rap, now you've got me trying to bite down various ways to see if my teeth touch down funny :D 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebunny Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 (edited) Braces. I have had TMJ for as long as I can remember (since childhood)and the only solution that has helped/helping me is adult braces. I had them put in 4 months ago and TMJ is history.ymmv ETA: my TMJ was due to poor teeth alignment, not stress. Edited August 16, 2016 by ebunny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 I ground my teeth - dealing with stress was the only thing that stopped it. 1ds had TMJ issues - and they were able to be resolved with a chiropractor. some can help TMJ - many don't have the pertinent skills. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 When I start grinding my teeth at night (I can tell because I wake up with teeth clenched and my jaws stop meeting the same way, so my teeth don't match correctly if that makes sense) the only thing that works is to quit caffeine entirely for a few weeks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted August 16, 2016 Author Share Posted August 16, 2016 Interesting, I have been having more caffeine than usual.... I've actually had a consult for braces and am just trying to sort out how my insurance will handle it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 Just got back from the doctor. He gave me my meds but told me to also put ice on it. He said to put ice on both sides of my jaw and also on my shoulder. I believe my TMJ is related to an old neck injury. I have pain that starts in the shoulder and travels down to my fingertips and up through my jaw. He said if we can get the shoulder to chill out, the jaw may go with it. I hate using ice...but it's better than no caffeine! I also had my teeth sanded like J-Rap when I first had TMJ problems years ago. I think it helped, but my primary problem is with the shoulder. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted August 16, 2016 Share Posted August 16, 2016 I saw a myofacial release/PT that showed me a place to push on in my mouth to help it but honestly I haven't been doing it or know if it is a real solution. She did briefly help me when I my jaw was "off" and I was experiencing constant pain. Those mouth guards... eh I just don't know. I think they are different from different dentists and some may be better than others. The last one I got made hurts my teeth, feels too snug! So I maybe didn't grind, but my teeth hurt in the morning. I haven't been wearing it. Also, prevents me from closing my mouth fully. Ugh I hate that design. They already wore it down as low as it could go for that style to allow me to close my mouth more, but it's still not ideal to me. So no, I didn't solve my problems. Just sharing with you all lol. I totally agree that when I reduce stress in my life my problems clear up a lot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 quitting caffeine is cheap and has none of the side effects of meds or uncertainty of chiro Also from a quick google it looks like it might not be just me for whom this works: https://www.google.com/#q=tmj+caffeine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted August 17, 2016 Author Share Posted August 17, 2016 (edited) quitting caffeine is cheap and has none of the side effects of meds or uncertainty of chiro Also from a quick google it looks like it might not be just me for whom this works: https://www.google.com/#q=tmj+caffeine but I don't wanna.......... :wacko: :unsure: :wacko: :unsure: /whine whine whine/ sigh, this being grown up thing is really not much fun sometimes.... Edited August 17, 2016 by hornblower 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 I've never had it but have seen plenty of friends deal with it. Some find relief with the chiro (it isn't done on the neck, but inside the mouth) and some get braces. I think the ones who have gotten braces did so after not getting relief from the chiro. Braces was the next step. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceful Isle Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 I had horrible tmj about 8years ago. The only thing that fixed it permanently was a shot in that jaw joint. It was awful and painful, but he flushed it and also put a steroid or something in the joint and it really helped. I did exercises after that for many months, took Advil to keep the swelling down and after about 6 months it was so much better. Now I hardly remember I even had a problem. Back then, it was all I could think about because it was so painful. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted August 17, 2016 Author Share Posted August 17, 2016 Mine is improving a teeny bit but I still can't chew properly & have problems smiling. It's resting bitch face all the time now LOL Ugh. so annoying. The muscle relaxant seems to be helping a bit and I'll start cutting back on caffeine too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 My daughter had a huge improvement with a different style pillow and new memory foam mattress. I had a referral to a specialist for her, and she happened to sleep on the sofa for a few nights and it was so much better that we decided to pursue this route instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 quitting caffeine is cheap and has none of the side effects of meds or uncertainty of chiro Also from a quick google it looks like it might not be just me for whom this works: https://www.google.com/#q=tmj+caffeine but I don't wanna.......... :wacko: :unsure: :wacko: :unsure: /whine whine whine/ sigh, this being grown up thing is really not much fun sometimes.... I hardly ever consume caffeine. I do eat chocolate. But I don't drink coffee, tea and very seldom soda with caffeine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 https://www.google.com/#q=chocolate+caffeine+content I dunno how much chocolate you eat or what kind, but the caffeine in it is not insignificant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 caffeine is a bear of a drug to quit, btw - it makes me very weepy and kind of unstable. I read that most people don't experience caffeine withdrawal because they never really withdraw - they just find another source or start again. It's very addictive! Nonetheless, I like closing my jaw, so every now and then I quit for a month or two Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 My dentist did accupressure inside my mouth at the TMJ area by pressing straight back and it worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 (edited) https://www.google.com/#q=chocolate+caffeine+content I dunno how much chocolate you eat or what kind, but the caffeine in it is not insignificant hmm. I guess I shouldn't be surprised considering it seemed to cause commotion when I ate it when dd was younger during our breastfeeding journey. I quit it for a while. I don't eat it daily, but I do eat it. I prefer milk chocolate to dark. I guess dark has more caffeine. I know it's overall supposed to be better for you but it makes me feel better about the caffeine content I guess lol. Edited August 17, 2016 by heartlikealion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 I also have a bite splint for clenching / grinding. Dd needed one for jaw issues, though, and it was different from mine - lower jaw not upper jaw as mine is, and the specialist dentist she saw definitely shaped it to relieve pressure from clenching - he made some additional adjustments when it was clear that she was grinding her teeth on it. The splint, worn for 6 months, and exercising done fairly religiously solved the problem for her. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama2BugNBear Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 (edited) I have pretty bad TMJ disorder (have since I was young). I've done the TMJ specialists (with oral splints, muscle relaxers, powerful anti-inflammation meds, cortisol shots, the whole gamut) and chiropractors. While those things helped short term, I had to stay on top of appointments to maintain. I changed my diet to Nutritional Ketosis and my TMJ has never felt better. Eliminating sugar and other inflammatory foods has improved my situation beyond what a practitioner had ever helped me achieve. I've been off meds and only use my splints when I notice I'm more stressed than usual. I'm a firm believer in food as medicine and it's turned my TMJ woes around! ETA: I have full mouth splints and wasn't fortunate to have the little spacer type. I have an upper one for night and a lower one for daytime. I'd only remove them for eating/drinking anything beyond water. It was an involved situation and now the splints live in the bathroom cabinet until needed. (Which is so amazing for me!) Edited August 17, 2016 by Mama2BugNBear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeteranMom Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 I've been seeing a chiropractor for upper cervical adjustments and it seems to be helping my TMJ. Also, I've gone ahead and gotten braces put on my teeth. When I'm finished, I will have a retainer that is supposed to be a better night guard/retainer than the one my dentist sold me. What kind of night guard do you have? Is it the one that snaps onto your bottom front teeth? That kind of guard made my TMJ worse, I believe. My top teeth seem to be more worn down since I started using it. I stopped it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted August 18, 2016 Author Share Posted August 18, 2016 I have the kind that goes on the top teeth and you have to heat it under warm water to soften it before putting it in. I think it's protecting my teeth but it seems to trigger clenching. What will you use while you're having your braces on? Do you have to keep getting new ones made as your teeth move? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Mine is bothering me too, not sure if it is pregnancy or what. But can't take any ibuprofen, so it isn't getting better. I can't tell if my bite is off because the TMJ is acting up, of if I'm having TMJ problems because my bite is off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted August 18, 2016 Author Share Posted August 18, 2016 Mine is bothering me too, not sure if it is pregnancy or what. But can't take any ibuprofen, so it isn't getting better. I can't tell if my bite is off because the TMJ is acting up, of if I'm having TMJ problems because my bite is off. can you take magnesium? That seems to be helping me a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 can you take magnesium? That seems to be helping me a bit. maybe, I normally take a cal/mag supplement but lately it makes me nauseous. I'm hoping to start back on it soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
displace Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 (edited) I just skimmed the answers and I don't think it was recommended: I recently bought a latex pillow, and I've noticed a big change in my TMJ. I googled TMJ treatments and read recommendations from a chiropractor website where one was recommended to get the idea. It truly is helpful. Edited August 19, 2016 by displace 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Oh, watch how you sit and touch your face too. I found that at my desk I was leaning my chin in my hand a lot, and as my hand was more on one side than another I think that was aggravating things. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted August 19, 2016 Author Share Posted August 19, 2016 If have a pillow which cured my chronic neck and headaches. I travel with it. BUT now that you mention it, it's getting old and I think the memory foam is losing its oooomph and I've been meaning to replace it. It's possible the summer heat is just making it too soft but I think I'd better order a new one. Of course the bummer is I can't get exactly the same one anymore :( But this is definitely with pursuing so thx for the reminder about the pillows.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Things that have helped me. A massage. There is a special,technique that is a little freaky but works. Being mindful of my face all day. Don't press on it....don't put your chin in your hand. I retrained myself to put a pillow between my hands and my face.i also pay attention to if I am tensing my jaw up during the day. I keep my tongue between my teeth as a reminder. If I feel tense I say the word plum slowly about ten times. It works. Alternating ice and heat. Ibuprofen, although now I take melodically daily so I don't add ibuprofen, A dentist taught me how to realign of it gets wacked. Open your mouth and slowly close so that your front bottom and top teeth are touching and even. Be careful to not open too wide or you can make it worse. And if it is too misaligned you might need a chiro. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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