TMJ anyone?

Have you tried physical therapy? It really works and your insurance will cover it! Try moist heat and if you can get it, infrared light!

What does the infrared light do?

Generates centralized heat that gets into the joint without buring the skin.

Do you have a mouth guard for it? The ones you get from your dentist are very expensive. I have one, but then my aunt told me she just got an athletic mouth guard from a sports store, put it in boiling water so it would get soft, then put it in her mouth to form to her teeth. Wear it to bed at night, it'll prevent bruxing which makes TMJ a lot worse.

I've tried the mouth guard, I can't sleep with it in...although I can't sleep with pain either, which is why tylenol pm has become my bff lol

Funny you mentioned it. For the last two days the left side of my face (originating around my molars in my jaw) has been in agony. The pain radiates down my neck and up into my ear and is giving me bad headaches. Ugh. At first I thought it was due to clenching my teeth in my sleep (which I do when I get super stressed) but FS says I've been sleeping peacefully enough. So I dunno wtf is wrong with me. I have some propoxyphen (darvocet) left from surgery that I could take, but I'm scared it might conflict with my BC. So I've just been chugging ice water and keeping on extra strength advil. I dunno if it's TMJ or not, but I don't have any cavities, so I dunno what's causing it.

Mine has given my neck and ear pain before. i dont know what causes it exactly, but it flares up like once a month out of nowhere

And i know it isnt cavities for me either, because almost every tooth on the left side of my head hurts right now, even the front ones.

Just curious, do any of you who suffer from TMJ also suffer from shooting pain sometimes after you drink alcohol? It's not consistent at all, sometimes I drink and feel nothing, other times, it's truly unbearable! It usually lasts 10-15 minutes and then is gone.

^nope, never had the problem. i get tipsy after half a smirnoff though! lol

Stress makes it much worse. General jaw clenching and teeth grinding also. If your jaw is not locking, you are doing well! Try heating up a wet washcloth in the microwave when it begins to hurt, and lay it across your entire jaw for at least 20 minues. There are also a lot of exercises that you can do to help relax the muscles and ease the pain. It's genetic, but totally treatable. Ask your doctor for a script to see a PT, they treat it all the time!

I have it. I find that increased times of stress flare up because while I am sleeping I clench my jaw. I can no longer chew gum either. I don't have too many problems with it except is really loud when I eat or yawn and can even be embarassing. I've gotten used to it for the most part.

I've had it for the last few years. My TMJ problem might be TMI but I can't open my mouth to uh, engage in Foreplay, or eat burgers/large food things. It's too painful and it pops extremely loud. I'm getting dental insurance soon, so hopefully they can do something soon, or I'll ask my doctor.

My sister has it too...=0(

Yes, I have a terrible case. They want to do surgery that will break my jaw, extend it, wire it shut and let me starve for 5 weeks...small side note...at this time it only has a 50% success rate. Those are not good enough odds. However, I found this amazing acupuncturist that has changed my life. I am by no meals healed but I can deal with this level of discomfort. The headaches are gone and I can eat most things that I cute with a fork first.

Anyone in the Southern CA area I will give you his number.

My wife has it. She was treated for it ~15 years ago when she was on her Dad's insurance, and it is rare for insurance to cover TMJ treatments, because it is considered to be orthodontic related. She's currently in a flare up, has been complaining about it for the last week.

Anlay, I'll have to tell her about PT. She hurt her knee running, she starts PT for that next week, can have her ask if they do PT for TMJ as well.

Ugh, yuck. I broke my jaw in 9th grade and I have had the worst jaw problems ever since. The doctor told me I'd probably have TMJ the rest of my life, and that I could possibly break my jaw again (maybe many times) because my joint is now so weak I haven't found anything that helps yet.. And I've tried everything. Except for physical therapy- Thanks Analy, I'll look into that.

When I lie in bed, I always stress about things. And grit my teeth without even noticing. Its making it so much worse, but every time I sleep with a mouth guard I wake up with it in the bed lying beside me.. lol

@L.Turtle.... my fiance and I BOTH have TMJ... for me it was only recently that my ear/nose/throat doctor diagnosed this, but for my fiance; well he has had it for years and YES, he has, mentioned this to me before about the alcohol and pain and its inconsistency.... justan fyi

I have rheumatoid arthritis, and TMJ is one of the many blessings that came with it. Really try to train yourself to sleep with the mouth guard...if it's one of the guards you just picked up off the shelf at the pharmacy, go to your dentist and have him custom-make one for you. I'm on my second one because I chewed through the first in my sleep. I clench my teeth in my sleep and my molars were starting to get damaged...make sure you keep checking in with your dentist to ensure that you're not causing damage to your teeth.

Physical therapy is a good option...I went for a few years in high school, but we focused more on my other joints than my jaw, and the things they did for my jaw didn't help much. My RA gets worse when it's humid or when the seasons are changing, so that's probably why all of us are flaring now - the weather is finally starting to get a little cooler again and your body is trying to readjust.

It sounds weird but if you lay on your back with your head hanging over the side of a bed, couch, ect. and let your mouth hang open it really helps. It stretches out the jaw and relieves the pressure I have had TMJ for years and besides any sort of prescription pain medication, this works the best.