Thanks Bryanna.
All you said makes sense to me, and gives me some ideas as to what could be wrong, and I will definitely make an appt. with my holistic dentist and tell him what's been going on. I kind of remember that I had similar pain already before the extraction, just not to that extent. So it really might be TMJ related, and I hope it is, as opposed to a permanent nerve damage or something of that sort. And I agree, I want to try a natural approach to this versus suppressing symptoms with medications. As I am an acupressureist, I do treat myself a bit, and sometimes it helps. I also take a homeopathic remedy, Hypericum Perforatum, which I still had from my last tooth extraction. Not sure if it helps, but I bought it as it is supposed to help with post surgery nerve damage. I also do my best to nourish my body with a more soft diet, lots of fresh fruit and veggie juices, no sugar and processed food...
is it typical for TMJ issues to get better with rest and sleep? I noticed my pain goes away once I go to bed or take a nap... today, pain was gone and only came back in the afternoon. Some days there is no pain at all, other days it already begins in the morning. Pain also gets better with direct pressure onto the jaw (the area of the extraction side). Today, my ear feels also slightly "pressureized". But only a little bit.
Well- I will call my dentist tomorrow and see if I can get an appt. soon. He had mentioned a night guard before, but just causally, and had asked me whether I was aware of grinding my teeth at night- when I was a teenager, another dentist asked the same question, but then and now, I have never really noticed any grinding. Maybe sometimes I kind of clench my teeth at night, but as soon as I notice it, I make an effort to relax all my muscles in my jaw and face.
Well, will keep you posted once I know more. Until then, I am thankful for any suggestions or ideas and input as to how I could get some temporary relief until I see my dentist.
Thanks! :-)
Meera
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryanna
Hi Meera,
TMJ pain can feel like nerve pain. I know because I have it. TMJ disorders are often misdiagnosed as neurological rather than joint. Because you stated that the OS did evaluate your TMJ and told you that you have clicking on the one side.... you may be one of these people who has some degree of chronic inflammation in the TMJ area (not uncommon) which could easily have been aggravated by the dental work that you have had done.
It is also common for the weird nerve like pain to occur weeks after the dental work is done. Why? Because as the site heals, the inflammation changes locations as it subsides in one area it inflames in another all of which is irritating to whatever bundle of nerves it is near or touching.
Anytime a root canaled tooth is extracted there is going to be some degree of post op nerve stimulation and irritation. Why? Because the chronic infection and inflammation associated with non vital teeth causes an ischemic reaction to occur in the area surrounding that tooth. This lack of blood supply contributes to inflammation of the surrounding nerves in the jaw bone. Because these nerves are intricately connected to widespread areas of other branches of nerves, the pain can be felt in the oddest of places that mistakenly seem to be unrelated to the original problem site. The pain can be severe, dull, intermittent, chronic, acute... permanent or temporary. All dentists are aware of this complication resulting from the ischemic reaction in the bone and it is one reason why they will often take a wait and see what happens approach. Because there is no way to know if it is permanent or not.
In your case, you may have had a previous TMJ issue (which could have originated from the rc that you had done on that upper molar) .... you also had additional traumatic dental work which was the second rc procedure/ozone injections and extraction of #5.... and now due to these missing teeth you are chewing and occluding (biting) differently. All of which is going to alter the alignment of your TMJ joint.
I would suggest that you see your biological general dentist for a complete evaluation of your TMJ. He may suggest a night guard to help relax and realign your occlusion which would take pressure off of the TMJ joint. Keep in mind that whatever you do to try and correct this problem will not correct itself over night. There are many contributing factors that created the problem and it takes time for everything to calm down and rejuvenate. He may also suggest other therapeutic modalities as well. Keep an open mind and ask him lots of questions about everything.
Hopefully the problem is TMJ related and not some form of neuralgia. It makes sense to have it properly evaluated by your bio dentist and begin with the least invasive, non medicated, treatments because to suppress the symptoms with meds when the problem may be physical, can only lead to further problems down the road. It is best to work with your bio dentist to see if the pain can be relieved or eliminated from a dental aspect first.
Bryanna
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