Hi craig,

As I read your thread, a few things come to mind....

Sometimes during the extraction of a tooth, too much force is used and the "buccal plate" portion of the jawbone is removed with the tooth. This is not an ideal situation of course, but it does not always cause chronic pain once the surgical site has healed. Sometimes, this portion of the bone or elsewhere is fractured during the extraction which again is not ideal but it may or may not cause chronic pain.

The protrusion of the jaw in the TMJ area upon opening is only normal if that is something that was always present. If it starts to do that after an injury and/or dental work, then it is not normal. That protrusion indicates the joint is being pulled out of alignment upon opening. This can be caused by a musculature and/or ligament issue which could have occured from an injury and/or straining to open the mouth too wide for too long a period of time.

TMJ treatment varies according to the individual problem and it tends to recur. However, in acute cases immediate treatment can usually provide long term relief. Once the problem has become chronic, it is more difficult to treat because the muscles and ligaments become very tight and rigid and inflammation sets in.

You said...<<<Here's a point that I find interesting. Whenever my wife has a lot of sinus drainage, her pain subsides somewhat. And when the drainage stops the pain increases. This cycle has happened many times over the past months, so we don't believe it's a coincidence. It's as if the sinus and jaw issues are inversely related somehow.>>> It most likely is not a coincidence. The sinus cavity is slightly different in everyone but the basic anatomy of it is actually very large and broad across the frontal area of the face. It goes up behind and above the eyes. So any pressure, congestion, inflammation associated with the sinuses can have an affect on the TMJ area .... and vice versa. The movements of the mandible (lower jaw) are connected to the musculature in the face, head, and neck. So any chronic condition of these areas or even one of these areas can have a profound affect on any of the other areas. When her sinuses drain, some of the pressure is relieved which reduces the inflammation and pressure in areas such as the TMJ.

The area that she feels the swelling inside of her mouth... is it always there or does it come and go? Is it tender to press on? Are any of the teeth near that area root canaled and/or had apicoectomies? Does she have periodontal disease?

Look forward to your reply....... =)
Bryanna





QUOTE=clvaughnsr;703501]I am writing for my wife who has been experiencing pain on the left side of her face (cheek, jaw, ear, & face) ever since a wisdom tooth extraction in April 2009. To this date no doctor has been able to specify what exactly is wrong with her, nor can they offer relief. There are many details so I apologize in advance for my randomness:

Her initial complaint was tenderness in and around her upper left molars. Her dentist decided to extract the wisdom tooth himself rather than refer her to an oral surgeon. The procedure turned out to be more difficult than he anticipated and took nearly 30 minutes of pulling and prying to remove the tooth. The dentist told us weeks later that he also removed pieces of bone along with the tooth.

My wife was in a lot of a pain following the procedure, more so than was normally expected. We noticed the next day that her left jaw protruded right at the joint whenever she opened her mouth, but not on the right side. It wasn't like that before the procedure and it's never gone away. She has had an MRI, two CT scans, and numerous X-rays but so far no doctor has found anything they felt was out of the ordinary.

Over the last 18 months she has been to numerous doctors and specialists which include: General Practitioner, 2 ENTs, Chiropractor, Oral Surgeon, Physical Therapist, TMJ Specialist, and Allergist.

The TMJ doctor told my wife that she did have TMJ and treated her for a period of time. This treatment included medication and a bite guard that she wears at night. During his exams he stated more that once that something was odd about her left jaw area but couldn't pinpoint it. On her last visit he told her the TMJ was gone, but that she should continue the medications he prescribed (Flexeril and Arthrotec 50) and continue wearing the nighttime mouth guard.

In February of 2010 we adopted a cat. A few months later my wife began having a lot of nasal congestion and drainage. Our GP suspected allergies and it was confirmed with a blood test that she was indeed allergic to our new cat. We promptly gave the cat up, and cleaned our home top to bottom, steam-cleaned everything in sight, and purchased HEPA filters. Her allergy symptoms have improved, but have not completely gone away.

Here's a point that I find interesting. Whenever my wife has a lot of sinus drainage, her pain subsides somewhat. And when the drainage stops the pain increases. This cycle has happened many times over the past months, so we don't believe it's a coincidence. It's as if the sinus and jaw issues are inversely related somehow.

Also, since day one, my wife has noticed what she calls "swelling" inside the left side of her palette. None of the doctors can see what she's referring to, but she insists it's always there. And the area she's referring to is in the same place she had complaints about when first visiting the dentist.

There are so many more bits of information but I don't want to inundate anyone with them. My wife has been suffering for so long with this ailment and to this date she's no closer to relief than she was back in April of 2009.

She's had good days and bad days throughout all of this. She's a wonderful woman and deserves a break from the bad ones, once and for all.

Thanks for reading.

-Craig V.[/QUOTE]