Are you swollen on both sides? And if you are, where is it swollen.

Billye

Hi Aussie99,

I have had TMJ for several years now. My latest dentist - a couple of years ago made me a prosthetic occlusal splint to wear while asleep, made of a firm silicone substance. It was quite expensive but I got a lot back from Medibank Private Extras.

The splint made an incredible difference to the TMJ pain and even the clicking jaws. In fact the pain completely stopped after using the splint. It was only about three months ago that I got slack in using the splint and only yesterday I thought I must rehydrate the splint and start wearing it again as I'm feeling more discomfort each morning when I wake. So your post is a timely reminder!

However if you can get a prosthesis tailor made for you (is the best) I'm sure you will notice a huge improvement. At least that is probably better than TN for which there may be no effective treatment!

Just like there is no one on earth who could not understand neuropathy, unless they experience it for themselves, believe me, when TMJ hits you, there is no way to explain it.

It's like someone punches you in the side of your head by your ear. Your head hurts, your ear hurts, your jaw aches. Sure, it subsides, but when it hits you, boy it hits you.

Been there, done that. Don't want to do that any more.

The trouble is, you never know when it's going to hit you.

I watched a Discovery Channel show one day (years and years ago), like 15 years, so hopefully they have invented new techniques to battle this condition.

Well, this poor girl (she was 30 or so), she had this TMJ problem. They operated on her and it made her worse. It made it SO MUCH WORSE, that she couldn't even get out of bed or comb her hair. It practically destroyed her marriage. She was on so many pain killers, and I remember the narrator explaining that "there is nothing they can do for this woman, this condition is permanent". And the poor girl was trying to comb her hair and even the putting the comb through her hair was setting off the TMJ. I never forgot that program. I remember saying "Oh my god, this didn't have to happen, someone screwed up". It was so long ago.

I hope, that as technology and lasers, etc. that SOMEBODY did something for that person. She was in her bathrobe 24 hours a day.

Look into a night guard if you still have the bruxism.

Melody

It looks like the trigemenal nerve runs over the jaw joint. They actually sounds too silmilar to be totally different. I mean TN does not necessarily involve the jaw joint,but the jaw joint seems to be innervated by the Trigemenal nerve. At least that's what the 10 different photos look like. Most people with TN seem to also have pain that shoots in the cheek that stems from the ear and the pian can run th lenghth of the nerve, and so does TMJ.

I am not noticeably swollen per say,but my face does look a bit different,and I am sore all over even under my chin right now.

Thanks for the support guys.

That sounds exquisitely unpleasant, Aussie, and am sending you my very best wishes for a speedy recovery. Take care of yourself.

Sj Sysdrom can aso hurt through that area mine hurts even behind
the ear,is it swollen ,mouth dry ect...Hate to add another thingy,eat
a lemon drop candy are drink a wee bit of lemon jucie....It may
help old just try it,if it doesn't cost a hundred dollars a drop over
there,but shoot your worth it...Hope it just goes away,like that
black spot ha. Feel better Sue

A dying back molar (a too deep filling) caused me horrible havoc many years ago.

It was similar to TN pain. It fooled an oral surgeon, and my dentist. And finally I had an episode of "lock jaw" where the muscles seized up. The dentist sent me to a TMJ specialist, and he said nope.

So I had a root canal in that tooth and a crown finally. It was several years
of misdiagnosis, and agony...all for a tooth. So make sure you don't have
some hidden slow dying tooth nerve!

My doctor told me to use sour candies too. As my saliva is drying up as well.
It was worse at work, I am not having the "mumps" cheeks at home as much.
She said if the glands under your ears get hard/sore you need to suck on
some sour things to stimulate saliva. Otherwise risk a stone in there, which is
much worse to deal with! So I agree with Sue.... I do Jolly Ranchers, because they don't cut up my mouth like other candies do. Some of my medications,
dry me out (antihistamines and Levsin).

I know I have to go to the dentist to get my mouth checked. I have just been afraid of the cost. Dentistry in Australia costs an absolute fortune. My husband is having 2 root canals done now,and each root canal is 4 appointments and we have spent a few thousand already on his mouth in the last month.

If you need oral surgery over here hope you won the lotto. I have called a dentist who said they can make a splint,and I am now really worried about the costs as they were very eager to get me in. Rats!

Oh well I guess i'll just have to suck it up.

Aussie:

What the heck do people do in Australia if they have teeth problems, TMJ, etc. etc. Makes me thankful I live in NYC. We may have a lot of crime, etc, but we have dentists galore...........lol

Melody

have the dental hygene of a thrid world nation. They also say that the average family cannot afford the costs involved with having a basic check-up,let alone root canals or other procedures.

Most people I know have bad teeth and suffer because the dentist is too expensive.