TMJ?

butterflylover527

My jaw has been killing me lately. It's tight and making my ears and head hurt. If i massage my jaw it feels good but when I stop it starts hurting again.

I NEED my wisdom teeth out but that won't be covered by insurance until the beginning of next year.

So could this be TMJ? Or do I just need my widsom teeth out?

And my teeth ache all the time

Oliviamarie05

When I had my wisdom teeth they caused pain throughout my jaw. Massaging the jaw did nothing though as it was the actual inflammed gum and teeth that were causing the pain.

I've recently been diangosed with TMJ. It has explained years of ear aches/swollen throat, gum pain that dentists can't figure out, headaches, jaw soreness etc. I know when my TMJ acts up I actually get flu-like symptoms. My doc finally pinpointed the problem.

Until you get your wisdom teeth out, you won't really know.

butterflylover527

When I had my wisdom teeth they caused pain throughout my jaw. Massaging the jaw did nothing though as it was the actual inflammed gum and teeth that were causing the pain.

I've recently been diangosed with TMJ. It has explained years of ear aches/swollen throat, gum pain that dentists can't figure out, headaches, jaw soreness etc. I know when my TMJ acts up I actually get flu-like symptoms. My doc finally pinpointed the problem.

Until you get your wisdom teeth out, you won't really know.

Kind of what I thought, thanks!

kelseyhere

Hmm, I am no dentist, but I do have TMJ and have had wisdom teeth pulled so what I'll tell you is this- I had TMJ before I had my wisdom teeth removed, and getting them removed didn't make a difference. My TMJ wasn't diagnosed at the time, but I know I had it. To me it sounds like you have TMJ too just based on the description of the pain.

I'm also going to guess your that the reason your teeth ache (and this is just a guess) is because you grind them, probably when you are sleeping. Do you have other symptoms? Does your jaw make any popping or clicking sounds? Is it difficult to chew? Do you also have pain in your neck? Does you jaw ever lock and get stuck in place (meaning you cannot open or close it)? If you have any of those symptoms- I would point to TMJ. Oftentimes TMJ and teeth grinding go hand-in-hand. When you grind your teeth your jaw is out of alignment, which is what causes the neck pain and headaches. That's what TMJ is really, when your jaw is not aligning properly. Your jaw is a joint like any other. Imagine what you happen if you elbow joint wasn't aligned, you'd have a lot of trouble bending your arm. This is what could be going on in your face, but unfortunately the jaw joint is very forgiving and can slip almost completely out of place but still function. Your jaw will work like this, it just translates to having a lot of pain.

I started seeing an orthodontist and now I wear a splint at night that keeps my jaw aligned in the proper position. It was covered 90% by my insurance and my headaches have gone down tremendously (I used to have one 5 days a week, now it's more like 1 day/week). With the cost of the splint I only ended up paying about $100, which is well worth it for how much better I feel. Also no more clicking and popping in the joint now and I can eat chewy foods again. Many orthos that specialize in TMJ will do a free consultation. I'd suggest flipping through your phone book and giving a few docs a call and see if you can get a consult. I didn't realize how much pain I was in until it was better. Do something about it now before it get's too bad. My jaw locked at work one day and I couldn't shut my mouth- it was literally stuck open until I forced it shut with my hand which only causes so much more pain. Don't let it get to that point like I did.

kelseyhere

Oh yeah, and the other poster is right that massaging only helps temporarily, but you really need to fix the underlying inflammation. Good luck

butterflylover527

Hmm, I am no dentist, but I do have TMJ and have had wisdom teeth pulled so what I'll tell you is this- I had TMJ before I had my wisdom teeth removed, and getting them removed didn't make a difference. My TMJ wasn't diagnosed at the time, but I know I had it. To me it sounds like you have TMJ too just based on the description of the pain.

I'm also going to guess your that the reason your teeth ache (and this is just a guess) is because you grind them, probably when you are sleeping. Do you have other symptoms? Does your jaw make any popping or clicking sounds? Is it difficult to chew? Do you also have pain in your neck? Does you jaw ever lock and get stuck in place (meaning you cannot open or close it)? If you have any of those symptoms- I would point to TMJ. Oftentimes TMJ and teeth grinding go hand-in-hand. When you grind your teeth your jaw is out of alignment, which is what causes the neck pain and headaches. That's what TMJ is really, when your jaw is not aligning properly. Your jaw is a joint like any other. Imagine what you happen if you elbow joint wasn't aligned, you'd have a lot of trouble bending your arm. This is what could be going on in your face, but unfortunately the jaw joint is very forgiving and can slip almost completely out of place but still function. Your jaw will work like this, it just translates to having a lot of pain.

I started seeing an orthodontist and now I wear a splint at night that keeps my jaw aligned in the proper position. It was covered 90% by my insurance and my headaches have gone down tremendously (I used to have one 5 days a week, now it's more like 1 day/week). With the cost of the splint I only ended up paying about $100, which is well worth it for how much better I feel. Also no more clicking and popping in the joint now and I can eat chewy foods again. Many orthos that specialize in TMJ will do a free consultation. I'd suggest flipping through your phone book and giving a few docs a call and see if you can get a consult. I didn't realize how much pain I was in until it was better. Do something about it now before it get's too bad. My jaw locked at work one day and I couldn't shut my mouth- it was literally stuck open until I forced it shut with my hand which only causes so much more pain. Don't let it get to that point like I did.

I don't grind but I clench. Thanks for the help

wantstolooseweight

Pressure of my wisdom teeth gave me the same kind of pain, constant aching and also kept having dreams of all my teeth crumbling and falling out.

I don't have much advice for the pain, I just suffered and chewed tablets but before you have them taken out make up at least one weeks worth of soft food and pop it in the freezer..... soups, mashed potatoes (With cheese and onion mixed in), freeze a few smoothies to defrost and eat mushy also straws for drinks.

Honestly afterwards my head hurt, my shoulder was bruised, my neck was bruised, my face hurt, I didnt want to cook anything or hear the noise of any gadgets (Smoothie makers or juicers) or think about food so having it in the freezer was a godsend! I looked like shrek for a week but instantaneously that horrible pressure was gone so it was worth it!! - I did get sensitive teeth for a while but it did go away.

Hope your feeling better soon! You have all my sympathy!