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Anybody suffer with Temporomandibular disorder (TMD)?

34 replies

LivingMyBestLife2020 · 12/04/2021 16:45

I’m in so much pain and have been for days ☹️
The dentist won’t see me as doesnt believe its dental (true but the pain is radiating from a wisdom tooth that’s been broken for years so I’d like it checked)
The doctor had just said take ibuprofen and paracetamol and that it’s stress. The over the counter painkillers doesn’t touch the sides. Even codeine that I had for my slipped disk is barely helping.
I’m not diagnosed but I believe it’s my jaw. It’s always been quite clicky on one side, the pain is both sides of my jaw but more on the left. It feels in spasm and like I’m tensing my jaw until I realise and consciously relax it.

I don’t know what else to do! I can sleep, struggling to eat and I’m fed up :(

Thank you in advance for any suggestions

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Roselilly36 · 12/04/2021 17:13

It’s awful I know OP. You might be grinding your teeth at night. I suffer with TMD on and off, during bad episodes it’s a real struggle to eat. I usually drink slimfast shakes through a straw, even to eat a bananas is hard work. TMD is quite common with my disability, but many people suffer with it. Google exercises for TMD. I hope it improves soon Flowers

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idontlikealdi · 12/04/2021 17:18

Is this the same as TMJ? I was
Offered diazepam but couldn't take it as had newborn twins. It was awful, mine was definitely stress related. At one point I couldn't open my mouth more than 0.7cm. A mouth guard hellos to stop the grinding and clenching at night.

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muddyford · 12/04/2021 17:19

I have TMJ and couldn't get my teeth apart more than a quarter of an inch for some weeks. It made eating such hard work. I lost a lot of weight. I was told to buy a pack of wooden tongue depressers and each day try and get one more in. So I started with two or three and gradually built up, gently forcing my jaw to open. In the end one of our practice GPs gave me ten minutes of acupuncture and released all the tension. I still tell the dentist each time I go as it started with a long treatment session with my mouth stretched open.

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Marriagegoingtoimplode · 12/04/2021 17:22

A soft food diet when you have a flare is recommended.

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WrongKindOfFace · 12/04/2021 17:30

There seems to be a bit of an epidemic of this at present as I’ve seen loads of posts recently. Not really surprising given current circumstances. Anyway I sympathise as I think it’s a flair up of that that is causing my awful headaches. It’s horrible.

I do think the dentist should see you as the tooth may not be helping.

The gp can prescribe other medications that can help. Such as amitripyline. You could try warm or cold compresses. And a soft diet until it feels better.

You could also try physio or maybe an osteopath if you have the funds?

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LivingMyBestLife2020 · 12/04/2021 17:43

Good thinking on the osteopath. I used one 6 months ago for my back so I’ll drop him a text now.

It’s so sore and frustrating

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LivingMyBestLife2020 · 12/04/2021 19:46

My Osteo can fit me in on Thursday. Thank goodness!

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Oinkypig · 12/04/2021 19:53

Try topical ibuprofen on the jaw joints and cold compress, hope you feel better soon

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Sosigsandwich · 12/04/2021 20:36


Doing this video daily made a huge difference to me.
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LivingMyBestLife2020 · 12/04/2021 20:38

Thank you both!

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LDom · 12/04/2021 22:18

This reply has been deleted

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Onlineshop · 12/04/2021 22:24

Me, I’ve been in so much pain over the past month. Jaw aches, teeth feel all out of alignment, dreadful sharp ear pain when I clench my teeth. Aching neck, shoulders also aching, sometimes on one side, then the other.

I find if the jaw feels like it’s improving then my shoulders hurt loads but when’s my jaw hurts loads my shoulders don’t.

So I’m clearly over compensating one for the other all the time.

I think it’s due to stress, WFH, poor posture and peri menopause.

The only thing that seems to work is regular ibuprofen, cold packs on the shoulder / neck and trying to physically relax my mouth rather than hold it tensely all the time.

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MadCatLadee · 12/04/2021 22:27

I had it. It started suddenly one morning during a period of high stress. I had acupuncture from a physio which helped and improved it, but it wasn't until the stressful situation passed that it vanished. It's interesting as at the time the physio asked me about stress and I didn't think it was having any impact. Now I can see it was the cause.

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bevelino · 12/04/2021 22:32

One of my dds suffers very badly from this and a couple of weeks ago could hardly open her mouth. Osteopathy helped along with painkillers.

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LivingMyBestLife2020 · 13/04/2021 21:18

Thank you everyone. I think it’s stress and poor posture whilst wfh.

I’ve booked a dentist appointment for Friday to check it’s nothing dental.

I was so desperate and tight in my neck today that I had to ask my ex to rub my neck when he dropped my son off. It has helped actually. I’m still very tense and sore, but not in lots of pain.
Last night I was in agony and didn’t sleep a wink. Let’s hope for a better sleep tonight and then I’m a day closer to the osteopath

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WrongKindOfFace · 14/04/2021 20:55

Have you tried a topical pain reliever on your neck, like voltarol?

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LivingMyBestLife2020 · 15/04/2021 12:45

I haven’t, no, but I will do.

I’m at the Osteopath at 4pm so I’ll update later

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DareIask · 15/04/2021 12:49

OP yes, quite recently and I sympathise.

Dentist gave me exercises to do (which I also found online). Not sure if it's them but it resolved after about a month.

Definitely the thing that helped the most was letting your jaw hang loose as much as you can. Just look totally shocked or gormless. I was even walking round Sainsbury with my mouth open last week thanking heaven for face masks!

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LivingMyBestLife2020 · 15/04/2021 18:11

I’m back from the osteopath and oh my goodness, it wasn’t pleasant! He loosened and cracked my neck first then spent about 30 minutes on my jaw. It was very uncomfortable and then very painful afterward. I’ve taken some painkillers and it now feels great. Much looser and I’ve just eaten some Jaffa cakes quite easily.

He’s said weekly, for 4 weeks.

I’ll update tomorrow!

I’m at the dentist tomorrow too, to check there are no dental issues, but right now, I feel loose and relieved

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dizzzzzy · 19/04/2021 06:11

I had raging tinnitus from what turned out to be tension in the TMJ, possibly due to clenching. ENT prescribed two weeks Ponstan and 95% of the noise went away. My advice would be to see an ENT pronto and see what they think. And if they can’t fix it, you can always tel the dentist you did try other avenues.

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Amrapaali · 19/04/2021 06:24

My DD had it. Tinnitus, muffled hearing, clicky jaw, sharp pains in ear canal. Two GP appointments, two specialist ENT referrals before we even twigged it was TMJ!!

Prescribed pain killers and exercises. Nothing worked. She was in so much distress I felt on the verge of tears just looking at her.

Do you know what finally worked? Magnesium!!

DD was complaining of a tight neck and I sprayed some Magnesium; rubbed some on her jaw as well. The effect was startling. Her ear pain vanished in 5 minutes. She used the magnesium for a few more days (less than a week) and her TMJ hasn't returned. At all

It was one of this miracle cure moments. Very surreal Smile

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Pinkpowderpuff · 19/04/2021 16:43

I've been seeing a physiotherapist for TMJ/muscle tension issues and she's been doing some acupuncture to help. Can't recommend it enough.

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TinyGlassOwl · 19/04/2021 16:57

Yes, me. Funnily enough it's my first day back at work after a week off, and it's so much worse today than it has been all week. I wonder why... Hmm

Mine also started after a spell of long and intensive orthodontic treatment about 10 year ago and has just got worse. My jaw has always been misaligned but was never painful until then.

I take ibuprofen pretty much every day and try to consciously relax my jaw whenever I think about. The referred pain in the ear can be agony sometimes.

I'm interested in the magnesium spray story @Amrapaali! Might give it a go, nothing to lose I guess.

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Blackenedsoul · 19/04/2021 19:09

I’m also interested in the magnesium spray! I suffer with recurring bouts of this with horrible earache - I’d love a miracle cure

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CyberPixie · 19/04/2021 20:19

I get it so bad it affects my sinuses, ears, shoulders, neck etc. I use a medfit Pro ultrasound on my jaw joint in front of my ear, down around under my ear and jaw, on my trapezius muscle. 1 or 2 treatments of this reduces the lot by 90% by the next day and stops the flare-up. It cost me £100 but god was it worth it. Works on all tight muscles and joint pains.

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