What type of healthcare do I need for my jaw?

[unlikelychump]

I've had a pain in my jaw for months now - at least 6- arising from clenching my jaw at night, and sleeping on my front I think. It is painful all the time and I have to watch what I eat (can't eat baguette for eg) as it will jar and be excruciating. I was hoping it would calm down when I relaxed on hols but no.

I now have to watch out when I eat something hard or yawn as it will dislocate, and is quite hard to get back in.

Who do I need to see? Doctor? Dentist? Chiropractor? Someone else.

Anyone had this and can advise? It is a step up from the clicky jaw I've always had and is really starting to annoy me.

You need to see an oromaxillofacial consultant, my (private) dentist referred me to see the NHS consultant at the local hospital. I now have botox for jaw pain. Good luck, it is awful.

Sounds like TMJ disorder, which I have (more common in hypermobile or people with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome)

If you're due a dental appointment, it could be worth mentioning it to them. My dentist keeps a good eye on mine and says if it ever gets any worse, he will refer me to the maxillo facial specialists at my local hospital.

You can also see your GP about this, and they should be able to offer advice, pain relief and also monitor / refer as I've mentioned my dentist would do for me.

Google TMJ to see if you think itfits your symptoms. Also there are quite a few helpful tips for flare-ups online.

Have you already got a silicone nightguard to protect your teeth? No point doing anything if you're still grinding and clenching.

As PP said sounds like TMJ. Can ask docs to see if there's anything they can give you. I had amatriptaline for a while when it was bad but now have been given a mouth guard by dentist and that does help as I clench my jaw in the night.

Both my doctor and my dentist were happy to refer me to the maxillo facial unit at my local hospital. I have a silicone mouthguard, and recently also started having botox in the masseter muscles, which helps a lot. I get the botox at a private dental practice which my regular dentist recommended.

Apparently some medications can cause it. But also it's a lot to do with the shape of your jaw. When i can afford it I will get a proper mouth splint that will put my jaw in the correct alignment overnight.
Stress really does not help! I think mine started at a stressful moment, and became a habit. I wish you all the best @unlikelychump as the pain, and the thought of painful damage in the future, are miserable

May i ask how the amatriptaline helped? The consultant at the MFU mentioned it but the original splint I had made enough of a difference at the time, so I didn't ask any more questions. Sadly original splint got lost ( don't ask 😂) and the silicone one pevents tooth damage but not the clenching - hence the botox as even in the daytime i couldn't relax those muscles.
I also wonder if baclofen might help.

Ps note to mouthguard/splint users: guard them with your life!

And also, amazon sell soft guards that you can mould to your own teeth with hot water as an emergency measure.

I had this and my dentist got me a mouth guard which cost around £100 to have made. I only used it for a week and it quickly resolved the awful pain I'd been experiencing. It also showed me the position I need to out my jaw into if I feel the pain coming back so I can "treat" it now without even using the guard which is good because I hated wearing the mouth guard at night.

I also think my issue was stress related. My teenage DD was going through a mental health crisis at the time and I think that may have been the trigger for the pain. The pain has now suddenly started again a week after my son's very disappointing A level results but so far I'm managing it by pushing my bottom jaw out to mimic the effect of the mouth guard.

Yes to the silicone mouth guard but it isn't making a difference any more.

I'm taking the kids to the dentist today so will take his view while I'm there. I'm not one to fuss too much but it has been going on waaaay too long

You need to fuss @unlikelychump You'll end up with more danage if you don't.
Get thee referred asap x

My friend had jaw pain from teeth grinding at night, she saw a physiotherapist who really helped her. You could ask your GP for a referral, or see if you can self refer - we can in my area

Ive had this all my life but about three years ago it got really bad, and would lock at the most inconvenient times and positions leaving me in so much pain.

GP prescribed Nortryptaline which I take at night, it relaxes those jaw muscles and I rarely have an issue anymore.

Stress 100% makes it worse so look into reducing that so you're targeting it holistically.

@Gr1stly I'll be honest I'm not sure if it really did as I had that and the mouth guard within days of each other. I'm sure they said it helps to relax the jaw at night and tbh I don't think I clenched as much as I do now I don't take it but it was wiping me out so only took it for a few weeks x

I have this and my dentist referred me to the hospital and they prescribed me Nortriptylne which has helped. The drs didn't help but my dentist was great.👍

So the dentist suggested a remold of the mouth guard. But apparently a chiropractor can help too, so I think I am going to try that route too.

Update - i went to the chiropractor and he is working on it. Still painful but hasn't locked out again. More sessions to go yet.

did this medication just stop pain or did it stop the tensing of the jaw muscles?

It stopped the clenching of my jaw which reduced my headaches.. definitely worked for me 👍