To Be At Crisis Point With TMJ Pain

[BeeDaisy]

I am really struggling. I’ve been to the dental hospital numerous times to see the TMJ consultant and they just give me a mouth guard and send me on my way. It doesn’t nothing but cause even more pain.

The doctor just throws medication at me all of which I’m struggling with. I came off Amytriplyine because I couldn’t cope with the side effects. I’ve now had to do the same with Nortyriptyline.

I take cocodamol and naproxen daily. I try and take breaks at the weekend and switch to ibruprofen and anadin. Nothing fully gets rid of the pain.

I went to see an osteopath and felt relief for two hours afterwards. Unfortunately after this I was in agony much more than normal for 2 days and still counting.

I just don’t know what to do with myself anymore. I’m so fed up and sad about it all. Not a moment goes by when I’m not in pain. My sleep is disturbed.

I’ve been reading up on Botox and other private things but I’m worried I will pay all that money and it won’t do anything.

I am also worried about the damage all the painkillers could be doing to my body.

I also want dental treatment to make my front teeth look nice but no one will touch me whilst I’m in so much pain with TMJ.

Has anyone found a long term solution please? Or got rid of most of the pain?

It is really affecting my quality of life at this point.

I don’t know where to go from here.

No I haven’t tried exercises. Do you think they will help?
I bought a mouth guard off Amazon that you put in hot water then into your mouth then into cold water. Had it in for 2 hours and it caused much more pain.

@BeeDaisy The ones you shrink at home are no good. You need a dentist-made one. It'll help with the grinding but they can cause pain for the first few weeks.

i definitely think you should try tmj exercises, @BeeDaisy
they worked for me, that and trying to relax and not have stress

Straight up ice pack is the thing that has helped me most. I've a dentist made mouth guard and it hasn't done anything for me and I've been wearing it for basically a year. Sorry you're feeling so much pain.

I have TMJ, being seen under the NHS. I had an MRI , which identified damage to both my jaw (old traumatic injury) and to my neck.

They started by trying nortriptyline and it did help but not enough. They also referred me to a physio who gave me some exercises. I had Botox on my jaw under the NHS in February and have another session booked in June.

The Botox has been luge changing in reducing my pain and in how often my jaw would lock.

You need to push your NHS consultant as Botox should be available.

I have quite a lot of damage to my jaw which resulted in it clicking, moving oddly and regularly locking, along with the pain.

The muscles in my face and jaw were massive and under a lot of tension.

The Botox has really been transformative in terms of reducing the movement in my jaw

Myofunctional therapy?

Amazing! So it improved the movement? Did you go private or with the nhs?

I used to work in a maxillofacial clinic on Harley street and also 2 maxfax departments in different hospitals. The private tx is way way better. Get the Botox but go to a maxillofacial consultant do not go to a beautician. It works itl be money well spent x

Sorry that sounded unfair to the NHS, the only reason in this scenario that private was better is because we could do it there and then. The maxillofacial departments are absolutely incredible on the NHS

NHS - I think they've been really good. The doctor explained the reasons for wanting to take a conservative approach, in terms of trying drugs before Botox and surgery being only a last resort.

The initial wait from my dentist referral took a while but now I'm in the system it seems to be going well.

I had this for months and could barely open my mouth to eat. The doctor just emailed me some exercises, but I ended up finding a private physio who specialised in TMJ. She showed me some exercises but also spent the session massaging the insides of my cheeks and my neck. My muscles were ridiculously tight and causing all the issues.

The pain relief was instant and I could open my mouth wider. I only had a couple of sessions, but she showed me how to massage my own mouth and that really sorted it out. I'm completely pain free now, so that's just another avenue you could try.

So I finally got an appointment at the dental hospital. He spent all of 5 minutes and then said he will do me a splint. And recommended heat for pain.

I’ve had appointments through the earliest being January. Sigh.

meanwhile I’m still in pain every single day and losing the will to live. I’ve switched from cocodamol to anadin to see if a different painkiller works but no.

Can your body get too used to painkillers and this result in them no longer working?

I really want to get my top teeth fixed and can only afford composite bonding but worry I’ll chip them with my jaw clenching. I can wait until January or I can pay privately for a split to be made.

The dentist recommended teeth whitening first but that is also expensive. Plus I say the hygienist last week which only lasted 10 minutes but I was in absolute agony the entire time trying to hold my mouth open. So I’m worried I may not even be able to manage any dental treatment. I’d even taken full painkillers before the appointment.

I really don’t know where to go from here.

I had 6 months of terrible TMJ pain 15yrs ago, then it went away. Now I just have to be careful eating things like baguettes.

The splint helped me a lot. I'd recommend Botox though - that's pretty much fixed it.

I have had Botox and it made it worse unfortunately.

try the heat treatment op

I'm another one who found the exercises really helpful, but I guess it all depends on the underlying cause. For me though, I woke up one day and was unable to close my mouth - it was just stuck open. Fun times. I started doing the exercises several times a day, and it gradually got better. Since then, I have been very careful with my jaw, and haven't had any issues.

Is it possible for painkillers to just not work anymore? I feel like nothing I take now has any effect at all!

Can I hazard a guess that you’ve been reared to dental hospital in Manchester? If so go private. They’re useless! I’ve been waiting side 2018 for a fix and each appointment is a waste of time!

Yes it was Manchester. Did you go private? If so can you recommend anywhere?

I did go private but unfortunately for me that wasn’t a success either. You could try though. Dr Paul Ager at a practice in Gatley.

I’m so fed up. Every day now I’m in pain.

im currently lay awake in a nice hotel I booked for me and my partner because I can’t wear earplugs as it makes the pain worse and painkillers are not doing anything.

feeling so fed up and sorry for myself. I’ve paid for a weekend away and it’s going to be ruined due to pain and no sleep.

I have Botox, booked in for next week as I have started grinding again but the last treatment was over a year ago. It took two treatments a few months apart to work properly and now yearly treatments does the trick.
Mine costs £170 you don’t have to pay £800 that is just too much someone is making massive profit on that. Man who does mine is an eye surgeon.

Oh just read Botox made is worse for you sorry :(