Anyone got TMJ, clicky jaw?

[mrsworrypot]

Yesterday I yawned (quite big) and I felt a clunk in my jaw. Now my jaw clunks when I open and shut it, accompanied by a dull ache. I've got a doctors appointment tomorrow but I've read online it could be TMJ (I think it is) and I feel so anxious about it as there is no cure. I can't live with this ache and clicking. Anyone got any advice? Will this ache go?

Yes it’ll go - you just did a very big yawn and strained your jaw. The sensation will fade.

I have this. I’m only aware of it when I’m very stressed because I tense my jaw unconsciously. Most of the time it’s no bother.

Do you know if you grind your teeth when you are sleeping? That can cause an ache. I have had a clicky jaw for a long time and it has caused me no problems. I am sure the dentist told me my teeth grinding caused it. I used to grind them when i was anxious. I dont do it any more. Never get any ache now.

I have this. It can be worse if I’m tired and stiff/yawning a lot, and it has occasionally been really painful for long periods when I have been extremely stressed/clenching jaw in my sleep. But mostly if stress is not intense, I don’t notice it.

Unless I try to do oral, which for some reason makes it spasm alarmingly so that I worry I will injure DP’s knob.

Yeah I suffer with this. Best advice would be to see a chiropractor who will see if the muscles are in spasm and massage them. They'll also show you how to massage it youself. You can use normal painkillers and heat/ice so I'm not sure it warrants a GP appt just yet? TMJ.is a lot more than clicking your jaw after a yawn. You could also see your dentist to see if you're grinding your teeth and they can make a guard for you. But if it is caused by stress/anxiety then that needs to be tackled too.

I don't know what TMJ is but my jaw used to click all the time before i had braces. It's not that unusual. Or worrying? I thought it was normal -ish.

When I'm cold my jaw does an involuntary movement sometimes and I just googled that and it's a symptom of parkinsons. omg.

I used to get a click had. I stopped eating apples and I don't get it now. Cutting my apple into slices before eating would also have worked i suppose.

Dentists are better with this and can offer a referral or a mouthguard to wear at night.
They can xray your jaw to check for dislocation.

Yes, started when I was about 23. Saw an oral surgeon some years ago when my jaw muscle went into spasm and became inflamed, he was very helpful. I can keep it under control but stress certainly plays a part in a flare up. Bite guard and exercises help.

I had this, I used to grind my teeth so hard in my sleep i slipped a disc in my jaw. My dentist fitted me with a mouth guard to sleep in, which stopped me grinding and my jaw still feels fine 10 years later! It was really painful at the time though.

I have TMJ leading to over 50 dislocations of my jaw in the last 12years!!...so my case is severe.
When this happens I cannot close my mouth and the pain is severe.
It usually happens if I forget to stifle a yawn when I am half asleep in the early morning!
It's also happened when I have sneezed or eaten steak or tried to eat a burger in a bun, due to opening my mouth to wide...

I have to eat with a teaspoon most of the time as I can only open my mouth to put small amounts of food in or it will lead to a dislocation at some point.

To correct it....I take 2 ibuprofen(which is very difficult to do as it's hard to swallow and then I apply a warm water bottle to the side of my face and try and go back to sleep.

I am usually woken up by the sound of my jaw clicking back in place as the muscle spasms cease and relax. It feels afterwards as though I have been punched in the side of the face.

I then take ibuprofen for the next 2- 3days and only drink liquids through a straw.

I also wrap a scarf around my face to keep the muscles warm especially if it happens in winter.
The aching eases off within a few days with the ibuprofen and trying to to make sure not to strain the joint by opening my mouth too wide.

I have only been to A&E once when it first happened to get it sorted NEVER again as the treatment to correct it was brutal to say the least!!

My TMJ started as you describe OP...so you need to be careful not to strain the joint. Apply some warm heat to the area and help relax the muscles and if the aching is a problem take a couple of ibuprofen 3 times a day for a couple of days and it will help to reduce the inflammation around the joint and muscles.

Touch wood I haven't had one in the past 5months!

Thanks everyone. Yes it was the specific yawning instance that I think triggered it. The pain is awful and if I forget and yawn it is complete agony. I think I can live with clicky jaw, just not the pain I'm having. Thankyou everyone I feel gutted tbh.

About 6 months ago I did a massive yawn and the exact same thing happened to me. For a while it was really painful eating, yawning etc. but it did slowly get better on i's own and after a couple of months was totally back to normal.

Hopefully yours is just like mine and will sort itself out quite quickly. It's quite possibly just you've strained something that will get better on its own.

Aw thanks. Did you have clicky/clunky jaw and assume you had tmj? Did you do anything to make it settle? Does it still click?

I think I have a mild case, it definitely seems worse when I'm stressed, probably because I subconsciously clench my teeth. Really hoping it doesn't get any worse as it's not constant at the moment, just comes and goes after day or two. C

Yes I have this. Always clicks when I open my mouth. If I’m eating an apple/baguette that needs me to open my mouth really wide, it often causes the jaw to “lock” in that I then close my mouth and can’t open it past the clicky point. So then have to tear tiny bits off the baguette or cut up really small. Then I just have to wait for my jaw to start working properly again. I can talk ok and eat carefully so it’s not too disruptive. Reading about previous posters who talked about spasms, this must be what happens to me.

I saw the GP who couldn’t help but the Dentist was very helpful. It turns out I clench my jaw a lot, especially in my sleep. I have had nighttime mouthguards but I find that they make me clench more as my jaw wants to bite down on them. This then means I wake up with an aching jaw, which can spread down my neck too when I’m really tense. So I’ve stopped using them but the dentist said I am causing long-term damage to my teeth if I don’t have the mouthguard to protect them against the clenching. Feels like I can’t win.

*mrsworrypot yes, mine was clicky when it started but it's totally normal now. I didn't do anything except try to ignore it as best as I could. I've heard of TMJ but didn't really think about whether it was that or not.

fairy

I'd forgotten about the locking thing! It's been 20 years since I used to get it even though I still get periods of clenching and teeth grinding.

Thanks guys. Pain is bad after eating and talking and I keep getting headaches agh! I really hope it settles. I wonder if disk can correct itself.

Do you wake up with headaches?

I recently had Botox in my jaw muscles for severe tmj disorder. No more pain!

Your doctor won’t do much tbh. I went to my dentist 2 years ago who made me a mouthguard. Then a year ago I had a referral to a prestigious dental hospital who gave me Botox and referred me to physiotherapy. Your gp will only really give you stronger painkillers or make a referral

Botox? Oh wow? Yeah doctor said if pain doesn't go in a few weeks I'll get referred to maxillary specialist. How does the Botox work? Has it sorted the pain out? Do you think mouth guards are waste of time?

I had surgery to correct mine about 20 years ago - nothing since. I was partially dislocating my jaw several times a day! Treatment may have moved on since then but the surgery worked for me.

Well it depends on what’s causing your pain: it could be bone structure related (an X-ray will show any issues/deformity with your temporomandibular joint), or it may be muscle related.

If you do have a physical issue with your TMJ, surgery could be an option but my consultant said that surgery is an absolute last resort in recent years as it’s efficacy is debatable now.

My pain was caused by the muscle, my muscles weren’t super enlarged though. I grind/clench my teeth, wake up with jaw pain, jaw locking/clicking, struggled eating chewy/hard food and even had ear pain too. Flares up during stressful times. I’ve had this for the past 4 years so Botox was a last resort. The mouthguard didn’t stop the pain or stop me from clenching/grinding during my sleep - it did stop further wear to my teeth though and probably stopped my teeth from grinding as viciously as it acts as a barrier. Your maxillary consultant will have wanted you to try a mouthguard before they try anything else so it’s not a waste of time.

I had 3 injections of Botox (dysport) in my masseter muscles, per side. Essentially Botox just paralyses the muscle (temporarily) so it’s not over-working anymore and becoming inflamed and fatigued. Will also help with teeth grinding and clenching as you should hopefully stop doing this subconsciously during sleep as the muscle won’t move as much. I’m probably explaining this awfully, sorry. Essentially the more you use a muscle, the larger it gets and with the masseter this excessive use can cause pain, jaw locking, teeth grinding etc so Botox acts as a muscle relaxant. It only lasts 4-6 months and you might not need more injections after the first set. My hope is that a combination of Botox and my mouthguard will permanently stop my teeth from grinding, so in the future TMJ will never be a problem for me. No pain since!

Negatives of Botox include facial numbness, changes and asymmetry. Having said that, Botox in the jaw is a cosmetic procedure for facial slimming so you may actually like the changes.

Also sorry for essay but would recommend speaking to your dentist too, they’ll be able to make a mouthguard for you or refer you faster.