What is TMJ
Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD or TMD), or TMJ syndrome, is an acute or chronic inflammation of the temporomandibular joint, which connects the lower jaw to the skull. The ...
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not clenching or grinding but still...
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My dentist says i dont grind my teeth at night, and i dont tend to clench my jaw so I dont need a guard or anything at night, but i am still having pain every time i chew and every time i yawn my jaw gets locked open and i have to quite often manually unlock it by pulling down and out to be able to close my mouth (rather embarrassing in public). I have also been finding that while i have always had a problem with my jaw "clicking" every time my mouth opens, even in normal speech, lately this has been a bit painful as well.
The jaw locking happens more when i am stressed, but Im not terribly stressed or anxious about anything right now (I mean there are always things that make me anxious on a daily basis, but nothing more than usual and so i dont feel stressed) but the pain while i chew my food wont go away. Ive tried hot and cold treatments, and i cant take painkillers because they make me sick. Do you have any other advice? Posted on 10/01/09, 08:10 am |
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It's possible and probably you are clenching in your sleep. Most clenchers don't do any damage to their teeth, if they only clench. And clenching as a opposed to grinding that destroys your teeth, which your dentist is using as empirical evidence to support that you do not, unless he is watching you sleep. If your having jaw pain your doing something either at night or during the day. An excellent diagnostic device that helps all clenchers is an NTI device that will give you a definitive answer on whether you clench, and will most likely give you tons of relief at a very good cost. usually 300-500 bucks. www.headacheprevention.com 
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Maybe gentle massage, I find that this helps me. I have read that it helps getting blood circulating back in the area which has tensed up causing the pain. As for clenching teeth during sleep time, we are not aware however when I am having a painful bout during the night pain in my jaw wakes me up, so I must be clenching. (some of the weird dreams that I have could cause this)However this is beyond my control.It makes it hard if you are unable to take painkillers, as they are the only thing that help me thru.
I think that you may need to see a good specialist as you do seem to need help, dentists' do not know it all.
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What? Your dentist said that you don't grind your teeth at night? Is he watching you? Maybe you don't grind, but, I bet you are clenching during your sleep. I did and still do. The things that help me are: an NTI nightguard ( wonderful results since last year), a contoured pillow to support my neck, Tylenol for ARTHRITIS (found on the old geezer aisle of the drug store), and a Bed Buddy (a microwavable heat pack...the best I have ever used). I can't take pain meds either. Like you, they make me sick. So, the above combination works for me after 20+ years of experimentation. Good luck.
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I got my NTI almost 6 month ago and it helped a lot to reduce the symptoms, especially at the beginning. For some reason, the muscle pain in my neck and shoulder is slowly sneaking back and the tinnitus as well (though the tone changed somewhat). On the bad days I try to go to a spa and relax in the bubble bed by lying there for 20-30 minutes. I try to focus on the sound of the bubbles around my ears and forget about the things I am worrying about. I also spend a long time under the hot water stream and position myself stream to give a massage to my jaw muscles. I also go for a 20 minutes back massage and by the end of the 2 hours program I feel much better. Too bad I can not do it every day … it would help a lot to feel better :-)
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HI---Please get an opinion w-another tmj specialist. Not a regular dentist, but one that specializes in tmjd. If you are locking during the day, there is a serious problem w-your bite, and you need to have a thorough exam and x-rays. If you do lock again, try gagging yourself hard to replace the disc back in to the correct position. Manually trying to relocate the disc is dangerous, and over time if this happens too often, can permanently tear or displace the discs. Look under ICCMO, and try to find a member near you, preferably one that practices neuromuscular dentistry, as well as being advanced in treating cases with Functional Jaw appliances, and Functional Jaw Orthodontics. If you need help finding one, let me know, maybe I can search for you. Good luck----
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You might be clenching in your sleep. I know I do because just as I am about to lose conscienceness, I have noticed I am clenching.
Would an anti inflamatory hep? or a visit to an oral surgeon?
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thats the worst. When you are just about to fall asleep, being woken by your mandible clamping shut.........ahhh......thanks you NTI for letting me sleep.... www.headacheprevention.com
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