TMJ Support Group
Temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJ syndrome, is an acute or chronic inflammation of the temporomandibular joint, which connects the lower jaw to the skull. The disorder and resultant dysfunction can result in significant pain and impairment.
Hi,
I have been dealing with TMJ pain for 3-4 weeks now. It has been very gradually getting better, but I still have some amount of pain all of the time and I can't chew even soft food. Last Wednesday, I tried to eat small pieces of Honeydew, and the next day the jaw pain was markedly worse.
I scheduled periodontal scaling a few weeks ago for this Friday. I am having it done under anesthesia, even though it is expensive, but I am concerned that having my mouth open all that time is going to be a problem.
I am afraid that after the procedure, I am going to have terrible TMJ pain again. I definitely need to get the periodontal scaling done, but I'm wondering if it would be advisable to delay it until my jaw feels better. I'm worried about TMJ pain from the procedure, but I'm also worried about the consequences of putting off the procedure. I am phobic of dentists, so I put off going to the dentist for a VERY long time.
I called the dentist's office this afternoon, and the receptionist was going to talk to the dentist and call me back. She didn't get back to me today, but I expect her to call back tomorrow morning. I anticipate that the dentist will want to go ahead with the procedure, but I am still afraid.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. -APR
I have been dealing with TMJ pain for 3-4 weeks now. It has been very gradually getting better, but I still have some amount of pain all of the time and I can't chew even soft food. Last Wednesday, I tried to eat small pieces of Honeydew, and the next day the jaw pain was markedly worse.
I scheduled periodontal scaling a few weeks ago for this Friday. I am having it done under anesthesia, even though it is expensive, but I am concerned that having my mouth open all that time is going to be a problem.
I am afraid that after the procedure, I am going to have terrible TMJ pain again. I definitely need to get the periodontal scaling done, but I'm wondering if it would be advisable to delay it until my jaw feels better. I'm worried about TMJ pain from the procedure, but I'm also worried about the consequences of putting off the procedure. I am phobic of dentists, so I put off going to the dentist for a VERY long time.
I called the dentist's office this afternoon, and the receptionist was going to talk to the dentist and call me back. She didn't get back to me today, but I expect her to call back tomorrow morning. I anticipate that the dentist will want to go ahead with the procedure, but I am still afraid.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. -APR
http://www.tmjhope.org/teeth-cleaning-tmj-dentist-visits/
Thank you for the link to this article, it has some useful info.
The morning of the procedure, I was having some bad jaw pain, but the receptionist at the dentist reassured me that it would be okay.
It was expensive getting the periodontal scaling done under anesthesia, but thanks to the anesthesia and other meds, I did not experience really bad jaw pain in the days after the procedure (I did continue to have some jaw pain, but no worse than before I had the procedure done).
I am convinced that if I had this done with no anesthesia and little or no sedation, that I would have been suffering with moderate-to-severe jaw pain for the next few days afterward.
In 6 months, I will have a routine cleaning. For a routine cleaning, I think I will be okay, assuming I don't have a major TMJ flareup going on at that time. But for anything where my mouth will be open for a longer period of time, I would prefer sedation or anesthesia.
However, in the future, cost may be an issue as far as anesthesia. I don't have dental insurance, but even if I did, dental insurance doesn't cover the cost of anesthesia. Having the scaling done under anesthesia basically tripled the total cost, and although there are other dentists in the Detroit area that offer sedation, this is the only dentist in Michigan licensed/qualified to practice anesthesia dentistry.
I hope that I won't have to do this again for some time [other than routine cleanings].
-APR