Medical question.....TMJ Syndrome

[Snaggletooth]

On Monday my 19 year old daughter mentioned her jaw had felt like it was catching, kind of sticking in place a couple times during the day. I checked her over and found no swelling or anything odd. I told her to quit distending her jaw when she eats, (you have never seen her eat, I call her Gator), and we just laughed it off.

 

On Tuesday afternoon she sent me a message from her work that her jaw had locked shut and she couldn't open it. Five minutes later she sent another message that it had unlocked and was better. I started to make plans to get her into the Doc the next day.

 

I'm thinking signs of a Tentanus infection, lock jaw, at this point. Not cool.

 

At ten last night she sent another message that it had locked again and she hurt real bad and she could feel her teeth grinding. I geared up and headed out to where she worked. When I got there she looked like a pissed off badger. Cute, but not funny.

 

Told her to grab her stuff and we where headed to the emergency room. Her boss rolled in and told me she still had a couple hours left on her shift. My question to him was "do you want to go with us, or do you want to get out my way?" He backed off. I'll deal with that twit later.

 

BUT......good news was it was not Tenanus. It was something I'd never heard of. This TMJ Syndrome. Problem where the joints on the jaw bone attaches to the skull, either caused by degeneration of the joints, not likely in a 19 year old, or from a past injury. Well we pretty much nailed down what that injury was.

 

I've done my research and we are dealing with the care of it now. My question is has anyone dealt with this syndrome over a period of time and what might we expect?

 

Just curious.

 

Mike

[Drreb]

I have suffered with TMJ off and on for years. It can be caused by grinding your teeth while you sleep. The dentist can make a apparatus that can be worn at night to help with it. As I've gotten older it has gotten better. But it can be painful. Good luck.

[GAWildKat]

What he said! When I was her age my doc said I had a mild form of TMJ from grinding my teeth. I also have a crossbite and in some ppl I was told it can flare TMJ. Ironically most ppl grind their teeth in their sleep. I do it when awake. Just take care of her and see what the doc says.

[rjjammer]

Mike

 

My wife has dealt with this since 2008 when she had the same symptoms as your daughter. Christmas Eve 2008 her jaw locked up! After several procedures, a couple not so good encounters with doctors, she has found some relief with braces, splints and weekly tens treatments. Insurance stopped paying after a 1000 dollar lifetime cap was reached. Its been a long haul for her. With no end in sight yet. I wish your daughter the best and perhaps her age will help her to recover quicker.

[Caveman]

All of the above are correct. It can be brought on by poor dental work by a dentist as well, for instance not grinding down a filling appropriately causing misallignment. TMJ may cause severe headaches and jaw pain as well. It can be temporary or chronic depending on the cause. I hope she can get this taken care of. Carl

[Lilsis]

I have had tmj trouble since an accident in 1985. Had to have teeth ground down and then built up to get alignment right. I'm just glad I didn't need surgery. Tens units are great. Posture is essential. When you slouch your jaw pushes forward, making the tmj issue worse. In my case the pain was in my jaw, back of neck, up the back of my head and shoulders. Dr. gave me exercises to do that helped strengthen the muscles. A soft neck brace while sleeping helps. Not sleeping on your stomach since you have your head left or right which puts pressure on your jaw and making the problem worse. (been there, done that). Don't chew gum. Don't drink through a straw. Try not to look down while reading (pushes your lower jaw forward)

 

Find a Dentist specializing in tmj. Good Luck

[midnightventure]

I have it but it rarely causes me any pain. I am only commenting because just tonight on CBS they carried a story about a new treatment. Some dentists are injecting Botox into the joint and having success with eliminating pain. It is outside the approved uses for Botox so insurance won't pay and it has to be repeated every 4 months. The woman they were talking to said it was life changing for her.

[Lil Venturous]

first wife had the replacement surgery and maybe a second one. It has went very bad for her with pain and being able to use her mouth in a opening half way open or chewing. Even squeks. But she did not do her exercises and rehab stuff.

[SC89Venture]

For what it is worth, make sure she doesn't have any wisdom teeth coming in.

Hope she get's better. I would have loved to seen the look on her boss's face!

[Snaggletooth]

Ok, for what we know at this point.

 

Her dental situation is good. She has always had excellent teeth with no issues. Even her dentist has commented that she is one of the very few that he has had that never needed braces or anything else. She has no signs of wear from grinding her teeth.

 

From the times I've seen her sleeping she seems to be a very relaxed sleeper and I've never seen any sign of unusual jaw movement. Don't ask me how many cotton balls I've dropped into that gaping maw to entertain myself while she's bagged out in MY spot on the couch.

 

The question kept coming up about accidents or injuries to her head or face. Only one thing was on our minds. She was a victim of a rather severe assualt of couple of years back at the hands of two teenage boys. One an ex boyfriend that didn't get the message that "I don't want to see you anymore" meant just that. She was mess of bruises and swelling from being hit and kicked for several days but the medical folks said there was nothing broken.

 

But now, they are thinking this may have been the beginning of this problem. Just a possibility.

 

But with the meds she is doing fine for now and it has not locked up since that night.

 

So .... some more tests to come and see what the next step is.

 

Thanks to all for your info and input. Information is always helpful.

 

Mike

[motorcycletom]

My girlfriend has had TMJ since 1984. She has to wear a night guard and can't eat anything you have to really chew like taffy or chew gum. Everything said above I agree with and then some. Be prepared because most insurance does not cover this either once you have been diagnosed with TMJ. The Medical INS said it’s a dental problem and vice versa. So you end up paying for most of the treatment. She gets headaches all the time. She was also hit in the face and that made it worse for many years. If you need any advice feel free to ask. We will be happy to help any way we can. Good Luck.