Tmj help (medical)?

I have TMJ! It's always ran in my family, but i haven't been to the dentist or doctor or anything about it. I know exactly what they are going to say, so I have bought a mouth guard (for teeth grinders) and it worked for a while. But lately its not. is there anything else that I can do at home because it's really starting to hurt again.

Tmj help (medical)?
i have it too... have for like 20 years. go on the web site called web md. they can give u some info on things to do. the only other thing is to have the surgery to correct it... if i could afford it i would... good luck
Reply:well i have it to and would recemmond possibly seeing a therapist. thats why i do and she game me some low dose zanax to take before bed and that has worked miracles. but if you don't want to see a doc or psychiatrist, you can try massaging it. when you clench your teeth you will feel the muscle bulge. try massaging that during the day, that has helped me in the past. you can also put a heating pad or hot compress on the muscle there too. i can't really recommend anything to do at night other than some sort of tranquilzer. wish i had an answer cuz i would do it myself. just always use the mouthguard so you don't do damage to your teeth. try and get some exercise and do whatever you can to reduce stress. Hope it helps and good luck. I know how painful TMJ can be.
Reply:Oooooo, I feel your pain! I had TMJ for many years and finally, my jaw just locked and I couldn't open it very wide for about a week.





I went to an oral surgeon in this area and he did x-rays, prescribed anti-inflammatory meds and a mouth guard. Like you, the mouth guard stopped working after a while.





I ended up having surgery to repair my jaw and when he went in, we discovered that there were bone fragments in the nerves in my face. No wonder it hurt! I guess I should have consulted a doctor sooner! I haven't had one problem since the surgery almost 10 years ago!!!





I'd recommend taking Aleve or Motrin. Aleve is generally safe to take an initial dose of 2 tablets and then take every 8 hours until your discomfort is under control. Now, if you have any drug allergies, I'd make sure to take that into consideration.
Reply:TMJ can be caused from several sources. It can be because of teeth grinding (bruxism), trauma to the face, or poor posture. If you sit with a forward head posture, it can place stress across the TMJ and the surrounding musculature, causing pain and joint popping / earaches. Usually people who have postural problems with TMJ will complain of a headache that starts at the base of the head and travels from the back of the head to the forehead. I would recommend consulting your general practitioner and request a consultation from a Physical Therapist that specializes in treatment of TMJ. If you have had an x-ray or MRI and it does not expose pathology (like the bone fragments of the previous answer, then surgery is typically exploratory and does not work). Good luck with this.

hiking boots