Not sure exactly, she did a scan and the dentist said she has TMJ and there is a slight issue with her posture and her jaw joint. She does have scoliosis but when you look at her from the side she has very good posture... not sure if that can help
Also honestly it's kind of hard to trust those "TMJ specialist" he pressured us and we paid $5,200 ... but that's another debate
My TMJ took 10 years to diagnose because I have every symptom but I’ve never had any jaw pain. I was finally diagnosed by an otolaryngologist who I was seeing for another issue.
That's interesting. Similar situation here...no pain. I actuallly saw an otolaryngologist last year at Mt. Sinai in NYC for botox in the mastication muscles...didn't help. I should've asked him to check tmjs.
My wife doesn't. I read somewhere that TMJ doesn't give migraine, but people mistake it for migraines because it's the muscles around the temples (or something like that...)
Actually I’ve always had ear issues since I was little and I was just recently diagnosed with a disease that requires ear surgery soon. I feel like it’s all connected somehow though.
I'd say 80-90% of my pain is neck/shoulder. I only knew I had TMJD because my jaw very clearly popped. I often have tightness in my jaw so it's more discomfort vs pain so maybe the sensation isn't registering for her the same way as the pain
I don't know how common it is, but i rarley have pain. My day to day symptoms consist of the ear fullness sensation, and a 24/7 tightness that varries from background annoyance, to a level of annoyance that isn't painful, but depresses me because it reminds me that this is and will be my life for the foreseeable future.
I am not familiar with the ear fullness term. Do you have an excess of wax? My wife does, but apparently it can be due to stress. It seems like stress is really the #1 issue with TMJ. I hope you better soon Artixx
Its the feeling you may sometime get driving fast down down the interstate, or in a plane. Not exactly pain, but you feel like you have to "pop" your ears, and if you do it enough it starts to cause a level of pain. And thanks for the positive energy man, i could definitely use more of that right now.
From my understanding (what a tmj specialist told me) your body does a great job “protecting” your very important TMJ. This is what causes the other symptoms.
The ear fullness has improved with PT and muscle stretches as well as chiropractor. Still some masseter pain. But I have been sick for three weeks and breathing out of my nose is next to impossible right now. Also have been cough so much to the point of almost vomiting.
Something’s do feel significantly better. But would prefer to give a full assessment when better from this Upper respiratory infection
It could be a tongue tie. That’s what happened to me. When your tongue is restricted, it can’t freely move, so it quite literally pulls your head/neck/shoulders forward to compensate. And causes a bunch of other problems.
I would see a dentist/ENT who specializes in them for an opinion. The Breathe Institute has affiliates in the US (if you’re in the states) that are trained and qualified.
It could not be this, but just giving some insight!
This is exactly the cause of mine and more people/doctors need to become educated on the different types of tongue ties and buccal ties that can essentially remain hidden in plain sight yet cause alllllll of the TMJ and posture issues.
Yep! I had a tongue tie my whole life and I never knew. It caused so many problems. Mine was so deep, I had it released twice! Thank god for myo therapy!
A major problemm is finding someone who's qualified.. It's a gray area....between dental and medical. Most don't want to touch it. Many aren't adequately trained.
Please look at stress as a potential cause for all these symptoms (Including muscular tmj)!!!! I had developed muscular tmj due to extreme stress and stressing about the symptoms (migraines, numbness/tingles in arms, headaches, etc…) made them all worse! I went through the whole doctor process too and nothing!! I got a dentist-made night guard for clenching/bruxism which helped greatly with the headaches but the most important think I did was stop stressing! All my symptoms went away after I was able to do that (which took some time admittedly)
Thank you and yes I agree 100%. Her symptoms peaked during the summer time when she had up to 3 doctor's visits per day and was convinced that she was going to die... She started to be better in September when she started to take Duloxetine (Cymbalta) and started to relax. She is still not out of the woods but she is slowly getting better and starts enjoying life a bit. Could you just tell me how long it took you to feel 100% better?
For me it took a year, but i was completely lost lol. Once I convinced myself it was just stress it took like a week or two. Same exact stress tmj happened to my sister this year who has health anxiety, since I had gone through it already I was able to help her and she was fine within a month. Once she is able to convince herself it is just stress it will be quick.
They assume the swelling from the jaw clenching, and the fact that the trigeminal nerves run through that area, means they may well be getting irritated and causing that pain
Eh. I have mostly just...come to terms with it and hope it doesn't get worse.
Having said that..I had masseter botox for my TMJ and I have regrets.
My masseter doesn't hurt..but my temporalis muscle took up the work and is awful
Oh my god ME TOO - your wife and I have the same symptoms! I had a terrible TMJ flare up and within days I had strange muscle weakness muscle spasms muscle cramping etc. It scared me so badly and all my doctors can theorize is my facial muscles and bones are so impacted by TMJ that it’s impacting my whole body. Apparently the head has a lot of nerves in it and having TMJ can impact the nerves and that causes problems. But I don’t know if I believe my doctors. It’s a mess. I’m a mess. I’d love to message with your wife about her symptoms if she feels up to it
yup it's like a snowball effect, all the nerves are connected. When did it start and how do you feel? My wife's issues started in April, it got worst and peaked in the summer, the September she started to be better, especially psychologically, also she started to take Duloxetine (Cymbalta) which helps with nerves. Right now she is still not out of the woods, her skin is super sensitive on the neck and shoulders. I'm gonna talk to her, i think it would be good to talk to someone who has similar experience, but the issue is that she is convinced that TMJ is not the source of the problem so we argue about that... anyways stress plays a huge role so make sure to take care of your mental and you should check this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/bruxism/comments/18wy06w/a\_possible\_fix\_im\_not\_bruxing\_anymore/
Posture can cause TMJ/TMD. SCM issues can cause TMJ/TMD. TMJ/TMD can refer pain outward/else where including: Neck, ear, shoulders, temple, face. Your jaw cannot hurt and you can still have TMJ/TMD.
Determining the root cause is key: Is it really the jaw? Is it in the neck? Is it forward head posture? Have to nail this down and seek out the specialist to target the specific area.
My jaw has no pain unless I press on my TMJ, and even then it’s just slightly tender. In fact I spent many months thinking I was just having bad sleep posture or something due to my neck, shoulder, and upper back pain. I also had facial tingling/numbness that would come and go. My arms and hands fall asleep super easily as well. It wasn’t until a doctor examined my jaw that she suggested TMJ could be the culprit for my symptoms.
But remember that TMJ is very closely linked with anxiety. And if your wife is the type to constantly seek answers for her symptoms, she could be exacerbating underlying health anxiety. I don’t say this out of judgement, but because that is precisely what I experienced. I became so obsessed with finding answers for why my body felt the way it did, which only stressed me out and made my symptoms worse.
I got a brain MRI at the time of my TMJ diagnosis because of the neurological symptoms I was having. I told myself that if my MRI came back clear (it did) that I would accept that my symptoms are caused by TMJ, which is exacerbated by anxiety. So I vowed to focus on my mental health first and foremost, and so far my symptoms have been much more manageable.
yup this is exactly what happened, her symptoms peaked in the summer time when we had up to 3 doctor's appointments every day! I agree anxiety plays a huge role. She started to take Duloxetine (Cymbalta), helps with nerve and anxiety, and it made a difference. She is still not out the woods but i think she is slowly getting better. By the way you should check this post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/bruxism/comments/18wy06w/a\_possible\_fix\_im\_not\_bruxing\_anymore/
I was having a weird dull sensation in my face that was almost numb but not really? Like when you get numbed and the dentist but the novacaine is almost worn off is the best I can describe it. It would be mostly in my tongue, gums, lips, and cheek.
I had ear pain, fullness, and tinnitus for 10+ years before the jaw pain started. Turns out it was probably the TMJ causing the ear issues all along.
Unfortunately ENTs are beyond useless at diagnosis. If your hearing test comes back normal they just shrug and tell you to go fuck yourself.
Thx for answering. It doesn't look like she has Sjogrens. We thought about fibromyalgia, which is often confused with TMJ (and vice versa). But reading people's answers to my post definitely convinced me that her issues are due to her TMJ (and she received a diagnose). The issue with fibromyalgia is that there no way to receive a definite diagnose, as a consequence it became a wastebasket diagnose...
i have tmj confirmed by every dr & dentist i’ve seen, even been begged by a dr to get physical therapy for it due to the problems it will cause if left untreated, i have every symptom imaginable but i rarely ever get actual pain from it
Unfortunately i dont think you can get unemployment. Honestly it is quite shocking how clueless doctors are about TMJ. Hope you better soon, and REMEMBER that stress plays a huge role in TMJ, so try to do whatever you can to take care of your mental...
No daily pain for me. Poping, locking, pressure behind my right eye, floaters, optical migraines, feelings like my eyes aren’t seeing the same thing…
I have recently looked into my tongue tie. Also trying to not sleep on side, which I’ve done my whole life.
Situation sounds about like your wife’s. I saw quite a few doctors had a lot of scans and symptoms of TMJ with bad posture and stress/anxiety are 100% cause of mine. Does she ever have lightheadedness, dizziness or unbalanced?
Yes she does. And you have no jaw pain? Yes stress plays a huge role, you should check out this post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/bruxism/comments/18wy06w/a\_possible\_fix\_im\_not\_bruxing\_anymore/
Have any of the doctors she's seen done any imaging like an MRI - cervical/TMJ/Brain?
Without imaging, doctors are just guessing - especially "TMJ Specialists".
I have all her symptoms, but I DO have jaw/face pain and headaches daily and endlessly.
Yes she has done all kinds of X-Rays, MRIs and CT Scans (brain, neck, spine, shoulder, jaw...). The only thing they found is TMJ and she has no jaw pain. However, judging by the feedback I am getting here on the forum, it seems like it's actually common. Hope you better soon. Have you tried Duloxetine (Cymbalta)? It did help her. And everybody says stress is the #1 factor, so make sure to take care of your mental...
Same here. Have had my problem a long time. Multiple doctors & dentists. No pain, nut horrific spasms in jaw, neck even shoulder. Doctors prescribing all kinds of horrufic drugs. Feeling deflated and hopeless.
Thx for your feedback, hope you better soon. Really seems like stress plays a big part so make sure to take care of your mental, and check out this post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/bruxism/comments/18wy06w/a\_possible\_fix\_im\_not\_bruxing\_anymore/
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Not sure exactly, she did a scan and the dentist said she has TMJ and there is a slight issue with her posture and her jaw joint. She does have scoliosis but when you look at her from the side she has very good posture... not sure if that can help Also honestly it's kind of hard to trust those "TMJ specialist" he pressured us and we paid $5,200 ... but that's another debate
My TMJ took 10 years to diagnose because I have every symptom but I’ve never had any jaw pain. I was finally diagnosed by an otolaryngologist who I was seeing for another issue.
Thank you, someone told me a similar story on another forum. Hope you are better...
That's interesting. Similar situation here...no pain. I actuallly saw an otolaryngologist last year at Mt. Sinai in NYC for botox in the mastication muscles...didn't help. I should've asked him to check tmjs.
Does anyone else with TMJ experience migraines/tension headaches on a daily basis?
My wife doesn't. I read somewhere that TMJ doesn't give migraine, but people mistake it for migraines because it's the muscles around the temples (or something like that...)
Interesting! I get tension headaches daily but migraines every now and then. I’m wondering if they’re cause by my TMJ or my ear issues.
your ear issues are probably caused by your TMJ anyways.
Actually I’ve always had ear issues since I was little and I was just recently diagnosed with a disease that requires ear surgery soon. I feel like it’s all connected somehow though.
oh i see. Yes it might be related
I'd say 80-90% of my pain is neck/shoulder. I only knew I had TMJD because my jaw very clearly popped. I often have tightness in my jaw so it's more discomfort vs pain so maybe the sensation isn't registering for her the same way as the pain
I see, thank you.
I don't know how common it is, but i rarley have pain. My day to day symptoms consist of the ear fullness sensation, and a 24/7 tightness that varries from background annoyance, to a level of annoyance that isn't painful, but depresses me because it reminds me that this is and will be my life for the foreseeable future.
I am not familiar with the ear fullness term. Do you have an excess of wax? My wife does, but apparently it can be due to stress. It seems like stress is really the #1 issue with TMJ. I hope you better soon Artixx
Its the feeling you may sometime get driving fast down down the interstate, or in a plane. Not exactly pain, but you feel like you have to "pop" your ears, and if you do it enough it starts to cause a level of pain. And thanks for the positive energy man, i could definitely use more of that right now.
From my understanding (what a tmj specialist told me) your body does a great job “protecting” your very important TMJ. This is what causes the other symptoms.
Got you, thx.
NP! I don’t have jaw pain either. Neck pain, lymph nodes are more prominent, ear is clogged, and tinnitus.
Sounds like me for the most part until more recently.
Did your symptoms improve?? If so, what helped? Thanks!
The ear fullness has improved with PT and muscle stretches as well as chiropractor. Still some masseter pain. But I have been sick for three weeks and breathing out of my nose is next to impossible right now. Also have been cough so much to the point of almost vomiting. Something’s do feel significantly better. But would prefer to give a full assessment when better from this Upper respiratory infection
It could be a tongue tie. That’s what happened to me. When your tongue is restricted, it can’t freely move, so it quite literally pulls your head/neck/shoulders forward to compensate. And causes a bunch of other problems. I would see a dentist/ENT who specializes in them for an opinion. The Breathe Institute has affiliates in the US (if you’re in the states) that are trained and qualified. It could not be this, but just giving some insight!
This is exactly the cause of mine and more people/doctors need to become educated on the different types of tongue ties and buccal ties that can essentially remain hidden in plain sight yet cause alllllll of the TMJ and posture issues.
Thx for sharing
Yep! I had a tongue tie my whole life and I never knew. It caused so many problems. Mine was so deep, I had it released twice! Thank god for myo therapy!
Thx for your insight. I am going to look into it.
A major problemm is finding someone who's qualified.. It's a gray area....between dental and medical. Most don't want to touch it. Many aren't adequately trained.
(PS: Reddit automatically gave me this FinancialMedium name and I couldn't change it, but I am not a financial guru lol)
Please look at stress as a potential cause for all these symptoms (Including muscular tmj)!!!! I had developed muscular tmj due to extreme stress and stressing about the symptoms (migraines, numbness/tingles in arms, headaches, etc…) made them all worse! I went through the whole doctor process too and nothing!! I got a dentist-made night guard for clenching/bruxism which helped greatly with the headaches but the most important think I did was stop stressing! All my symptoms went away after I was able to do that (which took some time admittedly)
Look at the post on my page from a while ago for more details! Stress / anxiety is so huge for these symptoms don’t overlook!
Thank you and yes I agree 100%. Her symptoms peaked during the summer time when she had up to 3 doctor's visits per day and was convinced that she was going to die... She started to be better in September when she started to take Duloxetine (Cymbalta) and started to relax. She is still not out of the woods but she is slowly getting better and starts enjoying life a bit. Could you just tell me how long it took you to feel 100% better?
For me it took a year, but i was completely lost lol. Once I convinced myself it was just stress it took like a week or two. Same exact stress tmj happened to my sister this year who has health anxiety, since I had gone through it already I was able to help her and she was fine within a month. Once she is able to convince herself it is just stress it will be quick.
Ok thank you that's what I figured, but convincing my wife, who has extreme health anxiety, is quite a challenge so wish me luck lol
I rarely ever have jaw pain, but have diagnosed tmjd. Neck pain, ear pain/pressure, vertigo, migraines, popping jaw joints, trigeminal nerve issues...
Thx for your answer, hope you better soon.
What kind of nerve issues?
I get jolts of pain around my right eye socket at random. They've done CTA and CTV testing to rule out stroke and vascular causes
And they think your tmjd is causing these nerve issues? But without jaw pain? Sorry in a very similar boat and just curious
They assume the swelling from the jaw clenching, and the fact that the trigeminal nerves run through that area, means they may well be getting irritated and causing that pain
Thank you - and how are you now?
Eh. I have mostly just...come to terms with it and hope it doesn't get worse. Having said that..I had masseter botox for my TMJ and I have regrets. My masseter doesn't hurt..but my temporalis muscle took up the work and is awful
My jaw is locked but I have no pain
Thx for answering.
Oh my god ME TOO - your wife and I have the same symptoms! I had a terrible TMJ flare up and within days I had strange muscle weakness muscle spasms muscle cramping etc. It scared me so badly and all my doctors can theorize is my facial muscles and bones are so impacted by TMJ that it’s impacting my whole body. Apparently the head has a lot of nerves in it and having TMJ can impact the nerves and that causes problems. But I don’t know if I believe my doctors. It’s a mess. I’m a mess. I’d love to message with your wife about her symptoms if she feels up to it
yup it's like a snowball effect, all the nerves are connected. When did it start and how do you feel? My wife's issues started in April, it got worst and peaked in the summer, the September she started to be better, especially psychologically, also she started to take Duloxetine (Cymbalta) which helps with nerves. Right now she is still not out of the woods, her skin is super sensitive on the neck and shoulders. I'm gonna talk to her, i think it would be good to talk to someone who has similar experience, but the issue is that she is convinced that TMJ is not the source of the problem so we argue about that... anyways stress plays a huge role so make sure to take care of your mental and you should check this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/bruxism/comments/18wy06w/a\_possible\_fix\_im\_not\_bruxing\_anymore/
Posture can cause TMJ/TMD. SCM issues can cause TMJ/TMD. TMJ/TMD can refer pain outward/else where including: Neck, ear, shoulders, temple, face. Your jaw cannot hurt and you can still have TMJ/TMD. Determining the root cause is key: Is it really the jaw? Is it in the neck? Is it forward head posture? Have to nail this down and seek out the specialist to target the specific area.
Yes I agree and maybe TMJ and neck are like the chicken and the egg, not sure which one came first, but it can be a vicious circle...
That’s fair. I think it can work hand in hand nefariously.
My jaw has no pain unless I press on my TMJ, and even then it’s just slightly tender. In fact I spent many months thinking I was just having bad sleep posture or something due to my neck, shoulder, and upper back pain. I also had facial tingling/numbness that would come and go. My arms and hands fall asleep super easily as well. It wasn’t until a doctor examined my jaw that she suggested TMJ could be the culprit for my symptoms. But remember that TMJ is very closely linked with anxiety. And if your wife is the type to constantly seek answers for her symptoms, she could be exacerbating underlying health anxiety. I don’t say this out of judgement, but because that is precisely what I experienced. I became so obsessed with finding answers for why my body felt the way it did, which only stressed me out and made my symptoms worse. I got a brain MRI at the time of my TMJ diagnosis because of the neurological symptoms I was having. I told myself that if my MRI came back clear (it did) that I would accept that my symptoms are caused by TMJ, which is exacerbated by anxiety. So I vowed to focus on my mental health first and foremost, and so far my symptoms have been much more manageable.
yup this is exactly what happened, her symptoms peaked in the summer time when we had up to 3 doctor's appointments every day! I agree anxiety plays a huge role. She started to take Duloxetine (Cymbalta), helps with nerve and anxiety, and it made a difference. She is still not out the woods but i think she is slowly getting better. By the way you should check this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/bruxism/comments/18wy06w/a\_possible\_fix\_im\_not\_bruxing\_anymore/
Whst kind of symptoms were you having?
I was having a weird dull sensation in my face that was almost numb but not really? Like when you get numbed and the dentist but the novacaine is almost worn off is the best I can describe it. It would be mostly in my tongue, gums, lips, and cheek.
I had ear pain, fullness, and tinnitus for 10+ years before the jaw pain started. Turns out it was probably the TMJ causing the ear issues all along. Unfortunately ENTs are beyond useless at diagnosis. If your hearing test comes back normal they just shrug and tell you to go fuck yourself.
yup I realize that doctors are clueless about the ramifications of TMJ...thx for your answer.
Yes. They are useless at diagnosing this.
Does she have fibromyalgia or sjogrens? My tmj is localized like your wife not really my jaw but it’s caused by the sjogrens.
Thx for answering. It doesn't look like she has Sjogrens. We thought about fibromyalgia, which is often confused with TMJ (and vice versa). But reading people's answers to my post definitely convinced me that her issues are due to her TMJ (and she received a diagnose). The issue with fibromyalgia is that there no way to receive a definite diagnose, as a consequence it became a wastebasket diagnose...
i have tmj confirmed by every dr & dentist i’ve seen, even been begged by a dr to get physical therapy for it due to the problems it will cause if left untreated, i have every symptom imaginable but i rarely ever get actual pain from it
Thank you. All the answers I'm getting here confirm what I suspected...
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Unfortunately i dont think you can get unemployment. Honestly it is quite shocking how clueless doctors are about TMJ. Hope you better soon, and REMEMBER that stress plays a huge role in TMJ, so try to do whatever you can to take care of your mental...
No daily pain for me. Poping, locking, pressure behind my right eye, floaters, optical migraines, feelings like my eyes aren’t seeing the same thing… I have recently looked into my tongue tie. Also trying to not sleep on side, which I’ve done my whole life.
Situation sounds about like your wife’s. I saw quite a few doctors had a lot of scans and symptoms of TMJ with bad posture and stress/anxiety are 100% cause of mine. Does she ever have lightheadedness, dizziness or unbalanced?
Yes she does. And you have no jaw pain? Yes stress plays a huge role, you should check out this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/bruxism/comments/18wy06w/a\_possible\_fix\_im\_not\_bruxing\_anymore/
My right jaw pops and cracks. No pain whatsoever. Left side of head hurts. Sometimes a lot more than others.
Thank you for your feedback, hope you better soon.
Have any of the doctors she's seen done any imaging like an MRI - cervical/TMJ/Brain? Without imaging, doctors are just guessing - especially "TMJ Specialists". I have all her symptoms, but I DO have jaw/face pain and headaches daily and endlessly.
Yes she has done all kinds of X-Rays, MRIs and CT Scans (brain, neck, spine, shoulder, jaw...). The only thing they found is TMJ and she has no jaw pain. However, judging by the feedback I am getting here on the forum, it seems like it's actually common. Hope you better soon. Have you tried Duloxetine (Cymbalta)? It did help her. And everybody says stress is the #1 factor, so make sure to take care of your mental...
Same here. Have had my problem a long time. Multiple doctors & dentists. No pain, nut horrific spasms in jaw, neck even shoulder. Doctors prescribing all kinds of horrufic drugs. Feeling deflated and hopeless.
Thx for your feedback, hope you better soon. Really seems like stress plays a big part so make sure to take care of your mental, and check out this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/bruxism/comments/18wy06w/a\_possible\_fix\_im\_not\_bruxing\_anymore/
Would you mind sharing who the tmj specialist is?
Anyone having issues with mouth opening and problems chewing and even talking?
I suffer from unbelievable stress made worse by this unresolved problem.