Finally something is done about my jaw pain

[MissHoneychurch]

almost 3 weeks after it started. YAY. I am in pain since almost 3 weeks. I went to hospitals over the holidays, all they did was giving my painkillers that didn't really help (I was not home over the holidays). Went to my dentist yesterday finally. It is diagnosed as pain in the jaw joint. No idea where it comes from but it hurts as hell even if I don't move my jaw. The dentist made an imprint (?) of my teeth and on Friday I get something like a brace to relax my jaw over night. It will take a while till the pains goes away, isn't that wonderful? And I still have no idea how I got it in the first place. That sucks.

[Oeditpus Rex]

1. Have you been grinding or clenching your teeth

in your sleep?

So glad you're gonna get rid of the pain. :hug:

[MissHoneychurch]

2. not that I know of

don't have a history of that. I didn't yawn too much either or anything. I have absolutely no idea where it comes from. It didn't come suddenly, the pain came over the time of a week, it got worse and worse. At least the painkiller my dentist gave me now is stronger than what I had over the holidays, so it is bearable.

Thanks for the :hug:

[Whoa_Nelly]

3. Bless your pea-pickin' heart!

Went through a month of an infected tooth and was on a road trip when the worst of it hit. No amount of painkillers would touch it.

Sure hope you find peace and comfort, MissHoneychurch!

[MissHoneychurch]

4. OUCH

an infected tooth sounds worse to me than my jaw joint paint. The pain isn't going away but it gets numbed by the painkiller I have now. It is worst in the morning.

Glad you got through it without killing somebody.

[Whoa_Nelly]

5. Between the no sleep, the vicodin and the pain

I was too busy

[MissHoneychurch]

9. I felt like hiding and feeling sorry for myself

when the pain got too much. Not very much grown-up :)

[NMMNG]

6. That sounds very painful

I hope the brace proves helpful and your pain is resolved quickly. :hug:

[MissHoneychurch]

10. I hope so too

but my dentist warned me that it won't be over in two days. Darn.

[Robeson]

7. So sorry to hear about that.....

...did you ask your dentist about TMJ http://www.dental--health.com/faq_tmj.html just to make sure all your bases are covered? If you feel no relief, you may want to check into that. However, I hope you feel better after this visit...:thumbsup:

[MissHoneychurch]

8. some others here already told me about TMJ

but to tell the truth, I have no idea whatsoever what the German term for that is. But I think my dentist does the right thing. The dentist at the hospital in Berlin pretty much told me the same thing about me needing that splint(?). They both told me it will take a while before the pain will go away.

[Robeson]

11. Let us hope everything works out good!......

...and if not, print out the link I noted, and give it to the next dentist/doctor you visit. But I'm hoping for the best...:-)

[MissHoneychurch]

12. Thanks Robeson

I hope for it also. What sucks also is that I actually have pretty good teeth and almost no problems whatsoever with it. And there comes my jaw, deciding it would be fun to give me pain :eyes:

[LynzM]

20. I can't find it in German, either

But I found this: www.rad.washington.edu/tmj/ Might help a little? I hope that it gets better for you soon and that the painkillers can take the edge off, in the meantime :hug:

[In_The_Wind]

13. I'm glad you found out what was causing your pain.

I have one more suggestion that I'll deliver by PM, my friend.

www.jacquielawson.com/viewcardm.asp?token=fd7e1043a35fbdf6727c2b074b7f1e36152197&hist=XE35850794

[MissHoneychurch]

14. I will open your card at home

noit working here at work.

Right now I am in pain again: Just took another pill, so I hope the pain will go away again. My boss already told me that I can go home early if I want to. Maybe I take her by it. It is quiet here anyway.

[In_The_Wind]

15. Ouch! I'm sorry.

When I was having a TMJ problem, I avoided chewing on solid cuts of meat.

May I suggest soups and stews for a few days.

[Left_Winger]

16. Ouch!

I had a similar problem about 15 years ago. It came from gritting my teeth when I was stressed. The result was "crumpled" cartilage in my jaw joint and my jaw locked shut. I had to wear a brace in my mouth (painful!) for about six months to correct the problem.

I sympathize with your condition and I hope it all works out easily for you.

[MissHoneychurch]

17. please not six months

I still can move my jaw, but I will have to wear a brace during nights to fix it. And I am not gritting me teeth, so I really have no idea where it comes from. But the denitist already told me it will take a while.

[Left_Winger]

18. I was asked a stupid question back then...

Was I gritting my teeth during the night as I slept. How could I know that?

The brace I had to wear pushed my jaw down so that the cartilage could flex back to its normal position. This hurt so bad that a prescription for darvon was given to me, but I had to wear the brace 24/7 for six months.

[Brewman_Jax]

19. Welcome back!

I'm glad that the pain can be easily (i.e. without surgery) treated. I have an appointment tomorrow to see about the lower back pain I have.

[LibertyLover]

21. Had the same thing

about 20 years ago. I woke up one morning in such pain that I couldn't go to work. I went to the dentist thinking it was an infected tooth - nothing. So I called the doctor who thought it might be a sinus infection and ordered antibiotics. That didn't work. I was taking lots of over the counter pain medication, which dulled it slightly. After about 2 weeks the MD and the DDS conferred and determined that it was TMJ. The DDS fitted me with a bite guard to keep me from clamping the jaw during the night, the MD ordered Valium for a month taken going to bed and also did a course of acupuncture (he had just gotten his certification and thought it might be helpful). The TMJ went away and has pretty much stayed away since. I only wear the bite plate now when I get twinges. If possible, see if the dentist will prescribe a low dose of valium for you to take going to bed for a few weeks. It really helped break the cycle of teeth clenching for me. Once you get the bite plate, you should start to see a difference fairly quickly. Good luck.

[GOPisEvil]

22. That's really good news!!

:woohoo: