Arthritis in my jaw?

624 Views 15 Replies 10 Participants Last post by KarolH, Sep 16, 2008

sadieone

Discussion Starter · Sep 8, 2008

Hello Everyone,

I have another symptom I would like to run past you. Its never ending it seems.

I have jaw pain. My left Temporomandibular (as the doctors call it) Hurts.

It hurts especially when i close my mouth and try to bite down, so that means it hurts when i chew as well. For a couple of days while having this pain it radiated through the roots of my teeth, top and bottom of the left side only. My ear always feels clogged,, and I had that feeling before and the doctor didn't see anything. And occasionally i'll get a sharp pain in my ear.

The scarry part is some times it feels like the muscle is swollen so much so that when i try to bite down my teeth don't align properly.

Chewing makes it feel better if i do it for hours at a time and it most definately helps with my sjogrens. But if i don't chew for a while it feels as though i can't bite down on that left side only.

I have tried googling arthitis in the jaw and didn't get much information. On site mentioned artritis in the jaw could be possible if one has it elsewhere in the body. That would be me.

But this is the first time i really thought about this. It came in went in the past. Now it seems to be here to stay.

i'm afraid to open my mouth, cuz if I try to close it, it may not close properly.

I hate the thought of bringing this up to my rheumy,, but this will be the second time he would have to check my left ear with added symptoms,, this year. Maybe i won't sound like a hypocondriac if a symptom reappears.

Has anyone had this problem??

Please say i'm not the only one

1 - 16 of 16 Posts

Maia

· #2 · Sep 8, 2008

I've had symptoms similar to yours, but not quite the same. In my case it was due to sinus infection and/or ear infection that took far too long to diagnose. The sinus infection wasn't diagnosed and treated until after an MRI was done to check for anything sinister for the never ending bad headache I get. Ended up getting the sinus infection diagnosis from that at least.

I think the length of time you've had these symptoms, as well as the worsening severity requires another mention to the doctor and possibly some pushing on your part to get some answers. It might be time for a scan of some sort to get a better look inside at all those structures and see if anything shows up that way.

I am also wondering what your dentist thinks & if anything has been suggested/tried based on what he has seen and heard from you regarding these symptoms.

Good luck with this - & don't worry about sounding like a hypochondriac. It needs to be addressed again; a good doctor will understand

sadieone

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 8, 2008

Thanks Maia,

I do have issues with sinuses and a constant drip going to the back of my throat which leaves a bit of mucus that when i cough tastes like i have a cold,,(if you know what i mean). No yellowing in the fluid just thick white fluid to clear.

Rheumy gave me Astelin nasal spray for it and it works good for stuffiness i get sometimes at night and morning,, and nasal drip all other times.

I just feel like i'm falling apart like humpty dumpty and i can't put myself back together again.

I'll take your suggestion and ask my rhuemy if i could have it scanned. I"m due for a chest xray maybe they can do my jaw as well.

Thanks a lot for your imput Maia.

lazylegs

· #4 · Sep 9, 2008

Hi Sadie,

It happens to me also. What has helped me the most is learning how to relax the jaw. I didn't even realize how tight I was holding mine until I did these simple moves in yoga.
1. Slightly open your mouth. Lower the right side of your lower jaw 1/2 inch and hold for a few seconds. Return jaw to the starting point. Repeat two more times. Then do the same thing to the left side.

2. Slightly open your mouth. Rotate your lower jaw in a very tiny circle about five times. Then do the same circling in the opposite direction.

It took about a week for me to notice a real difference. Now I rarely have any jaw pain.

Take care,
Lazylegs

BrendaE

· #5 · Sep 9, 2008

jaw

I have no expertise re: the autoimmune problems and the jaw but can say your symptoms mirror mine of a few years ago. An ultrasound showed it was purely and simply degenerative disease of the joint and, in my case, probably due to wear and tear caused by lack of lower back teeth and compounded by a severe overbite. My dentist fixed me up with a bridge and hey presto - no more jaw pain since.

I hope yours is as easily fixed. It isn't any fun having that severe pain when chewing, is it?

Best wishes
Bren

sadieone

Discussion Starter · #6 · Sep 9, 2008

Lazylegs,

I have started those exercises you recommend. I noticed when first moving my jaw after being still for a while it is sore and out of alignment as my teeth rub against each other in the most uncomfortable, unnatural way.

But once i start to move it , the discomfort is minimized. So i started your exercises. I can feel a difference. I'll keep it up

Thank your :0

lazylegs

· #7 · Sep 9, 2008

Hi Sadie,

I hope they help you.

Once I realized I was holding my jaw so tensely I started looking for the times I did it the most. When I drive it is the worst, so now i do the little circles when I stop at a light. Relaxing the jaw also leads me to relax the shoulders and arms. Driving is much less tiring now.

Take care,
Lazylegs

sam101360

· #8 · Sep 9, 2008

Sadieone:

It could be TMJ, this can also be relieved with a bite retainer that you wear at night and as needed during the day. I had to have TMJ surgery as it had progressed too far to be corrected with exercise or a retainer, however I still wear the retainer at night to ensure that the condition doesn't return.

A dentist would, if concerned, refer you to a maxiofacial surgeon, as they are the ones who treat TMJ. If it is TMJ and remains un-treated it could become more serious and require surgery, so if you have dental coverage, see your dentist, dont slef diagnose.

Stephanie

sadieone

Discussion Starter · #9 · Sep 9, 2008

Goodness!
I would love to be the driver that pulls up next to you and watch you do that. lol

sadieone

Discussion Starter · #10 · Sep 9, 2008

Hi Sam,

Thank you for your advice. There are 2 things i don't do. Knives and dentists. I know i have to grow up sooner or later and deal with them eventually, but today is not the day.

Thank you so much for your reapply

K-MARIE

· #11 · Sep 14, 2008

HI,'
Afew years back I had terrrible jaw pain even when sleeping I felt the pain up in my ears and all I could eat was soft foods, I went to have a xray and was told it was tmj, reading up on it was upsetting finding that some people never get rid of the pain, but mine did resolve to gone, and later I found the cause,,, I had eaten frozen charleston chews, ( you might wonder why eat them frozen >>> well it was a ploy to leave them alone, but when the urge strikes i would eat them anyway even frozen and believe me it was difficult),, when the jaw pain started I of course couldnt eat them and never realized this led to the problem, when I got better I tried them ( yum) only to realize very instantly THAT THEY casued the muscle spasm in my jaw,,, tmj symptoms,, so be careful fo avoid any foods that stress your jaw muscles. I hope it heals soon, it is so painful!

AmandaB

· #12 · Sep 15, 2008

sam101360;520196 said:
Sadieone:

It could be TMJ, this can also be relieved with a bite retainer that you wear at night and as needed during the day. I had to have TMJ surgery as it had progressed too far to be corrected with exercise or a retainer, however I still wear the retainer at night to ensure that the condition doesn't return.

A dentist would, if concerned, refer you to a maxiofacial surgeon, as they are the ones who treat TMJ. If it is TMJ and remains un-treated it could become more serious and require surgery, so if you have dental coverage, see your dentist, dont slef diagnose.

Stephanie

Hiya,

I have TMJ too which was diagnosed after being referred to a maxiofacial surgen. I had to have all my wisdom teeth removed which releived the aches. I now have a jaw that clicks every morning, well, actually it's more like a clonking noise but none the less the pain has gone. I do find that I clench my teeth though and have become very aware of when I need to relax. Stay away from chewing gum - a definate no-no.

Hope this helps,
Amanda

helloos

· #13 · Sep 15, 2008

Lazylegs - I too do this while I drive. It is quite annoying. I do sometimes chew gum which is a no no when you have TMJ but it relieves it and makes me not so tense.

There is another exercise for the jaw. Put your tongue on the roof of your mouth, keep it there, and open your mouth slowly and close, repeat. It opens the jaw correctly as when you have TMJ and you look in the mirror your jaw does not open straight. It goes to one side. You can also look in the mirror and open your jaw slowly and close it and concentrate on how you are opening it so it does not open crooked. A little physical therapy I guess. :hehe:

sadieone

Discussion Starter · #14 · Sep 15, 2008

K marie

The only way to really eat charleston is Frozen. Just the tought brings be back when i was a teen

Pamatha

· #15 · Sep 16, 2008

Jaw Joint Pain

I have experienced swelling in my temporomandibular joint. I had an episode that lasted about four months. I lost 18 pounds because I could not open my mouth enough to get food in. The only thing that helped was to rest my jaw. I fought it four about 3 months before I reduced my speaking to as little as possible, stopped trying to eat and drank high calorie drinks through a straw. Once I did this I was much better after a few weeks. Which sounds like a long time but after struggling for 3 months it was worth it.

KarolH

· #16 · Sep 16, 2008

Sadie,

Somehow I missed this post.

This has been a problem with me for some time now, only on my right side coupled with loss of hearing.

I do not know if it is normal with Lupus or not as I am too new to this whole thing and trying to learn right now.

I think you should make mention of it to your doctor and let him decide the best way to handle it.

Good luck getting it resolved.:wink2:

1 - 16 of 16 Posts

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