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Have a crooked jaw? Have a pushed back lower jaw? (Could cause an overbite.) Did you ever suck your thumb as a child or have asthma or large tonsels or adnoids or other mouth/throat problems that could have caused your jaw to grow wrong as a child? Have sore shoulders and neck? Have popping in your ears or jaw? Ever clench or grind your teeth? Ever have ear infections that weren't cured with antibiotics? Ever have fluid in your ear(s)? (Tingling or numbness in the fingers and migraines & headaches can also be symptoms.) Any of these things could indicate that you have TMJ!
Yes, what I have IS TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint disorder) & there is a solution! Why wasn't this explained to me properly? Why didn't my doctors know about it? Everyone should know about this. I feel so deceived by my GP, who has referred others to this dentist before, & the ENT who told me it was TMJ, but didn't give me the referral to this dentist until 3 mos. later, and the neurologist who gave me lots of tests I didn't need, and they should have known and properly informed me about TMJ!
The reason why I am so sure about the solution is the simple test he gave me and the way he explained it simply - no brochure or information on the web was so clear. My jaw is set back (I have an overbite) and it isn't aligned - it leans to the right, though it's not really noticeable to the everyday person who sees me. The jaw was pinching my nerve and creating all kinds of problems - probably for years - maybe all my life (I was a thumb sucker as a child)! Tight, sore muscles in my shoulders and neck are caused by this besides problems with reflexes and tinnitus because the nerve in the jaw is connected with nerves in the neck and throughout the body.
The simple test: He had me pull my lower jaw forward and to the left to align my jaw and then bite down on a little rubber thing he had (he says one can use a pencil to do it) and then he gave my right shoulder a little squeeze and the pain that I had before was gone! The tension and pain in my shoulder is caused by the nerve in my jaw! I had no idea. His simple demonstration proved it to me.
If we can find the money to pay for it (since it's a dentist treating a medical condition, the insurance companies haggle - it's about $1600 - $1900), I will have permanent relief in about a month (though not necessarily 100% relief). He'll make a mouth piece for me to wear to bed at night and even though I'll still have the problem during the day, it should relieve 40 - 75% of my problems that this has caused.
I want to write a letter to every doctor, ENT, & dentist I ever saw. My ear infections were NOT EAR INFECTIONS! They were caused by my jaw pushing fluid into my middle ear. When the antibiotics didn't work (they didn't test the fluid in my ear for bacteria), why didn't they know to consider TMJ?!
At one point I felt like putting a bullet in my head and the dentist who is treating me says he's treated several people who've tried to commit suicide.
Is it possible you or someone you know has TMJ? Got stiff, sore shoulders? Try that simple test (you might need someone to look to see if your jaw is aligned - my teeth can't come together when my jaw is aligned). There are few dentists who treat TMJ - I go to Dr. Younger in Waldorf, Maryland.
[Note: the dentist also said that you should never put heat on a joint (as they told me to do for the "ear infection") - always ice. ALSO, learn more about it at The American Academy of Head Neck and Facial Pain & at NIH. ANOTHER TIP: (from a friend via email) "More than once these days, when I have presented an alternative to a health care expert, the answer has been along the lines of 'Yes, that's a pretty good idea and worth a try.' So far I've refrained from ever responding 'Then why didn't you suggest it?' but I've often been tempted." - In other words, TAKE YOUR HEALTH CARE INTO YOUR OWN HANDS & DO MAKE SUGGESTIONS TO YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER (& ASK QUESTIONS). And one more email from someone with a personal TMJ experience site. And if you think you have it join this YahooGroup.]
Yes, what I have IS TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint disorder) & there is a solution! Why wasn't this explained to me properly? Why didn't my doctors know about it? Everyone should know about this. I feel so deceived by my GP, who has referred others to this dentist before, & the ENT who told me it was TMJ, but didn't give me the referral to this dentist until 3 mos. later, and the neurologist who gave me lots of tests I didn't need, and they should have known and properly informed me about TMJ!
The reason why I am so sure about the solution is the simple test he gave me and the way he explained it simply - no brochure or information on the web was so clear. My jaw is set back (I have an overbite) and it isn't aligned - it leans to the right, though it's not really noticeable to the everyday person who sees me. The jaw was pinching my nerve and creating all kinds of problems - probably for years - maybe all my life (I was a thumb sucker as a child)! Tight, sore muscles in my shoulders and neck are caused by this besides problems with reflexes and tinnitus because the nerve in the jaw is connected with nerves in the neck and throughout the body.
The simple test: He had me pull my lower jaw forward and to the left to align my jaw and then bite down on a little rubber thing he had (he says one can use a pencil to do it) and then he gave my right shoulder a little squeeze and the pain that I had before was gone! The tension and pain in my shoulder is caused by the nerve in my jaw! I had no idea. His simple demonstration proved it to me.
If we can find the money to pay for it (since it's a dentist treating a medical condition, the insurance companies haggle - it's about $1600 - $1900), I will have permanent relief in about a month (though not necessarily 100% relief). He'll make a mouth piece for me to wear to bed at night and even though I'll still have the problem during the day, it should relieve 40 - 75% of my problems that this has caused.
I want to write a letter to every doctor, ENT, & dentist I ever saw. My ear infections were NOT EAR INFECTIONS! They were caused by my jaw pushing fluid into my middle ear. When the antibiotics didn't work (they didn't test the fluid in my ear for bacteria), why didn't they know to consider TMJ?!
At one point I felt like putting a bullet in my head and the dentist who is treating me says he's treated several people who've tried to commit suicide.
Is it possible you or someone you know has TMJ? Got stiff, sore shoulders? Try that simple test (you might need someone to look to see if your jaw is aligned - my teeth can't come together when my jaw is aligned). There are few dentists who treat TMJ - I go to Dr. Younger in Waldorf, Maryland.
[Note: the dentist also said that you should never put heat on a joint (as they told me to do for the "ear infection") - always ice. ALSO, learn more about it at The American Academy of Head Neck and Facial Pain & at NIH. ANOTHER TIP: (from a friend via email) "More than once these days, when I have presented an alternative to a health care expert, the answer has been along the lines of 'Yes, that's a pretty good idea and worth a try.' So far I've refrained from ever responding 'Then why didn't you suggest it?' but I've often been tempted." - In other words, TAKE YOUR HEALTH CARE INTO YOUR OWN HANDS & DO MAKE SUGGESTIONS TO YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER (& ASK QUESTIONS). And one more email from someone with a personal TMJ experience site. And if you think you have it join this YahooGroup.]
On a personal note, I am so sorry you had to go through so many years of this before finding out what was really wrong. But I hope you feel better from here on!
tmj
Re: tmj
Your jaw can be non-surgically realigned!
I went to a tmj/sleep therapy clinic in Los Angeles where they took xrays of my jaw and showed me how they compared to a healthy jaw. The headaches are so severe I've ended up in the emergency room twice!
You mentioned you still have the problem in during the day, but my tmj doctor has a different method. He will treat me with a day orthotic which I will wear 24/7 for ~3 months then wean off, and a night orthotic which I will wear nightly indefinitely. This process, along with a special type of chiropractic therapy, will actually REALIGN the jaw without surgery!!! He has a success rate of 90%.
Also, they told me there that a patient petitioned their health insurance company and they agreed to pay a portion. So, I'm going to try that, because in Los Angeles, it is over $4,000 to treat.
Best of luck to you!
Re: Your jaw can be non-surgically realigned!
Edited at 2008-03-14 05:21 am (UTC)
Re: Your jaw can be non-surgically realigned!
Re: Your jaw can be non-surgically realigned!
tmj and ear problem
Re: tmj and ear problem
If the orthotic (mouth piece) that Dr. Younger of Waldorf gave me is helping, it is very slow to work. I've since read that orthotics that are worn 24X7 (some doctors in California have this, but I don't know about Maryland) take 3-9 mos. to relieve the tinnitus. So wearing it only while sleeping should take much longer. I tried wearing it during the day also, but I had to take it out to eat & have a conversation & brush my teeth & all of the putting it in & taking it out caused more inflammation with the whole side of my face swelling up, including my eye lid which was the most noticable.
So I'm back to the neurologist, Dr. Sethi also in Waldorf, for more tests, & he's prescribed muscle relaxers & anti-inflammatory drugs to see if that can help (I haven't started taking them yet since I just had the apt. today). Since I'm having neck problems (I had a severe car accident 2 yrs. ago & it could be related), I'm also scheduled to see a chiropractor who thinks he can help me. I've never had satisfaction with chiropractors in the past, but I never had a neck problem either. I'm willing to try different things since there seems to be no standard solution for this kind of problem & I don't seem to have the standar symptoms of TMJD either (no lock jaw or problems opening my mouth).
My insurance pays for the neurologist and chiropractor, but not the dentist - well, they did pay a little of the dentist but less than 10% of the charge. The dentist wants me to come in for regular checks on the orthotic, but I think $80+ per visit totally out-of-pocket is a lot when all he does is bend the orthotic a little bit to make it fit better & I think it is fitting well now. He also suggested that I apply ice to the joint (not the muscle) & I tried that quite a few times & it didn't seem to help me.
However, no doctor has suggested exercise & improved posture & yet I have tried it on my own & it seems to be helping somewhat. I think poor posture (sitting on a couch) made it worse. I'm working on my feet more & doing some neck exercises as well as, trying some belly dancing & other ways to exercise. It also helps me to focus on something else besides my tinnitus which I find harder to do when I'm sitting still at the computer.
But this is me and others have different symptoms and causes and find different solutions. Still I hope some of this might be helpful to you.
Edited at 2008-04-07 07:14 pm (UTC)