TMJ

Question: tmj.......................? anyone have or has had tmj? if you have it then you knoe what it stands for if not its just somthing with your muscles in your jaw, i have it and i like cant get over th pain nothing works. and i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions

Answer: It stands for temporal mandibular joint. It is the joint where your jaw connects to your head. The best way to reduce the pain is soft foods for 6 weeks. I also you Ibuprofen (recommend by my doctor). After 6 weeks of soft food you can add in regular food but avoid that bad stuff like gum, hard thins, popcorn....etc You can also get a referral for a physical therapist that specializes in TMJ. I personally have been able to keep my pain down to minimal to none without PT. But it is out there...

Question: TMJ..........................? can i eat a burger with TMJ? i havent had one in a LONG time haha

Answer: as long as the burger is not too big and you don't have to open your mouth too wide, it should be fine. also make sure that the meat is not too tough, or else you'll have a problem chewing it. take small bites.

Question: Are there any exercises or natural ways to relieve my TMJ pain? My jaw is steadily becoming more painful and I've been getting tons of migraines because of my TMJ. Are there natural remedies for pain relief? I'd prefer any tips for TMJ self-care, because I don't want to take anything for it. I've heard of people doing exercises that provided TMJ pain relief, does anybody know of any?

Answer: Exercises? That would make it worse not better. You have your pain because the muscles in your jaw have tightened up so they aren't working the way they should and once you release them the pain you are having will be gone. Here's how to release those muscles: Jaw muscles, TMJ: Put your fingers on your head so your thumbs are behind your ears. Press into the back of your jaw next to the skull and hold that pressure. After 30 seconds slowly raise your head until your neck is fully extended then open your mouth as far as you can. Release the pressure but hold your head and mouth like that for another 30 seconds. If you still have the headache after that is released then you still have tight muscles in your neck and to get rid of that pain you have to release the muscles in your neck. Here's how to do that: Neck Put your hands alongside your head so your thumbs are on the front of the muscle under your ear and your fingers are on the back of the muscle behind your head. Squeeze your thumb and fingers together and hold. Relax your body. After 45 seconds, slowly lower your head as far as you can, release the pressure but hold your neck lowered for another 30 seconds. With your neck in the lowered position, replace your thumbs in under the ears and your fingers behind your head but right next to your skull this time. Press your fingers and thumbs together again and hold. Relax your body while waiting. When the muscles have all released, slowly lift your head until it’s level again, release the pressure but hold your head like that for another 30 seconds. for best results relax your body first by taking a deep breath and exhaling.

Question: Is added pain of TMJ a sympton of infection & having procedures, or should I go to oral surgeon? I have TMJ & had it for years. Since May, I've been having procedures for 2 chronic root canal infections and other teeth. I've had a nightguard made & it helps alot. I want to know if I should see oral surgeon or is this from all the procedures and infection in that area? Are there therapies or something for this pain?

Answer: I don't think it indicates infection, I think it is from having to have your mouth open for so long while having other procedures done. It has put added stress on the joint and maybe some inflamation is getting in the joint. I would try some advil for the pain and it also helps get rid of inflamation. Give it some time to get better from all the work you have had done on your mouth and if it does not improve in a few weeks go see your dentist or oral surgeon.

Question: Can I claim my TMJ expenses on my income tax this year? I've spent over $2000 out of pocket to cover treatments and doctor visits for my TMJ problem. Can I claim this on my taxes and get money back?

Answer: You can deduct medical expenses if they total more than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income and you itemize your expenses instead of taking the standard deduction. Example: Your adjusted gross income is $40,000, 7.5% of which is $3,000. You paid medical expenses of $2,000. You cannot deduct any of your medical expenses because they are not more than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income.

Question: What is TMJ and what does the dentist do about it? In the middle of the night I woke up and when I moved the bottom of my jaw to the left I could feel the bones pop and go back in place when I moved my jaw to its original position. It just happened all of a sudden! Up till now my jaw does lock, but I don't feel it pop like it did. It still does pop and it hurts. My mom told me I have TMJ and started listing family members (including herself) that have it. What is TMJ and what does the dentist do about it?

Answer: TMJ is the term for the joint. TMD is temporomandibular disorder, which means that you are having problems with that joint (just like you can have problems with any other joint). The dentist would usually recommend a nightguard to help maintain your jaw in the correct position, or for severe cases, surgery may be necessary.

Question: What are options for treating tmj associated pain? I will be getting braces on in the next few months. Before I get them on my orthodontist has referred me to an oral surgeon because I have tmj pain ocassionaly and my lower jaw is also not right (it grew down too much and not long enough). What I want to know is what ways are there of treating jaw pain including non-surgical ways.

Answer: That would depend. But you do need to see the doctor first. the surgeon won't be treating your pain but correcting the issue with your jaw and he hopes that was the cause of the pain and then it will just go away.

Question: Could the TMJ Effusion be what is causing my chronic headaches and facial pain? I had a Brain MRI (with and without contrast) and a MRI of my TMJs ("Temporomandibular Joints") done. I think the Brain MRI came back normal, but the TMJ MRI showed effusion in both of my TMJs. Is the effusion in my TMJs what could be causing my chronic headaches?

Answer: Yes, this is a likely cause of your headaches. Be sure to discuss this with whoever suspected you had TMJ & ordered the tests so they can help you with treatment options. Take care, -Razzle

Question: How long does TMJ (TemporoMandibular Joint) pain last and how can i get rid of it? Im feeling this pain in my ear and jaw and im guessing its TMJ. How do i get rid of it and how long will it take for it to go away. The pain is on the left side. Can eat but painful and can't open my mouth all the way without pain.

Answer: Don't wait for it to get worse, my TMJ started out like that, and I let it progress for months. I finally got it looked at when the pain was so bad i could barely eat. I now wear a day bite plate, and a mouth guard when i sleep, it has helped me so much. I highly suggest you go to you're dentist, who should be able to give you the name of a good specialist.

Question: Any ways to cope with the pain of TMJ? Please give me any hints, tips, suggestions, remedies that you know of for TMJ that work. I have facial soreness, muscle soreness, pain under my eyes, and I do not want to get surgery for it. Thanks.

Answer: You need to avoid, chewy foods as much as possible: bagels, gum, taffy. If you are going to eat an apple or something like that, make sure to cut it up, don't try to bite it. Sometimes I put a hot rag on my jaw joints and it helps, temporarily, but it helps, and ibuprofen helps as well. Definitely get you a bite guard to wear while you sleep, I have one and it does help.

Question: If Tmj is causing your jaw to lock up, How do you unlock it? My jaw is locked up on one side, I have Tmj , May jaw is also swollen some from having 2 wisdom teeth taken out on the other side. Any ideas on how to make it loosen up?

Answer: mine does this all the time! take a very hot rag.. run warm water on it. . and place up there kinda press on hte rag with your hand and try to open slowly! it should help thats what my denist told me to do about it

Question: Why is it so hard to get a doctor to treat your tmj correctly? I've been to five different doctors, none of which have been able to help me when it comes to tmj and my terrible headaches that i've been suffering with for five years. i'm going to a dentist tomorrow and i hope that they can help me. it seems like doctors just want to prescribe you a ton of medication and never really solve the problem.

Answer: because you need to see an orthordontis. they say that you need a splint but tell them no. I have had one and it did nothing. you need a biteblock. It is like a splint except it has a spring in it. you wear it at night time when you sleep only. It is not cheap, but you will never regret it. When the orthordontis says to try the splint tell him or her you dont want to waste money and you know a lot of people that have tried them and they don't work. you don't have to know them I do. But a doctor can not help you with this. there maybe a chance that a denture center maybe able to make one but i don't know for sure mine was made by my orthordontist. worked great the only thing that worked.

Question: Why would a nighttime mouth guard warn against using it if you have TMJ problems? I have some pretty bad TMJ issues and will be seeing a specialist shortly, but I grind my teeth so badly at night that my teeth and jaw hurt when I wake up. I wanted to use an over-the-counter mouth guard for some relief until I see the specialist, but the package warns not to use if you have TMJ or jaw clicking associated with TMJ. Any ideas as to why?

Answer: Night guards are sold over the counter not for TMJ problems exactly but for a condition known as bruxism or grinding of teeth. Since you already have a TMJ problem, wearing mouth guards are going to worsen things because of abnormal muscle pull in the TMJ area. Thats why dont use it when you are sleeping.

Question: Which is better to help tmj, craniosacral therapy or chiropractic? I have recently been dx with tmj. I had 3 surgeries (which required my mouth to be open) and 2 root canals done. Plus I clench at night and when stressed. I had some craniosacral therapy 1 time and I could see where this would really help but it's expensive. Can a chiropractor help tmj too?

Answer: I'm sure a lot of chiropractors (and die hard believers) will answer that chiropractic can certainly help, but that's because they think chiropractic can help anything and everything. A similar practitioner (osteopath) has already given his two cents. To which, I have to comment. He stated that with his techniques he's had "some good results". To me, the word "some" means that majority of the time the results were not favorable. That is the difference between these alternative practitioners and conventional medical doctors. Alternative practitioners like chiropractors (and apparently osteopaths) will stick with their only "catch all" type of treatment, no matter what (maybe because its all they can do? Although Osteopaths in the U.S. can provide conventional medical treatments as well). But you'll see a chiropractor continue to "adjust" patients despite the many patients who don't improve. Eventually, one patient is bound to tell them that they feel better. And when that happens, they'll make comments like, "I've seen some success with this treatment". Compared to what!? Two success stories will make the chiropractor instantly forget about the two dozen failures. And that brings me to my last point. Chiropractors never concede a failure, because they'll always rationalize that it just hasn't started to work yet. Or they'll say, "even though you can't tell, it is working". In other words, your feedback is only important when it validates what they've done. But to answer your question, I'd see a real medical doctor that specializes in these types of disorders.

Question: anyone have any tips on relieving the pain from tmj? im only 15, and ive had tmj for about four years. Its realllyyy bad, and ive gone to specialists and physio for it already but i was just wondering if anyone had some tips i could do at home that relieve the pain. I wear a mouthguard at night, im always massaging my jaw, completely stopped chewing gum, and even use deep cold when its really bad. any more tips on what i could do?

Answer: Unfortunately the TMJ is a joint and there are really no "specialist" for that particular joint. Night guard is the real only option that can "help" with the problem. The guard should be help your joint relax during the night but over the counter also may help. Stress plays a role with the pain as your muscles may tighten up by jaw clinching or teeth grinding at night during your sleep, at your age it's not unusual. As you grow up and TMD will decrease a bit. It will come and go. I guess it's more information than help. Sorry I can't help further. Good luck.

Question: Can a TMJ Effusion cause chronic headaches and facial pain? I had a brain MRI (with and without contrast) and a TMJs (Temporomandibular Joints) MRI done. I think the brain MRI came normal. However, the TMJ MRI found effusion in both compartments of both temporomandibular joints. Could the TMJ Effusion be what is causing my headaches and facial pain?

Answer: NO!

Question: After tmj injury what are the stats of complete recovery to chronic condition? Tonight I was teaching my three year old to break dance and when he was standing up he cracked me on the underside of my jaw. Initially it hurt but I thought it would go away. When I realized that I couldn't close my jaw completely I went to urgent care and they diagnosed it as TMJ. They couldn't give me very much information. Has anyone had this happen and made a full recovery? I still can't shut my jaw and its freaking me out.

Answer: Unfortunately I know of a lot of people that don't ever get full recovery. I didn't damage mine, but I got TMJ where my jaw locked closed... that was in May of 2007 and it's still closed. You can go to ehealth.com and tmjfriends.com to find good information about treatments, etc. I use those sites a lot! I hope yours gets better! Good luck.

Question: What do TMJ and FP stand for when describing bullet types? I was looking at an ammo suppliers catalog under 357 Magnum ammo. I didn't recognize what these acronyms stood for when it comes to bullet types. And yes, it is TMJ not FMJ.

Answer: TMJ is a full copper jacket surround the lead. FMJ bullets sometime have no copper on the base of the bullet exposed to the powder. FP is flat point.

Question: Can TMJ Effusion cause chronic headaches and facial pain? I had a brain MRI (with and without contrast) and a TMJs (temporomandibular joints) MRI done. I think the brain MRI came normal. However, the TMJ mri showed effusion in both "compartments" of both TMJs. Can TMJ effusion cause chronic headaches and facial pain?

Answer: T.M.J. can & will cause blinding pain & headaches.

Question: How can I alleviate the headache caused by TMJ? Today I ate some pasta and it was sort of thick. I have TMJ so if I have to eat anything hard to chew, I get a headache. It hurts quite a lot and my entire face sort of hurts as well. It's a dull ache. I'm wondering how to alleviate this headache? I don't have painkillers around, but I'll buy some tomorrow. Thanks in advance.

Answer: Ice the sore area 20 minutes on 20 minutes off. Don't put the ice directly on the skin cover it with a thin towel.