How often do your TMJ symptoms occur?

Question

I just found out that I have TMJ. I have experienced severe ear pain(right), loss of hearing (right ear), pain while opening mouth, trouble chewing.
My doctor made it sound like it was no big deal. The when symptoms occur i simply take large amounts of ibuprofen, an they will go away for however long, until the process starts over.

After some research online, I have read that some people have symptoms 24/7 nonstop and way worse than mine.


My question is how long do your symptoms last and how often do they occur?

Answer 1

I have mild TMJ so my symtoms aren't so bad.. But, I do have a suggestion for you to help ease the pain and maybe even correct the TMJ. I am a massage therapist and when I went to massage school we learned how to do TMJ work. It is somewhat uncomfortable when you are having the work done because someone is actually sticking thier fingers inside your mouth and massaging the inner mouth muscles, but it actually helps. I have had it done and it does make it a lot better. There are also excercises you can do to help also. Basically TMJ is tight facial muscles which affects the tibial mandibular joint of the jaw. just like when you hurt your back muscles it effects your joints. Anyway try this grab your lower jaw thumb under your tongue and the rest of your fingers under your chin pull your jaw down and out away from your face while doing this try counter acting this by pulling your jaw back with your jaw muscles. hold it for a count of 10 and release and then repeat it .. do this as often as you want to. I used to do this while watchin tv. It may look silly but it really helps relieve the pressure. Good luck I hope this helps.

Answer 2

I've had it for years, and after I grind my teeth when sleeping, my jaw will swell up and hurt. What I do to avoid symptoms: Never chew gum. The fewer times your jaw moves, the better. Don't take giant bites of something, like an apple. Cut it into smaller pieces. Sometimes I wear a plastic mouth/teeth guard when sleeping, to avoid teeth grinding. You can get one of these at the sports store. Try to avoid yawning... which I know is impossible. But the more times your mouth opens wide, the more chance that you'll have a sore jaw and TMJ symptoms. I try to avoid stress, which isn't easy to do either! But it helps. I don't think there's anything a doctor or dentist can do. I've had huge relief from the above stuff, which I learned at a medical seminar on TMJ. It was excellent!

Answer 3

I have TMJ, but it is not caused by tight muscles or grinding my teeth. The orthodontist did a poor job aligning my jaw as a teenager. Don't chew gum, or eat peanut brittle or very tough, chewy foods. That will help prevent problems. You may need a mouth guard to keep you from closing your teeth together.

Answer 4

I'm actually just about to go to the doctors again to see if there is anything he can do for me to stop the insane clicking. It just never goes, when I eat, talk, kiss, whatever, it is always there and my face aches. I think it started cos I grind my teeth all the time, even at night. If you discover a way to stop it happening, please let me know, good luck.

Answer 5

All day, every day. It definitely gets worse with stress, though.

Answer 6

mine is infrequent, sometimes my jax will just lock up when eating or brushing my teeth. it always grinds, but sometimes its worse than others.

Answer 7

Frequently, STRESS makes it worse!! RELAX!

Answer 8

When I am tired, or very nervous or anxious.