Do I Have a TMD/TMJ Problem?

Hi all

3 weeks ago I noticed an aching jaw one morning, I guessed I was grinding my teeth at night due to anxiety so went to see my dentist who said I probably was grinding my teeth at night and fitted me with a mouth guard which I picked up a week later. The guard hasn't helped with my jaw pain at all, I can't open my mouth wide enough to eat normally or eat hard/crunchy foods. I am wondering if there is any link between my neck/jaw problems and the tinnitus starting? I'd really appreciate any thoughts/advice from anyone who has TMJ please.

Thanks for reading =)

 

Hi Miss Todd. I have a few questions that might help clear things up. Did you start experiencing the jaw pain/tinnitus at the same time? Or were they two seperate events? Can you alter your Tinnitus with jaw movements (making it louder/higher pitch)? Does your T rise and fall in sync with your heartbeat at all? I'm not talking about classic pulsatile tinnitus, but a mild to moderate rise and fall in the volume of your T coinciding with your heart beat.

Hope you're doing well today!
-Steve

 

Can i say be careful about going the TMJ treatment route could end up costing thousands and an awful lot of time and heartache.Can I also add of all the Tinnitus forums etc I have never seen one poster say sorting their TMJ problems out stopped their tinnitus, The best TMJ guy in the country is this guy in Surrey http://www.openwide.biz/....but treatment is around £10000 and 2/3 years if you have a real TMJD issue.

 

Hello Steve

thanks for your reply.

The jaw pain started a week before the tinnitus. I can't alter the tinnitus and it doesn't rise and fall or coincide with my heartbeat. This is all new to me so not sure what you mean by classic pulsatile tinnitus.

Thank you

 

Botox injections in the masseter muscle could be a big help for you. Botox force the muscle to relax, one injection last 2-3 months. Not a long term solution but could give you some relief. I have done it twice myself and it helped me a lot

 

Hi again Miss Todd. Just to clarify, pulsatile tinnitus is heard as cardiac-synchronous "whooshing" or "thumping." People with PT hear their heartbeat in their ear all day.

The reason I ask this is because having T start immediately after jaw pains should absolutely raise some red flags and link the two together. Now, that being said, it surprises me that your T cannot be changed by moving your jaw, neck, head, etc. While this is a relatively common thing, it does help to further connect the two issues.

I would reccomend getting an audiogram done if you haven't already. See an ENT, explain how this started, talk to him/her about your jaw pains, etc.

I also started experiencing jaw pain the day after my T became problematic. I had an MRI done of the joint, but it came back negative for TMD. My jaw STILL hurts though, for the first time in my life. I also have had T for the first time in my life this entire year. In my eyes, the two must be connected at least somehow. I think this is due to neuromuscular inflammation, not an actual problem with the jaw joint. This inflammation could start anywhere in the upper back, shoulders, neck, etc. because all of these areas are so closely connected.

It may be worth while to try a soft food diet for two weeks and see if it has any impact. I would definitely reccomend scheduling an appointment with a doctor ASAP though.

Hope this helps!
-Steve

 

Hello again Steve

Thanks for your message that definitely all makes sense. I am at the doctors next Tuesday for a hearing test so will ask to be referred to an ENT. I posted my first post in 'introduce yourself' where I explained the problems I've been having in my upper back/neck. I'll copy and paste below.....I have been eating soft foods since the stiffness in my jaw began to be honest.

"Hi everyone

To give you a bit of my background and why I'm here....I'm a 25yr old woman and I've had a bad back since the end of April, seen an osteopath and physio privately for 4 weeks to no avail, got referred by GP to osteopath but no great improvement so osteopath referred me back to musculoskeletal clinic (she suspects bulging c5 disk in my neck) and am now waiting for an mri (booked for 22nd sept). 3 weeks ago I noticed an aching jaw one morning, I guessed I was grinding my teeth at night due to anxiety so went to see my dentist who said I probably was grinding my teeth and fitted me with a mouth guard which I picked up a week later. The guard hasnt helped with my jaw pain at all, I can't open my mouth wide enough to eat normally or eat hard foods. I also began a course of antibiotics (prescribed for an infected piercing) the day my tinnitus started (13.8.2015). I am wondering if there is any link between my neck/jaw problems and the tinnitus starting? Could the antibiotics have anything to do with it?"

 

Thanks for sharing that posting Miss Todd, definitely helpful. And no worries at all for the info, glad to help.

What antibiotics were you prescribed?

 

Flucloxacillin for an infected piercing in my ear, I'm not sure if it was just a coincidence that the T started the same day I started the course of antibiotics

 

I agree Miss Todd, I doubt that the antibiotics are to blame. The "-mycin" group of antibiotics are the ones you really need to worry about in terms of ototoxicity. IE Vancomycin, Gentamycin, etc.

The fact that you have been having back issues AND that your doc suspects it may be a burst disc is very indicative in my opinion. I am NOT a doctor, no where close, (even though I know more about T than most ENT's, like the majority of the people here on TT) BUT, if I were you, I would investigate those back issues first. Definitely keep that appointment to get a hearing test, but a herniated cervical disc could be compressing a nerve, causing you jaw pain, ear issues, etc.

Keep us updated! I'll be interested to hear your progress!

Hope I've helped at least a little

Hang in there! I'm happy to share my opinions anytime if you have anymore questions. Just let me know!

-Steve

 

@SteveSkis92
I just have read this and saw your post. I can make my T softer by replacing my jaw. When moving my head to the right my T is louder. When i place my ear to my right shouler my T is louder. I also have somethimes the sound on my heartbeat, like woosh woosh woosh. Also when i am walking somethimes my t goes like the ritme of my walk. And when i pres on my left skull my T is louder.

I cannot open my mouth wide. A lot of stifness in my jaws.

 

Hey again @sandra72!

Clearly your T is somatically influenced at the very least. This by itself is not very helpful in a diagnostic sense because from what I've gathered, the majority of T sufferers can influence their tinnitus through somatic movements.

However, I may be wrong when I say this, but I THINK that being able to silence or at least quiet your T through jaw movements is indicative of neuromuscular inflammation.

When we last talked, you said you have no hearing loss, like myself. In my opinion, jaw stiffness, cracking, etc. in conjunction with T is not coincidental, especially if they both start at the same time. It's taken me a LONG time to convince myself of this. My T became problematic at the exact time that I started having jaw, ear, cheek, sinus, and neck pains. Tinnitus is technically a symptom, not a condition by itself. All of these cervical/facial/jaw pains are also symptoms. It seems highly unlikely to me that all of these symptoms could occur at the same time with no connection what so ever. My T has improved since January and so have my sinus and facial pains. I still have jaw and neck pains though. To me, this says that I've gotten rid of SOME inflammation, but not all of it. It makes sense to me that if you get rid of ALL the inflammation, you will greatly decrease or possibly completely eliminate the tinnitus. This is just my opinion though, I'm currently experimenting with what works and doesn't work for me.

Have you had an MRI on your jaw Sandra? I did and it came up negative for TMJ. At first, I was very discouraged by that, but the fact that I STILL experience jaw and neck pains on a daily basis tells me that the pain must be inflammation based.

Hope you're doing good today! Hang in there!

-Steve

 

If there isn't anything structurally wrong with the TMJ then I suspect the problems are of neurological origins. Conventional TMJ ''treatments'' will be of little help if this is the case.

 

I agree @Nucleo, to some extent at least. I agree that the lack of structural damage to the TMJ is indicative that normal TMD "protocols" may not work.

Seems to me though that jaw pain without structural damage is at least a clue that there is muscular tension/inflammation somewhere else close by that is causing issues. The upper back/shoulders, neck, and jaw are so interconnected that I find it very unlikely to experience an onset of pain, tightness, and tinnitus at the same time totally coincidentally.

There are other factors with my personal tinnitus that makes me suspect neuromuscular inflammation, but I do hear what you're saying!

-Steve

 

Well, I'm experiencing very similar symptoms. All the ENTs I've seen have been absolutely adamant that TMJ does not cause T and that my neck and sinus symptoms are related to the stress of T and not the cause. After 3 months of nasal spray use things are getting worse. Pass me the razor blades please....

 

It is absolutely time to start researching different doctors opinions. If you feel that the nasal sprays are making things worse, discontinue them! If it's a steroid nasal spray you may need to taper down, not just stop cold turkey, but don't keep using it if it's making things worse!

Please, if you believe that TMJ may be the cause of your T, see a doctor who will listen to what you're saying. I've been in frequent contact with someone whose T was 100% caused by TMD.

Please, remain hopeful and strong! We're all in this together!

-Steve

 

Thank you all for your messages, I really do appreciate them all. I'll definitely keep you updated after my appointments next week!