Jaw pain.

[Shani]

Hi everyone,

I have been suffering from jaw pain, which is more severe now than ever.
For about 5 months now I think.
My Gp said it were inflammated jaws when I told him somewhere in July.
I know I need to make a dentis appointment which I am doing on monday.
But I was wonderin if anyone gets this too?(both sides) it 's a very stabbing pain.
Hurts to talk, chew, laugh, yawn.
My cheeks are also very swollen on the sides and my saliva glands hurt also when pressing on them.
They're also swollen there where the glands are located.

I have heard about a condition called TMJ, my symptoms seem to be very alike.
Ex: ear ringing, cicking sounds of jaws sometimes, earaches
I do also suffer from chronical migraines, neck -shoulder pain very often.
Which also were listed as a symptom.

It's hard to know what the cause of everything is of course, but I do think it is something chronical again or most likely arthritis.
As the pain has been there for more than 5 months almost.
Just periods it is more severe (like now).

[Sha]

Shani~

Sounds like tmj...very painful!

Here is a questionnaire u can print out and fill out before u go to the dentist.

http://www.confidentsmiles.com/TakeTheTMJQuiz.aspx

Hope it gets better!:)

Sha

[Shani]

Thank you Sha!
I will take a look at the link now, looks really handy.

[Shani]

Took the quiz and had atleast 16 'Yes' out of 25.
Oh goodness!

[Sha]

That would equal a lot of pain, girly...GO IN AND GET IT CHECKED OUT!

My neighbor has TMJ. He takes hydrocodone for it when it acts up.

Glad it helped:)

Sha

[Shani]

Yes it's really horrible.
I am going to call my Dentist tomorrow and mentiion this, hopefully I can get in sooner.
Thank you once again.  

[brownskin510]

Shani, I suffer from TMJ, and was fitted with an NTI device and a mouth guard [by my dentist] to wear at night to realign my jaw. I was put on Motrin 800 for the horrible pain that it causes. Unfortunately, this too, is part of the inflammation process

[Shani]

Thank you for your response Kelley.
I still have a lot of pain in my jaws, I have a dentist appointment this wednesday.
I strongly think it will be TMJ, hope I'll have answers.

[Patze]

Hi Shani,

Oh yea, I've had TMJ for a lot of years and that could certainly affect your jaw.  The clicking drives me nutty (more than normal! ), and boy does it hurt when it kicks in.  Whew!

The dentist only has me on OTC pain killer (Tylenol), and so far, I've survived without ripping my jaw off.

Defiantly get it checked out, and I hope that you find some relief soon.

Take care of yourself -

Patze

[lizzi]

    hi,

        this needs checking out by your dentist who may refer u on to an orthodontist,i have TMJ and myofascial pain syndrome ,i usually get in on my left side but very occasionally on my right,i was given a mouthguard to wear at all times,very attractive not,its a good job i dont go out,i end up having flares now where i will be in absolute  agony for a couple of wks then i will be ok for a few wks,
the sooner u get checked out the better,hope u feel better soon hun xx

[Shani]

Thank you for your great help Lizzi.

My Dentist is a great one so I'm sure he'll give me a referral to a good Orhodontist if  t is indeed TMJ.
It has been going on for 6 months now, so it should be something chronical.
Very painful, and well if I need a mouthguard-
I know it'll for the best although it may not look very attractive.

Hope you have a beautiful day and thank you very much once again.

[lizzi]

          hi shani,

                    im really pleased that i was able to help you,its a terrible chronic pain ,unfortunately with ss we are much more prone to many many other conditions,i know that when my tmj flares up my left side jaw also swells i look hideus,lol,the mouthguard  is quite uncomfortable at first ,it does take some getting used,u cant talk or anything with it in,i was told to keep it in at all times except when eating
i hope u get a quick referal and keep us informed on how u get on,i forgot to mention before ,when im having a flare i take an antimflamatory which my orthodontist recommended
take care xxx

[Prairie Gal]

Shani, when you say your cheeks are swollen, do you look kind of like a chipmunk? or like you have mumps?  If so, it could be your parotid glands swelling up; they're the large salivary glands.  You might have an infection in them and require antibiotics.

If you search Google images for "parotid gland swelling" you can see some people's glands swell a lot.  I hope you get it figured out soon.