jaw pain ?

• By KathyS
• Posted January 6, 2009 at 5:18 pm
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TMJ disorders cause tenderness and pain in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) — the joint on each side of your head in front of your ears, where your lower jawbone meets your skull. This joint allows you to talk, chew and yawn.

Between 5 and 15 percent of people in the United States experience pain associated with TMJ disorders, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the National Institutes of Health. Women are more likely than men to develop TMJ disorders.

In most cases, pain and discomfort associated with TMJ disorders can be alleviated with self-managed care or nonsurgical treatments, but more-severe cases may need to be treated with dental or surgical interventions.

Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of TMJ disorders may include:

Pain or tenderness of your jaw
Aching pain in and around your ear
Difficulty chewing or discomfort while chewing
Aching facial pain
Locking of the joint, making it difficult to open or close your mouth
Headache
Uncomfortable bite
An uneven bite, because one or more teeth are making premature contact
TMJ disorders can also cause a clicking sound or grating sensation when you open your mouth or chew. But if there's no pain or limitation of movement associated with your jaw clicking, you probably don't have a TMJ disorder.

When to see a doctor
If you have persistent pain or tenderness in your TMJ, if you have facial pain and experience clicking or grating when you chew or move your jaw, or if you can't open or close your jaw completely, seek medical attention. Your doctor, dentist or a TMJ specialist can discuss possible causes and treatments of TMJ disorders with you.





I have this condition sometimes.... and it's worth it to talk with your dentist ... it hasn't been bothering me lately but I have had my bouts.... so it's one idea anyway....

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• By sac
• Posted January 7, 2009 at 2:58 pm
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Please go to an oral surgeon and see if it is ONJ. It is hard to get it diagnosized however.

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• By Tom-WI
• Posted January 10, 2009 at 8:31 pm
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Hi Mary Ann,

From Kathy's post, I'm wondering if you've had any dental work done recently? I've had a dentist in the past who didn't do a good job of placing a bridge, and a subsequent dentist had to grind the heck out of it to get it right.

I would hate to think it's from the Forteo, because you obviously need it (and so do I by the way).

Tom

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• By maryanns
• Posted January 10, 2009 at 8:45 pm
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Thanks for your reply- but no, I have not had any dental work done lately. I did go to the dentist and he recommended that I purchase and wear a night brace and take 3 advil- 4 times a day. Fortunately, the pain is getting less and less-however my jaw still makes popping sounds when opening it wide- so I am thinking it is not the Forteo (-:
Mary Ann

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• By maryanns
• Posted January 10, 2009 at 8:49 pm
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THANKS! I did visit the dentist---he did mention TMJ-but suggested the pain may be caused by stress, tooth grinding, or other things---he suggested that I take anti-inflamatories(3 advil) and get and wear a night brace. I am doing these and they seem to be helping a bit. Hopefully I will not need to return to the dentist for a referal to an oral surgeon--and most likely it is not caused by the Forteo!!!!!
Mary Ann

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• By maryanns
• Posted January 10, 2009 at 8:50 pm
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Thanks for your suggestion. I did go to my dentist and he mentioned it may be TMJ- I have not heard of OMJ- what is it? If I am not LOTS improved by Monday my dentist will refer me to an oral surgeon. Mary Ann

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• By allyoop
• Posted January 11, 2009 at 12:50 pm
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Hi Maryanne: About 25 years ago, I was coming home from a road trip across country when I experienced a rather severe pain in my ear. I had had "popping" and clicking sounds when yawning or chewing for quite some time before this but no pain in the jaw and so I had ignored it. When I got home, I went to my GP who sent me to an ear specialist. By this time, the earache was quite painful and pain was radiating into the jaw and also I was experiencing spasms in the neck muscles on that side. To make a very long story short, I was given a night guard (they had asked me if I grind my teeth when sleeping, which made me laugh b/c I don't know what I do when I'm sleeping) and was treated conservatively with exercise, hypnotherapy, etc., etc. but the pain continued. I was finally sent to an oral surgeon who ran a long series of tests, scans and x-rays and discovered that I the disc in one side of the jaw was fractured and the one in the other side had completedly disintigrated. I ended up in surgery with bilateral disc replacement and bone transplant and the final DX was osteoporosis and arthritis of the TMJ. Surgery resulted in having my jaws wired shut for 5 weeks and after that, a very long period of dental sessions to realign the bite by having extensive dental work done. I know that this is the worst case scenario but If I were you, I would definitely see a specialist before your condition worsens. I still wear a night guard but, thanks to that surgery, I am able to chew steak or just about anything else. I am not saying that your condition would become as serious as mine but I would not want anyone to have to go through what I did if it can be, in any way, avoided by taking steps to prevent it from becoming as extreme as mine did. I was very fortunate to have the oral surgeon that I did but it was a total of three years and three surgical procedures before I was able to eat normally again with no pain and no crackling. I am now on forteo as I was not able to take any of the other medications for osteo...partly due to the fact that they caused me to have severe stomach probs. and also b/c my endocrinologist had warned me of the poss. of ONJ with some of the meds. and felt I was not a candidate due to my history. For the past year I have been in a clinical study with Helen Hayes Hosp. and am just beginning my second year on Forteo and being carefully monitored through the study. I have had virtually no side effects from Forteo other than that I have felt a bit more tired and have less energy than before but this has not interfered with my ADL I wish you well and hope this information helps. It is a very condensed version but I would have to write a book to include all the details. Will be glad to answer any questions that you might have. Good Luck!!!

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• By KathyS
• Posted January 11, 2009 at 1:14 pm
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I have a story of a friend, who sounds similar to Ally... I didn't want to scare you because as you see symptoms can be conducive to many different scenario's ... I have a young friend who had complained for the last year of jaw pain herself.. she had gone to see the dentist who recommended taking out her wisdom teeth as one was resting close to her trigeminal nerve which travels down both sides of your jawline... so she did and then afterwards it was temporarily alleviated but then returned with a vengance. The dentist then referred her to a neurosurgeon... turns out she had a brain tumor... it was pressing on her trigeminal nerve.. she had the surgery last July and has since improved greatly and the tumor was beingn. Long story short on this too is the fact that pain is a indicator that something is wrong and hopefully as you are improving that you have your problem figured out... I think Ally was trying to save you fear of the unknown when she first put out there the possibility of her own condition.. and doctors will go through a process of ellimination to get to the heart of the problem... I had a son diagnosed with ADHD as a child... well we went through many meds until I was fed up... I am not sure I blame the medical community unless they fail to treat at all... but recently at 28 yrs he was diagnosed as bipolar... he responds well to his meds but it's still regulating through meds all the time switching.. and where it has nothing to do with joint pain or osteo.. it's looking into another mirror of the medical profession and finding that nothing is assured overnight.... sigh...

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• By DBM
• Posted January 11, 2009 at 1:19 pm
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I am on forteo and I had jaw pain. Never thought it could have anything to do with Forteo. I researched it and decided it had something to do with my salivary glands. My PCP thought I had a stone in my salivery gland. Then I realized it was much less when I was not using a new teeth-whitening mouthwash I had just begun using! I discontinued it and the pain is almost gone. I do have a tendency to clench my teeth so I also pay attention to keeping my jaw relaxed. Now the pain is almost gone but I feel twinges when I am tense. So who knows what the cause was?

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• By KathyS
• Posted January 15, 2009 at 6:03 pm
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I had my teeth cleaned Monday and complained about my jaw... I do grind my teeth in my sleep so I suppose a mouth guard might be in order also... I have a friend who has osteo and had his wisdom teeth pulled... it's taken some repacking his gums to get it to clear up... finally he says he is better.. sounds like we have to watch our jaws and such so the questions are definitely good to bring up.. I guess calcium can be excreted from the saliva making more of a build up on the teeth ... oh what fun we get to have... never considered having a stone in the salivery gland... can you feel one if you have one???? This forum is like a biology class sometimes....

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• By ang71118
• Posted January 20, 2009 at 10:56 am
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Please go with the simplest answer first, and take care of that. When I was in my early 50's I started having bad, radiating jaw pain without having any recent dental work. My jaw "popped" and sometimes made a "clicking" noise. I went to a specialist and he immediately told me I had TMJ. He readjusted my bite (took a bit off one long tooth, and gave me a night guard to keep me from clenching my jaw and grinding my teeth at night. The first night I had immediate results and lessening of the pain. By the way, if you brush your teeth with a hard toothbrush and tend to brush roughly, you could also be aggravating your teeth and gums. I use Sensodyne and a soft brush. If this doesn't work, then you can consider other issues. But any good dentist will first look at your bite, then rule out TMJ.

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• By tr1951
• Posted March 30, 2009 at 9:40 pm
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I thought the once/month Actonel was causing the pain in my jaw. My doctor took me off of it after one month. I was also having leg pain. Now I'm beginning to wonder if my jaw pain is TMJ since I still have the tightness in my jaw and have been off the Actonel for over a year.

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