Jaw pain story

Not really sure of the topic, but here's the story. I’m looking for some advice/help. Years ago, twice I wore a mouthpiece at night for a long time because I was diagnosed with TMJ issues by a dentist. There was no pain involved, just a clicking sound when I opened my mouth. I spent a lot of time with dentists back then because of general teeth issues like cavities. I had no fear of dentists; I actually didn’t have a problem with them. Since then, I stopped having all of the cavity issues and I had an almost fatal car accident in 2006. After that, I needed to go to a dentist for a toothache. He found a cavity and started working on it. He even administered nitrous oxide, but it hurt so bad, I kept ‘jumping’. On my second visit back to have the work finished, he had given me two shots of Novocain already and then he was giving me a third (with a warning) when I jumped again. He ‘ran’ out of the room (he claims I caused him to stick his finger with the needle), came back in and said “I’m done!” Of course I was confused because I was already numbing up and then he said “You have a fear of dentists; you need to go to a dentist that administers IV sedation.” Well his whole performance (if even justified) was extremely RUDE. I’ve gotten over it and even, although difficult and expensive, found a dentist that would do the IV sedation. They are hard to come by though and insurance does not want to pay for the IV. But of course, I digress. My current issue is that approximately 4 months ago, my jaw started to hurt when I yawned. I don’t seem to have the pop when it hurts (actually I don’t hear the pop much anymore), but it is painful and personally although I’m not a dentist, I think it is related to TMJ. So, basically I’m asking for any advice/help on this pain problem that you are willing to give. Who should I see first regarding this issue a regular dentist, an endodontist or a periodontist? Do you think surgery will be involved to fix it?  Thanks in advance!

[scottma]

Seeing a dentist to investigate dental pathology first. If there is no plausible explanation for your jaw pain, seeing a tmj specialist or orofacial pain specialist is advised.