dental infection or TMJ?

I have had jaw pain for about 9 months now.  Had my submaxillary gland removed because of swelling and pain and it showed chronic infection.  Feeling better but still have a sensation of swelling under my tongue and "funny" feeling in two lower crowned molars on that side - kind of like a constant ache which is driving me crazy.  It bothers me to talk.  There is no visible swelling. I had the same sensation before surgery.  Dental x-rays have been fine and endodontist said that the teeth are vital and if they don't hurt there is no infection.  Tapping on them and biting produces no pain.  Is it possible for a dental infection to cause a salivary gland infection or vice versa?  Can it cause a low-grade ache without extreme pain?  How else can a dental infection be identified?  Shouldn't it show up on x-ray after all this time? Could it be a TMJ problem as I notice when I press in the TMJ area the swelling sensation and ache go away?  Motrin also helps (it didn't before the surgery). Thanks for your help!

[Jerome Bogin, D.D.S.]

It is possible that this discomfort is the normal post op pain.The doctor who did the surgery would be better able to give you an idea of the discomfort you are having. If the  teeth that are crowned are the cause it does not necessarily have to show up on the x-ray.If you want to investigate the TMJ area then it would behoove you to see an oral surgeon who specializes in TMJ dysfunction.

[dbayro]

I am suffering from swelling also. My symptoms also include my left side of my neck swells
I get weird pain just below my ear lobe that follows along my jaw bone to the lower center of my throat area (this area really hurts)
I feel like it is the main artery in my neck. Then it continues to hurt where the seat belt hits between my neck and shoulder. And the area right over my heart area.  When I breathe in deeply I can feel a hollowness (almost like a bruising feeling) in all these areas. Not so much lately but I did have the pulsing in my neck area like you had.

My question to you is where is or was your  swelling located? in you neck? my doctor says I may  also have an obsturction to my salavtory gland. but did you have any  of my other symptomss?

I love your questions about infection or TMJ  please keeep my posted on any answers you get. my email address is ***@****.
I have found these sites informative
http://www.icnr.com/cs/cs_24.html
http://www.clenchingsyndrome.com/diagnosingtmj.html

[fresnoborn]

hi years ago i was diagnosed with tmj by an oral surgeon who took an xray and he referred to someone who makes mouth splints and i wore it on my upper teeth for 2 years with no relief so then i went to another oral surgeon who said i was wearing the wrong splint and that i needed one for the bottom teeth instead so i wore that one for 3 years with no relief so then the surgeon did an arthosentesis on me (that's to flush out scar tissue in the temporal mandibular joint) and i got no relief from that so now i wear no splints and i am under pain management care and live with this pain. it has been 9 years and i still have this pain in my jaw and neck area. tmj is no picnic and if you have it there is no cure they just make spints to help balance the jaw line and give you pain meds. the splint is kinda like a bandaid remedy. good luck to you and i hope you don't have tmj.

[clueless55]

Hi dbayro,

just wanted to let you know some of the pain you describe I did have prior to having my gland removed.  It was really a strong ache in my jaw, well below the teeth on one side only.  I also had swelling and pain when I ate.  

That sensation is gone now, but I still have a sensation of the tongue being sore on that side, especially the underside. Also, sometimes by back two molars hurt.  Saw my dentist and endodontist again and they say teeth look fine.  Saw my ENT and he couldn't explain my symptoms either but in doing my own searching on the internet it seems I have a lot of symptoms of sublingual nerve damage.  The ENT did a procedure prior to the surgery where he cut into the floor of my mouth and dilated the duct in hopes of avoiding the surgery itself.  Anyway, I can trace this pain back to that point.  It definitely seems to fit the description of some type of nerve damage.  I'm giving it a little more time as it seems to be getting better slowly.  Hope you're feeling better soon.

[abby ek]

HELLO ! I HAVE BEEN HAVING SOME OF THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT UNDER THE TONGUE, I STARTED HAVING A SPASM OR TWITCHING UNDER MY TONGUE, WHEN THIS HAPPENED IT SCARED ME SO BAD THAT I WENT INTO A PANIC NOW I FIND MYSELF BE SCARED ALL THE TIME NOT KNOWING WHEN IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, I CHEW ALOT OF GUM WHICH IS A NO-NO WITH TMJ HOWEVER I HAVE HAD A PROBLEM WITH VERTIGO FOR 20 YRS AND THE DRS TOLD ME TO CHEW GUM FOR THAT REASON, SO I HAVE. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS HAS CAUSED A PROBLEM OR NOT, I CAN NOT SEE ORAL SURG UNTIL MARCH 27TH, I DO KNOW THAT I HAVE A TOOTH THAT HAS A LITTLE HOLE IN IT AND I SEEM TO TAKE MY TONGUE TO SEE IF ANYTHING IS IN IT, THIS MAY BE PART OF THE PROBLEM TOO!!!!!! I GET THIS FEELING UNDER MY TONGUE THAT FEELS
SLICK OR MAYBE LIKE A LITTLE SWELLING BUT IT IS NOT. I SEEN NEUROLOGIST, AND PRIMARY, THEY ARN'T SURE, I HAVE CALLED AN ENT NOW TO SEE WHAT HE SAYS AND I GUESS I WILL WAIT FOR ORAL SURG, MOST OF THE TIME IT SEEMS LIKE IT IS AFTER I EAT, BUT NOW I AM SO WORRIED I MIGHT BE MAKING IT WORSE. I FEEL LIKE I HAVE THIS GRIP ON MY MOUTH LIKE I CAN NOT RELAX MY JAWS. JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU GUYS HAD ANY SPASMS UNDER YOURS. HOPE YOU ARE GETTING BETTER, I THINK IF I HAD SOMEONE TO TALK TO THAT WAS GOING THROUGH IT I WOULD FEEL BETTER. ***@****

[acustins]

A related discussion, oral pain, just the same was started.