mouth sores/tmj

I get frequent mouth sores,ulcers. I get them on my gums,tongue,inner cheek. They are very painful. My lymph nodes will enlarge with these. I have a positive AnA and was tested for lupus. But the mouth sores was the only other sx for lupus. WHat can I do about these? Sometimes my tongue will feel swollen with this. Also, I have documented TMJ problems bilaterally. I had surgery in 1988 to put the menisicus back in place on both sides. But I continue to have pain and popping. My mouth deviates to the left when opening.I fact, the pain is worse since the surgery. When I have my teeth cleaned , it is very painful to hold my mouth open and also have limited opening. At the time of the surgery, my scans showed osteoarthritis in both joints. ( I was only 23 at the time). My question is does tmj progressively get worse? I continue to have quite a bit of pain from this and my opening is more limited. Is there anything I can do? Thanks for your help.

[Jerome Bogin, D.D.S.]

The sores sound like aphtous ulcers(canker sores) They can be very painful and usually last for 7 to 10 days. If in fact this is the correct diagnosis without seeing them I usually prescribe a steriod ointment called KENALOG IN ORABASE  which does a good job in relieving the discomfort. As far as your TMJ is concerned it can get worse with time especially if there is osteoarthritis involved. I don't know if you have had follow up exams with the doctor that did the surgery,if not then a TMJ specialist should be seen.During the cleanings see if you can use a mouth prop without any discomfort and that might help the problem in the short term.