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Getting Sick of TMJ...

Hello all,

A little over a year ago, I was diagnosed with TMJ, due largely to the fact that my teeth are all crooked and crowded. (I'm a 20 year old male, by the way.) At first, my only symptom was a small popping of my jaw, whenever I yawned or opened my mouth wide (which I tried to avoid, at all costs, of course). But since then, the popping has grown very severe, to the point where if I close my mouth, I can feel my jaw pretty much lock up, and I have to open my mouth sort of wide again to pop it back to normal. Is this really considered TMJ disorder? Because most of the symptoms  I've seen for TMJ are headaches, pain, facial swelling, etc. I have none of these...just this real annoying pop that occurs whenever I clamp my mouth shut, or open my mouth too wide. It's real loud, too, and it causes people to look at me funny every time I go to talk. But there's never been any pain connected with the popping, or any other symptoms in general. Just the popping. I went to my dentist about four months ago for a cleaning, and I told him that I was diagnosed with TMJ. I explained the popping I felt in my jaw. All he had to say were these "helpful" little words: "With your teeth, and the crowded state of your mouth, I would be shocked if you didn't have TMJ." He offered no solutions that could help me, either.

My main question, and the reason I'm posting this, is to ask if there is any form of treatment that would generally help the popping go away? Of course I never open my mouth wide anymore...but I obviously can't help closing my mouth, when eating and sleeping! As soon I do this, my jaw gets all tight, and stays that way until I open my mouth again, and it pops. Also, will this get even worse as time goes on? I've always had this irrational fear of someday my jaw just popping and then coming apart or something.

If anybody could help answer my questions, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks so much...

-Jim
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Avatar universal
The symptoms of TMD can, and do, come a go.  For some it is a self limiting conditioin.  For many others it is not and osteo-arthritic changes in the joint occur.  Again, some patients have more pain than others with the same conditions.  So it would be difficult to predict.  Overall the 'clicking' from a discplaced disc will not typically resolve itself without intervention--usually with an occlusal orthotic from a dentist (done correctly, of course).  Clicking and popping can diminish for some patients and they think it is better.  It actually is getting worse with the disc further out of place. You can do temporary measures like a soft diet, careful stretching exercises(you may find those on the internet) using a 'boil and bite' type of athletic mouthguard from the pharmacy--be careful with this though as I've seen patients get worse and not better.   But as soon as your personal situation allows it, find a good TMJ specialist and he/she can make your life a lot easier.  I would agree your whiplash injury probably contributed to this--see it all the time.  A dysfunctional TMJ will more often than not cause postural and functional changes to the neck, which can lead to even more problems.  Hope you can get help soon, good luck.  TMJDoc
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Avatar universal
I didn't truly think my crooked teeth had anything to do with my TMJ disorder. A lot of people I know have crooked teeth, and none of them have TMJ. I honestly think it has to do with a car accident I was involved in two years ago. It wasn't too serious, but I did get whiplash, and had to see a chiropractor for almost six months afterwards. About five months after the accident, the popping in my jaw began.

I had one more question to ask you: if I don't pursue finding a TMJ specialist, is there any chance of the TMJ popping going away on its own? For the past three weeks or so, I've been trying extra hard to control the movements of my mouth & jaw, making sure my jaw doesn't pop. So far it's actually been doing OK. I know I'm just avoiding the issue, though, rather than solving it. But I currently don't have medical insurance. I was laid off of my job a few months ago, and am yet to find another one....

-Jim
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I forgot to mention this--crooked teeth don't cause TMJ problems.  Statements like that come out of a lack of understanding the causes of TMJ disorders.  We actually can't always know, but it is my impression as an orthodontist also is that the same things that cause crooked teeth (muscle forces and cranial/postural imbalances) also cause the internal derangements of the TMJ (disc displacements).  They go 'hand in hand', but one doesn't directly cause the other, but many time both need to be corrected to create a physiologic balance in the system.   TMJDoc
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Avatar universal
In my experience the louder the 'pop' the higher success rate I have.  This is because the shape of the disc hasn't been altered, i.e., the posterior part of the disc that you are going over as you open and close hasn't been flattened.  But it's like a speed bump.  If you 'drive' over it long enough you'll flatten it.  That makes the symptoms worse as a general rule and recapturing the disc more difficult.  I would advise you find a TMJ specialist whose philosophy is to recapture discs when possible and you'll do great.  But don't wait any longer.  TMJDoc
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Avatar universal
Your descriptions indicate disc displacement with reduction. Occlusal therapy is a highly effective treeatment modality. However, disc realignment is not always achievable. Seeing a tmj specialist is advised.
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