Specialist for diagnosing TMJ?

Who is the best professional to see for TMJ diagnosis? Neurologist? Dentist?

I've had a chronic headache for nearly a decade, and TMJ may be the cause (jaw and temples are tight; pulling sensation on the roof of mouth; etc.). Of course, I must be certain.

[pattig]

Do you feel pressure in your head?  how often do you have the pain?  dentists usually first see a problem with the jaw such as popping noises or abnormal grinding noticed in your teeth.  My daughter has an appointment with a TMJ Dentist in a few weeks.

[ISAF]

There is certainly tightness and pressure, which is chronic, but it isn't exactly pain.

The area where the lower jaw connects witht he upper jaw is where the pressure seems to be stemming from---interestingly, if I try to relax my jaw muscles, I get a weird rice-krispyish crackling sound from them.

[SIMMY20]

hi, got the rasping/crackling noises huh? ha ha , don,t worry it is very normal with tmj, the first thing is to see a neurologist,get your dr to send you to ENT, and go see the dentist and get him to send you to a maxo surgeon, i see all three of them and they will work together , you will probably be sent to them anyway,but it is better for you to see them around the same time rather than endless waiting time differences between them, and keep your dr in the loop at all times ,as he/she will be the go between ...anyway good luck

[TMJDoc]

A dental TMJ specialist will always be your best 'team leader'.  All of the people Simmy20 refer to are not usually trained in the diagnosis and conservative treatment of TMJ disorders---a fact, not an opinion.  And noises in the TMJ are NOT normal--it's a sign that something has changed.  Doesn't mean it needs treatment, but if you have headaches, neckaches, jaw/facial pain, etc, it should be evalutated by someone trained to treat it, not give you pills, or jump into a surgical solution.  If you research the literature you will find surgery to the TMJ has a low success rate and often causes further breakdown of the joint---again, a fact, not an opinion.  TMJDoc

[SIMMY20]

oops that,s my hands slapped, lol, but thankyou ,i have been bounced around from one specialist to another and thought that was normal, in saying that i have other condtions besides tmj{ tn, fibro ,&others} and you are quite right in your reply

[sockydog]

I have TMJ and I go to my Chiropractor he adjust my jaw and the popping and pain goes away almost right away.  I have never had surgery or any other dental things done or put in my mouth.

[marionhose]

Further to the comment provided by sockydog above, you might consider another non-invasive procedure: botox TMJ therapy. The goal of the procedure is to relax the muscles which are causing the problem IANAD, but there is good information here: http://www.212smiling.com/tmj-botox-therapy.php

[TMJDoc]

The botox effects are gone in 3-6 months.  But the cause of the problems still exists.  Muscle pain is usually a symptom of a joint and postural disorders.  Botox is also expensive.  I'm certainly not against it, but it should not be the first line of treatment.  I have seen patients that have been hospitalized because of improper use of Botox causing unwanted paralysis (in these cases they couldn't swallow), so it certainly not without risks or side effects.  Botox, like surgery, should be used when conservative, reversable, non-invasive procedures have not resolved the problem.  Of course the drug companies profess the advantages of their products--obviously.  And they can be of great benefit used properly.  But please, find good Drs, not good websites--I say that with all due respect.  TMJDoc

[Lhance]

Hi there, I have been having this jaw pain for almost 2 weeks now. I had a tooth filling and after 3 days, I felt mild pain in my jaw. and felt fever-ish, weak  So I went back to the dentist and did an x-ray but she can't find anything wrong with the tooth filled or any abscess..so she gave me antibiotic-amoxicillin and took 200mg of Ibuprofen for pain. But after 3 days, I had a bad reaction to Amoxicillin. Went to a medical Doctor and I told her what happened, had an x-ray again and gave me a shot for inflammatory..and gave me a new antibiotic- azithromycin and a 600 mg ibuprofen every after 6 hours. But 2 days after, i have face swelling so i thought 600mg of ibuprofen is too much so I went back to 200mg..and still not feeling ok..my face still swollen for 2 days. So I decided to stopped the antibiotic and Ibuprofen... 2 weeks after, I don't have the feeling of having a fever but the pain has worsened.I just went to Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon..He suspects that I have TMJ, coz when he pressed my jaw it really hurts so bad. He just gave me Naproxen 500mg -2x a day and a muscle relaxer -1 before bedtime...and I have to see him in 2 weeks...I have no Insurance and I've been missing 7 days of work already.(no work-no pay).i don't know if I'm going to the right Doctor...I don't know what to do...Please Help... :(

[seema271]

may be the filling is not equal to other teeth which is affecting your bite. let the doctor smooth out the filling where it is done. Don't let them grind your other teeth. Please .. just try it .Hope it will work. i had same problem. Dont waste your money to your dentist . All they want to make money. Trust me.