Health Chats
Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ)
Tuesday May 26, 2009, 03:00PM - 04:00PM (EST)
Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ) afflicts some 25 million Americans. Symptoms range from headaches, neck aches, head pain, facial pain, jaw locking and popping and clicking, difficulty chewing, dizziness, ringing in the ears, ear pain, lower back pain, depression and more. Most of these cases are traumatically induced such as whiplash injury, jaw malposition, or a blow to the head to name a few. But the number one cause is a mal-occlusion (bad bite). The symptoms of these injuries are complicated and multifactorial. Patients wander from one doctor to another, undergo multiple diagnostic tests, yet the underlying cause of the symptoms will go undetected and unresolved. Our patients are victims of chronic pain distress with all the emotional and physical ramifications therein. There is help!
Join Dr. Ramin Mehregan in an hour long chat to discuss the diagnosis, symptoms, and treatments of TMJ.
Dr. Mehregan:
Sinusitis can be due to many issues, such as allergies, blocked airway, etc. Is there a close relation ship between TMJ and sinusitis....no
liza646:
Is the Neuromuscular dentist the same as TMJ doctors? Yes, doctor, I have different kind of x-ray for my jaw and my neck. Actually I am going for spine MRI this Friday. No one told me yet if there is a tumor but that's what I feel like.
Dr. Mehregan:
Neuromuscular dentists are also TMJ experts but the way we treat TMJ issues differs with most modalities. I highly recommend you rule out the possibility of tumor and maybe consider a NM dentist
BK2005:
I've been plagued by TMJ for almost two years and nothing I've tried has worked. A friend of mine said she read somewhere that Botox (Botulism toxin) is being used to treat TMJ and the results have been good. What is your opinion of using Botox to treat TMJ?
Dr. Mehregan:
Dear BK, what is Botox? It is a drug that only masks the problem but not a cure. So my answer is if you want to get rid of it permanently don't even try it.
liza646:
Are you taking patients? I live here in Canada.
Dr. Mehregan:
liza, I will be happy to treat you if you are willing to travel but I could refer you to some great NM dentists in Canada. I am not sure if I allowed to post my e-mail this way you can e-mail me and I can send you the names.....med help????is it ok
sfkaos:
I was in a car accident recently. I had a neck injury and lower back pain. After 3 days I noticed that my tongue was numb and there was numbness in my right leg. I had pain in my jaw and around my left ear. I then noticed that my eye lid was droopy and my mouth was slack. My doctor first diagnosed TMJ and then the whole left side of my face was drooping and my speech was slurred. I had a CAT scan and it ruled out stroke and my doctor still says TMJ not Bell"s Palsy. What do you think?
MedHelp:
Dr. Mehregan, you can send a private message to liza646 with the information. You can also post their names in this chat if that helps.
Dr. Mehregan:
Car accidents could lead to both. Since it causes severe extension and relaxation of the neck and jaw muscles. Try to find a good NM dentist
Dr. Mehregan:
Dear Med Help how do I send a private message to liza
Walpole51:
My doctor has recommended I have Arthrocentesis to try to cure my TMJ. What is this and is it painful? Dangerous? I'm really worried about having needles stuck into my face!
Dr. Mehregan:
Dear Walpole
Dr. Mehregan:
sorry, it wont cure your TMJ problem, and I have many patient who had undergone that procedure
sk123:
What are the most common symptoms associated with TMJ?
Dr. Mehregan:
headaches, earaches, pain behind eyes, neck and shoulder aches, clicking jaw, lower back pain, pain in the face, dizziness, tinnitus......and many more
sportster334:
I have a clicking in my jaw that only seems to be aggravated when opening my mouth too wide (for example, biting a big sandwich)... a doctor of mine told me that it was tmj and to stop chewing gum. I still chew gum, and very occasionally get those clicks, but it seems to have gotten better with time. Does TMJ spontaneously heal itself?
Dr. Mehregan:
no.....what you have is a late opening click which is considered the med-advanced stages...it will only get worse...a period of no clicks, then inability to open wide.....and so on
Jack615:
My mother's doctor has referred her to a maxillofacial surgeon. He told her that surgery to repair or remove the disk between her mandible and temporal bone may be beneficial. My mother has advanced osteoarthritis and the doctor said she may need a partial or total joint replacement to improve joint mechanics and motion. He added that this is a last resort and we're all very concerned. Is this usually successful for patients?
Dr. Mehregan:
Jack....my only advise.....run, don't let her do it. Oral Surgeons only know and recommend surgery. In all these years I have never referred a patient for surgery
lauraclem:
I get an excrutiating pain at my jaw right by my ear. Nothing specific seems to bring it on. It can last 1 to 30 seconds. Sometimes it is daily; other times six months can go by. It is by far the worst pain I have ever felt. Is this a symptom of TMJ?
Dr. Mehregan:
Yes, it could be, but you need to rule out caries and wisdom teeth and of course tumors
beatingthis:
I wear a guard at night. I clench my teeth almost all the time. Can this wear teeth out faster? I have really bad ear pain on 1 side. All related?
Dr. Mehregan:
yes, night guard is not a solution. If you are a true clencher, your problem could be dentally but also a postural problem. Do you get lower back pain?
sportster334:
Does teeth clenching at night have anything to do with TMJ? I often wake up with my jaw clenched tight with slight discomfort (however, I don't think that I'm grinding them).
Dr. Mehregan:
yes and no.....hard to give you an exact answer without having seen you in person
Sandy M:
Do most insurance plans cover TMJ? Would I submit this as a Dental treatment or a medical treatment?
Dr. Mehregan:
no.....it might be covered under medical
lauraclem:
I have my wisdom tooth on that side, but I do not have any others. I was told I have no buds for them either
Dr. Mehregan:
then it could be a bite related (TMD) issue, where the muscle that slings around the corner of your jaw is fatigued
beatingthis:
Yes I do. I just had 2 implants put in as well 18 and 1 on top.
MedHelp:
This will be the final question for today's chat.
