HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

TMJ or Trigeminal Neuralgia? Horrible pain and can't find relief

Support Forums
>
Lyme Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 11/26/2017 10:40 AM (GMT -5)
My jaws problems are back; this time on the left side. My jaw, gumline, ear, neck and side of head are tender and sore, with constant, severe pain.

The last time I went to the dentist, he did say that I had TMJ, but I can't seem to find any relief. Prescription anti-inflammatory is not even touching this pain - which makes me think it could be nerve related?

I thought maybe it could be a bad tooth, but there is no swelling (which I think would happen with this level of pain).

I looked up trigeminal neuralgia, and the mandibular nerve path is exactly where all of my pain is. It is horrific. The only thing that somewhat helps is heat. And if I press my jaw to the left ever so slightly, I can feel relief in my ear.

Has anyone had this? How long does it last? Is it a Bart thing? How did you find relief?
Posted 11/26/2017 12:55 PM (GMT -5)
A friend of mine has the same thing. When it acts up she is almost incapacitated. I believe she gets some help from a chiropractor.

Possibly even a massage therapist can help.
Posted 11/26/2017 12:56 PM (GMT -5)
So sorry you're suffering with this - it sounds horrible!

I think it can also be Lyme.

Do you have a LLMD to discuss this with?

I wonder if a pain med like Gabapentin would take the edge off it?
Posted 11/26/2017 3:58 PM (GMT -5)
Hi pmm73 -

I would get in to see an oral surgeon ASAP. You could have damaged a nerve, and he/she could help confirm absence of infection and welling you can't see or feel. The orofacial pain could also be sinuses. Infection can be caused by fungus, as well - not just bacteria. And can help determine if this is a muscle/ligament alignment issue, which is one trigger for TMJ.

If an oral surgeon isn't convenient - I like the idea of seeing a chiropractor - could be a neck and jaw alignment issue.

What is the Rx anti-inflammatory you used? If it is an immunosuppressive drug, it could be causing Lyme & Co to flare.

Another thing to explore is swollen lymph nodes pressing on nerves - this plagued me and my TMJ for decades but fairly easy to resolve with red root.

Keep up the warm compresses which help reduce inflammation and soothe nerves.

Hope you get some relief. I agree with getting on a pain killer until you can figure this out. The potential damage to immune function/GI health from the stress from pain is real.

-p
Posted 11/27/2017 12:30 PM (GMT -5)
Thanks for the replies! I am feeling better today finally. It took a lot of Mobic(Meloxicam), heat, activated charcoal, and xanax.

I finally took the xanax yesterday to see if it would help me relax all the muscles (and to help me sleep). I woke up today feeling so much better. I also realized a few things:

- exposure to cold has been triggering it (which is a sign of trigeminal neuralgia). If I'm in the car, it hurts until the heats starts to work. If I'm walking the dog without a hat, it hurts. If I bundle up with a scarf and hat, it doesn't. I was fine this morning until I brushed my teeth with ice cold water (i'd been using warm water the last few days lol)
-if I tilt my head slightly to the left, I get relief from any pain
-smiling and talking seem to hurt more than actually chewing for some reason
-if I tap on my teeth, none of them seem to hurt

I was at the dentist about three weeks ago and he did mention tmj. (I went to him thinking I had problems with multiple teeth but he said my pain wasn't due to my teeth.) And now that I think about it, I saw my LLMD on Tuesday and he looked at my teeth because he seems to think my "seizures" are due to mercury toxicity: I can't open my mouth that wide without pain, but he made me open as wide as I could. So it could have triggered tmj or a muscle/nerve spasm.

Man, that was the most horrendous pain I've ever felt....even with all the other lyme stuff I've experienced.

Unfortunately, money is very tight these next few weeks, so I am going to have to stick with home remedies unless it gets excruciatingly bad again. But I do plan to look into a biological dentist and/or a neurologist. AND, I will be visiting my chiropractor very soon!

xo
Posted 11/27/2017 4:29 PM (GMT -5)
Excellent sleuthing pmm73!

You have at least established viable cause and effect AND a way to reduce the pain, huge progress.

Do you have amalgams?

I hope you can stave off more of these episodes.

I have seen 3 diff oral surgeons about TMJ problems, including two leading specialists in NYC. NONE of them offered any reliable, long-term solutions other than complete replacement of the joint. And of course, insurance wouldn't cover it because the results varied.

They all cautioned on using any appliance, especially the rubbery ones because they can overdevelop muscles and allow even more misalignment and inflammation/irritation. But they do help protect the teeth.

So, I set off to reduce the cause as much as possible, which was exactly what you are doing: find triggers you can control and mitigate discomfort. They have botox therapy for the muscles that run across the top of your head like a strap (both surgeons told me I had the most developed musculature on top of my head they'd ever seen... muscles? On top of your head?? weird.)

So that's one option to explore. I also made unexpected progress with meditating once I climb into bed, in an attempt to relax the muscles before sleeping. And I also became good at recognizing when I'm clenching during the day and I do deep breathing exercises, that help relax everything.

My biggest problem is STILL to this day popping and crackling when I eat, but it's no longer consistently painful.

Please share what you find out w/ both neuro and chiro - always interested to learn new techniques. Good luck!

-p
Posted 11/27/2017 9:40 PM (GMT -5)
I would see a biological dds-this sounds like a cavitation -I would bet wisdom tooth space
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply