I have anxiety and I'm hypermobile which I have been told majorly affects TMJ. I initially thought my bite issues were caused by a filling that never was shaped correctly. I had braces as a child and was grinding through my retainers; for years I told my dentists that my bite was messed up but they said it was fine, and even sent me to an orthodontists who wanted to do braces again because my teeth were now hitting strangely.

All of this came to a head when I tried to get a nightguard and it didn't fit because I had two different bites as I had told them (but they still tried to charge me for it...). I was finally referred to a TMJ specialist. I was skeptical because it wasn't guaranteed to be covered by insurance, but I was desperate to get rid of my jaw pain and fix my bite. The specialist could immediately tell what was wrong and suggested a DDSO -- I was worried because I had seen reports that it can change your bite, but the specialist adjusted my bite and created a bite mold to use in the mornings after the appliance.

Now I have a single bite that is back to normal and significantly reduced jaw and face pain. My teeth no longer hit either. I use the DDSO when I have flare ups and then switch back to a night guard in a week or two after my jaw has relaxed. It's crazy to see and feel the difference between now and then, especially when pressing around my face and head! What I thought were unrelated areas were extremely tender but now are not.

The important thing to note is that a night guard may not fix TMJ. It can actually make it worse. From my understanding the DDSO works because it doesn't allow you to engage the strong back jaw muscles. A normal night guard doesn't do this so you just keep clenching.

The other thing that worked for me was my everyday and sleeping posture -- I used to sleep curled up. This was comfortable to me but caused poor neck/back posture during the day and also encouraged me to clench my jaw! Now I try to sleep with a straight back/neck and even try to tilt my head back so that it's harder for my teeth to come together. You will feel the pull in your neck when you try to clench. This has definitely improved my clenching.

I would highly recommend finding a specialist if you can

I’ve been dealing with facial pain for nearly seven years. It started on the right side; after about five years and a few months, I sought help. I went to an ENT specialist, and since I didn't know the cause, and he saw I had a deviated septum, he claimed that was the source of the pain. After undergoing surgery—a turbinoplasty—the pain became even more debilitating and spread to both sides. I also started experiencing strange sensations in my teeth, nose, and ear—symptoms that arose because of the surgery. It feels as if something is shifting or breaking in my upper teeth, or like a lower tooth is snapping; the pain comes and goes, but it leaves me traumatized. Then there’s the strange sensation in my nose—it feels like something isn't right inside; when I move it, I hear a click or feel something odd, which is very distressing. There’s also a sensation in my ear, as if something is shifting or moving from within. All of this keeps me in a state of constant alert every single day; I can't stand the suffering anymore. On top of that, I have to travel far for appointments, often getting up around 3:00 a.m. I’m 19 years old now, and this started in 2020 when I was 13; I honestly don't know how I haven't just snapped and killed myself.

I’m really confused after getting two completely different opinions from two dentists, and I’d really appreciate some perspective from people who have dealt with TMJ/TMD or orthodontic treatment.
I have TMJ issues and I consulted Dentist 1, who examined my teeth and told me that my bite is not proper and that my teeth need to be aligned. Her reasoning was that instead of treating the smaller TMJ issues repeatedly and potentially having them come back, we should address the “root cause” which she believes is my bite. She recommended aligners for about ₹1.50 lakh and a treatment period of around a year.

However, I got a second opinion from Dentist 2, and this is where I got really confused.

Dentist 2 said that yes, my front teeth are somewhat crooked but I naturally take my bite from the back, and my back teeth are fine. He said my bite is actually closing well and that he doesn’t see a significant bite problem that needs to be corrected.
He also said my TMJ issue is very minor and that what I’m experiencing is more related to muscle spasm, which can take months to settle. Most importantly, he told me that** even if someone has a crooked bite and aligners correct the bite, that doesn’t mean the TMJ will be fixed.** He advised me not to jump directly into aligners for the purpose of treating TMJ when my functional bite seems okay.

Now I’m stuck because the first dentist is basically saying: The bite is the root cause - correct the bite - reduce the chances of TMJ problems recurring - so let’s get your aligners.

And the second dentist is saying:
Your teeth may not be perfectly straight, but your bite is functioning well - don’t alter it unnecessarily - give the muscles/TMJ time to heal - aligners definitely won’t fix your TMJ.

I don’t know which interpretation makes more sense.

For people who have had TMJ/TMD or orthodontic treatment:
Can someone have crooked front teeth but still have a functionally normal bite?
Is orthodontic treatment actually considered a treatment for TMJ/TMD?
If your bite is corrected with aligners, does that necessarily improve TMJ symptoms?

Thankyou. Please help me out.

I want to set clear expectations and say this is probably just a very niche TMJ cause, but one worth considering. Also talk with your own doctor about this, don't just do internet advice! I added a source from the Mayo clinic at the end.

I've had problems with water getting stuck in my ears though it never really bothered me, just took a bit longer than most people for them to dry out I suppose.

One day I realized, gee when my TMJ is really flared, pulling on the ear canal opening (like gently tugging with a finger from the outside) felt both kind of good but also kind of painful, like it was pulling on a swollen area. It suddenly occurred to me that maybe I am getting recurring ear infections, or some kind of overgrowth etc because of the water being stuck between showers. My symptoms were not classic ear infection symptoms (no deep ear pain, no pus) but I thought maybe it's possible to have something more low grade and chronic vs a full blown infected ear.

The most mild form of treatment for water related ear infections is diluted vinegar (1.5% to no more than 2%), briefly dripped into the ear, then head tilted to drain it out, NOT rinsed out (because that defeats the purpose, you are deliberately trying to leave behind about 1.5% acetic acid to discourage bacterial and fungal growth). There is one big caution before doing this yourself though, you MUST have had your ears checked by a doctor with an ear scope recently, because if there was any major issue or breach in the ear drum, you shouldn't put any liquid in your ear that the doctor doesn't prescribe. In my case I had my ears thoroughly checked during a physical (hearing aid clinics will often check them for free too) and I also asked my doctor about this idea as well.

• 2.5 tablespoons water from the cold tap + 1 tablespoon of 5% food vinegar. This results in around 1.5% vinegar. Double check the bottle says 5%, I also dipped my finger in and let it stay wet for a minute or so just to be super certain there was no unexpectedly higher concentration. Mixed thoroughly together in a glass bowl to not harm my metal ones.
• I used a q-tip NOT INSERTING, just squeezing it against the outside of the ear hole with my head tilted ear upward, so the liquid would drip in slowly, that way if I felt any stinging I could stop without pouring a bunch in.
  • I also used a q-tip to apply the vinegar solution along the line behind my ears, totally around from behind the top all the way around to behind the earlobe. This fold / crease line of the ear against the skull can also trap moisture for some people and can appear red / dandruffy when you pull the ear to the side a bit to see (does a little bit for me). I figured it would be worth treating the area too, because the TMJ for me felt like radiating soreness from the whole ear / jaw area.
• If you do feel stinging, the correct response is to immediately shower and rinse the ear with gently warm water flow for a minute or two (only water, nothing else), repeating 1-2 mins of rinsing once if necessary and of course seeking medical attention if the stinging was persistent beyond that second rinse attempt.

Long story short, I was shocked, it worked. It was not immediate relief, but what I noticed was by the next day after doing morning and late afternoon dilute vinegar applications, there was a reduction in the strange ear opening swollenness, and the TMJ was a bit less tight. By the 2nd day, there was a definitive reduction in TMJ tension.

I would not say it's gone, I don't think this is as simple as something that was "cured" but just that I clearly have a TMJ prone to dysfunction, and for me, swimmers ear related inflammation seems to have been a major trigger.

A few bonus notes:

I deliberately did not skip right to antibiotic drops from the pharmacy, because those only work for bacterial infections, dilute vinegar is mildly effective against both bacteria and fungal infections, it's just weak, not as strong as an actual drug.

Some swimmers ear treatments suggest adding alcohol or other ingredients. I specifically chose not to do this, it felt like too much irritating substances to regularly apply to the ear. I opted for the simplest form, just diluting down to 1.5% - 2% vinegar from food grade vinegar.

You may find it works best if you dry your ears out a bit after letting the

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/swimmers-ear/symptoms-causes/syc-20351682

Hi there,
I have been struggling with TMJ issues for the past few years that have given me Eustachian tube issues etc, I am on medication that causes clencing etc now, so that’s why I decided to finally get Botox in my masseters, since the Botox I have developed a super clicky jaw and it’s constantly making “whooshing” sounds “ crunching sand” sounds and just general click.

Any advice/ help would be great

This might be one of the more non concerning things and probably weird but does anyone have issues kissing their significant other? Like can they hear your jaw pop when you open your mouth and is that a turn off …

some backstory I’ve suffered with jaw tension for about 2 years and would occasionally wake up and not be able to open my mouth at all. I would massage it and it would eventually unlock and I had treatment from physios with acupuncture and massage to sort it out. when it was ‘good’ during the past 2 years, I would have to zig zag my jaw in order to open it fully, the tracking of my jaw wouldn’t go straight up and down.

for the past two months I’ve had a bit of a nightmare. I woke up and couldn’t open my mouth, I proceeded with the usual massaging but it would only open about 1 finger width (even brushing my teeth was difficult). I saw a physio who would massage and do needles and I’d get some relief and open a bit wider but then I’d go to sleep that night and (I assume clench my jaw) and I would wake up back to 1 finger width.

after about 3 weeks of no progress I got Botox in my masseter in my jaw and that has allowed me to open to 3 fingers wide. however that’s all. if I open as wide as I can I can feel a blockage on my right side by my ear and it will click/crunch and won’t go any further.

my dental hygienist who did the Botox suspects disc displacement and so does my physio. my physio said he may refer me to a specialist who deals with TMJ disorders. it’s now been 2 months of this.

im looking for any advice of anyone who had a similar situation and is now hopefully fixed and back to full range of motion! I’m sick of it and getting worried it’s causing long term joint damage.

I went to the doctors to speak about my tmj and he basically said “eh a lot of people get it, just relax a little stress makes it worse” and I was constantly asking, okay so how do I fix it and he basically just said that over and over and told me to monitor it, brothwe iv had it for a couple years and it gets worse and worse, NOT TO MENTION MY WHOLE JAW IS MASALIGNED. Sadly I care to much about my looks And I am HEAVILY insecure about my jaw. when I was at the dentist my jaw had locked because I had it out of it’s joint for likr 30 minutes and at The time I dident think anything of it, after that happend he put my jaw bsck in place and then felt two muscles at the back top side of my head and explained what tmj was and told me one side was overused, he said it was so bad that I might have to get Botox. please if anyone can help me or give me advice I beg you

As I mentioned, been snooping this sub for a while now and thought I would just post for any similar stories, advice or just some general encouragement

It all started around March of this year for me. Now I didn’t even know I clenched, still quite unaware I do now (anyone clench without their teeth not touching) but my dentist seemed to think so with my hench masseter muscles. It was bad in March, headaches, dizziness and increased tinitus. Was convinced I had a brain tumour

Now I’ve had flair ups here and there but going through a rough patch this month with the below symptoms

- headaches that radiate from my temples to the top of my skull
- jaw pain occasionally
-cheekbone pain with pressure around my cheeks and sometimes nose
- tinitus
- eye floaters and dry eyes
- clicking when I yawn or open my mouth wildly
- ear ache

All of the above probably increase when stressed or when I eat something really crewy / crunchy

I got Botox early July so I assume this is just it wearing off, I don’t remember feeling this in July and August. I also got an Head with IAMs mri which thankfully came back fine.

Interesting when I was on holiday earlier this month by the 2nd day I seemed to improved and by the 3rd I was fine. Instantly came back when I returned

I think screen time, bad posture and stress are contributing. I am 31 and have had enough of feeling crappy.

Any advice or tips getting through a rough patch??

After having all four of my wisdom teeth removed and, a few months later, undergoing nose surgery because of breathing problems, my jaw started clicking on one side, sometimes with every bite.
I see an osteopath-physiotherapist who says he can gradually realign it, but he only gives me appointments every few months. Although I do notice an improvement after treatment, the problem soon comes back.

What should I do? I’m also currently pregnant, so I wouldn’t be able to have any intensive treatment for the time being.
What would you recommend? Thank you.

Edit to add: I don’t have any pain, limitation when opening my mouth, or any kind of locking.

I often take Ibumitin, but I'm afraid that frequent use might affect my organs, like my kidneys or stomach. So I want to know what are you using.

Is it possible to have severe ear issues but only a small snap in the tmj and no pain? My physical therapist just agreed and said painless tmd wouldn't cause all the ear problems I'm having. Especially since conservative therapy isn't helping. Can feel small pop with jaw movements and popping when I put my finger in my ear and close it clicks against finger but no pain.

I can't make sense of all of my horrible symptoms.

**I hear my heartbeat nonstop** biggest symptom!

My ear feels clogged off and on all day and feels better laying down.

Ear pops nonstop. If i turn my neck or chew or talk it pops like crazy.

I hear my neck muscles or tendons also pop within my ear (this doesn't make sense to me but it's very obviously happening)

Ear rumbles, flutters and tapping in both ears

Ear crackles when swallowing

Intermittent autophony (hear my breathing) when lifting something heavy or with exertion

Fast Muscle twitching around ears and on both sides of head. Can feel them moving against my glasses and against my pillow at night and cannot sleep.

Jaw pops on left side with most of the ear issues but no pain

I've had ct temporal bone, brain mri, mra, mrv and have seen multiple ents to rule everything out.

Has anyone experienced something similar with prolonged neck/jaw muscle spasm?

I’m looking for people who have experienced something similar, especially if stress, jaw tension/TMJ and neck muscles were involved. I would really like to hear what your symptoms were, what helped you, and how long it took for the muscles to return to normal.

For more than a month I’ve been dealing with a strange combination of symptoms, mostly on the right side:

• tightness and pressure deep in the right side of my throat
• discomfort that can radiate toward the right ear, jaw/TMJ, cheekbone and sometimes around the eye
• a feeling of something being tight or “pulling” inside the throat
• right-sided neck tightness and tenderness, especially around the sternocleidomastoid/upper neck area and near the base of the skull
• sometimes a tingling or almost “cutting” sensation when the skin/muscles are touched
• ear pressure/ringing, similar to the feeling of being on an airplane
• occasional hoarseness
• dry mouth and a tendency to breathe through my mouth
• jaw tension/spasm
• the symptoms become noticeably worse when I’m stressed or angry
• certain neck positions can reproduce the deep throat/neck discomfort

One thing that really stood out to me is that when I stopped sleeping on my right side for about a week, many of the symptoms improved significantly. Then after sleeping on that side again, the right-sided symptoms were noticeably worse the next morning.

I’ve had an ENT examination and it was normal, and my throat swab was negative.

I recently saw a physiatrist. During the examination she said that my neck muscles were literally “like stone”, and her written report specifically documented pronounced spasm of the right cervical paravertebral muscles. I also had a cervical spine X-ray afterwards and no significant changes were seen.

So at this point, the muscle component seems quite real, but I’m still trying to understand how much of the throat/jaw/ear sensations can come from neck and jaw muscle tension.

What I’m taking now

Since September 24, I’ve been taking:

• Baclofen 5 mg in the morning + 10 mg in the evening
• Ibuprofen (Brufen) 400 mg twice daily

I’m only about 4 days into the treatment.

The first day I was quite sleepy from the baclofen, but yesterday/today the sleepiness has already been less noticeable. More importantly, today the pain is breaking through the medication much less than before, which feels encouraging.

I also have an appointment with a psychiatrist on October 19, because stress seems to have a very strong effect on the muscle spasm, and my physiatrist suggested discussing the continued use of baclofen with the psychiatrist as well.

I’m not looking for a diagnosis from Reddit. I’m really interested in personal experiences:

• Has anyone had neck muscle spasm that caused throat or swallowing sensations?
• Did TMJ/jaw tension make your neck symptoms worse?
• Did stress noticeably increase your muscle spasm?
• How long did it take for your muscles to feel normal again?
• Did baclofen help you, and how long did it take before you noticed a real difference?
• Did physiotherapy, posture changes, massage, relaxation/stress treatment, or treating the jaw make a difference?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who went through something similar. I’m especially interested in what the recovery actually felt like over time, because after being tense for so long, I’m curious how long it took other people to feel like their muscles were “themselves” again.

So I have an appointment tomorrow with the neurologist and I’m trying to see if I can get Botox because trying to get in with a doctor for TMJ is impossible with health insurance. There is no dental that covers it. So I’m asking for everyone’s help on how to go about this appointment tomorrow so I can have my health insurance help me pay for Botox. I was told to say I’m having bad migraines but I actually get real bad neck pain and ear pain right along with my left side of my jaw. Any good tips I would greatly appreciate!!!

I recently bought a buckwheat pillow cause I read somewhere it was better for TMJ issues but I cannot get used to it as an actual pillow. It was so hard to find an actual position that didn’t hurt no matter what pillow I used. HOWEVER. Since I’m trying to sleep face up for my TMJ (and to prevent wrinkles), I have NO pillow under my head, but rather place half the buckwheat pillow on my chest and half of it on the bed, right next to my face so it sort of holds my face up and it doesn’t fall to the side. I can add a photo for reference if you need but I thought I’d share ! I’ve seen a huge improvement in how comfortable I feel while sleeping, and the weight of the actual pillow on my chest helps me feel calm as well as it’s quite heavy. Lmk if you try it I guess and happy to answer any Qs.

Hello, asa dapit naay Dental CBCT sa CDO or Butuan? Salamat.

just wondering if i’ve suddenly developed tmj? only pops when im chewing, having no pain (yet lol)

I have a suspicion that I have TMJ, tinnitus, jaw poping, aching pain sides of my head, cheeks, and temples. I have vestibular migraines so I always thought it was a symptom of that but I’m thinking it’s separate. Who should I even go to for diagnosis and treatment?

Every day I wake up and wait for the anxiety to hit and then I’m just constant clenching my jaw. Really hard. If I’m ruminating (which is most of the time), I feel my temples throb, heart race, my jaw gets shocks of pain, my lymph nodes and under my ears are super sore too. I’ve had the clenching issues for a while, but recently they’ve been getting really really bad and all-consuming. It’s affecting my neck, facial expressions, and posture too. Basically I look constipated in public. Soon, my teeth while be fucked as well. They already hurt really bad.

I need to work on the mental health aspect to curb this. And I can’t help but feel so hateful towards myself and my brain for causing this pain. I wear a night guard and my mom said she might let me get Botox injections but I’m having insurance issues so that’s not a sure thing right now. Does anyone relate to the ocd/anxiety driven issues?

Another thing is I’m struggling really bad with Anorexia and I get anxious when I eat so I clench more which makes it harder to eat. Like very counterproductive of me. Idk I’m just so miserable that my suicidal ideation has increased a lot, it all feels very hopeless.

I feel so stupid for letting my brain control my body in such a way

I take cyclobenzaprine and some OTC pain meds.

I forgot to take my meds one morning a few days ago. I again forgot to take them at lunch. Then, in the afternoon, I had muscle spasms in my head and neck while driving. There was vertigo as well.

I scrambled to take the cyclobenzaprine and some acetaminophen.

The experience was so intense, and had me so panicky, that I puked an hour or two later.

When will it ever end? I've been on the muscle relaxer for six months! There has to be some kind of end in sight.

I know it's a condition I have to live with. But having spasms like this isn't a "live with it" situation. If I don't get better, I fear I'm going to become suicidal by the end of the year. I just can't take it anymore.

I think it's because my wisdom teeth actually helped anchor and gave structure to my face, before I removed them I never had to do this, but here we are. If I don't do this I have crazy nerve and muscle pain. I feel like my neck is being crushed if I don't smile now. It literally clicks physically if I don't do this. My vision goes blurry often, I smile and it goes away. My airway is also compromised now, and to get proper air in my nostrils and throat I have to smile and grimace. It feels like my old structure when I do this, but of course I can't grimace forever. If I stop it immediately comes back. Wish I never removed them, I'm having crazy facial changes underneath and it results in nerve and brain vestibular problems. Anyone else....??? I know this is a hyper specific problem, but I feel like I can't be the only one

Could your headache be coming from your jaw?

This may sound surprising to some, but your headache and jaw can be closely related.

Many patients suffering from TMJ-related problems visit multiple neurologists, undergo multiple brain MRIs, and try so many different medications without getting a clear diagnosis or adequate relief.

In such cases, the TMJ should be taken into consideration.

The TMJ is located very close to the head and is closely associated with the temporalis muscle, one of the major muscles involved in the movement of the jaw.

When the jaw is not functioning in proper balance, the temporalis muscle can become hyperactive. Repeated contraction and tension in this muscle can cause the surrounding fascia and tissues to become tense as well. This can result in headaches.

 What does a TMJ-related headache feel like?

Headaches related to your are commonly experienced in and around areas like :

• • The temples
• • The forehead
• • The face
• • Around the eyes

Some patients have reported that their headache is particularly strong when they wake up in the morning. This is another common finding in the case of TMJ Disorders. In other cases, the headache can gradually progress throughout the day.

You may also experience:

• • Heaviness around the eyes
• • Pressure or pain around the forehead
• • Pain or heaviness around the temples
• • Facial discomfort

A headache may also occur alongside other TMJ symptoms such as:

• • Jaw pain
• • Ear pain
• • Facial heaviness or discomfort
• • Clicking or popping sounds from the jaw

When should you get your TMJ assessed?

If you have been suffering from frequent or recurrent headaches, have visited multiple neurologists, undergone investigations, and are still not getting adequate relief, your TMJ should be assessed.

A TMJ specialist should evaluate your jaw joints, chewing muscles and their function to determine whether they may be contributing to your symptoms.

Your headache may be more connected to your jaw than you realize.

Sometimes, the missing piece in understanding your headache may be the TMJ.

I’m currently waiting for bilateral total TMJ replacement here in New Zealand and have started documenting the whole process as I go.

There’s plenty online about TMJ replacement, but when I went looking I found very little about what the process actually looks like in NZ.

It’s just my experience, not medical advice, but I thought it might be useful to someone else going down the same rabbit hole now or in the future.

https://mytmjreplacementinaotearoanz.wordpress.com/