Jaw Pain! How can I fix this?

[searchdog]

For the last several weeks I keep waking up with the left side of my jaw hurting and the pain/irritation is moving into my ear on that side. My guess is this is considered TMJ. Is there anything I can do without having to go to my dentist to help this? Is there something I can sleep in to help it? I am taking Ibuprofen but that is only providing a little relief at this point, it just takes the edge off.

I don't mind going to the dentist, but I hate my dentist. We had to switch because of insurance and I just don't trust my current dentist and I fear they are going to try to "sell" me all kinds of stuff I don't need, since this is what they seem to have done in the past.

So should I just pick a different dentist from our network and hope for the best or go back to the current horrible one or is there something I can try at home first?

BTW I have been really stressed out lately so I am not surprised my jaw hurts I am probably grinding my teeth(although I never have in the past) in my sleep or something.

Thanks for any help and sorry this is so long.

[smilequeen]

I suggest you go to a dentist, not one you hate though. Can you try another one in network?

In the meantime...you can keep taking ibuprofen (800 mg 4x a day is best when it's at its worst), put a heating pad on the affected side (15 minutes on/15 off/15 on), put yourself on a soft diet to rest your jaw. Check your sleeping position to make sure you aren't putting too much pressure on the left side. Hmmmm...possibly a boil and bite athletic mouthguard while you sleep would tempororarily stop you from grinding. We also give out flexeril when needed (rx muscle relaxer)...perhaps you could see your primary care MD for that if you can't get into a dentist, if you think that might help?

Again, though, it's best if you see a dentist for it :)

[proggoddess]

In grad school, I had so much stress working 60 hrs. a week that I developed TMJ. I couldn't open my mouth very wide and it hurt badly for a month! Ugh. By the time I could brush my back teeth again, it was too late; I needed a filling for a small cavity.

Eat soft foods like oatmeal and applesauce and try not to talk much. Do not sleep on your side, but on your back (check with OB if you're pregnant, I guess) because otherwise your jaw will slide off-center due to gravity. Always be conscious of clenching your teeth together. I would sometimes try to hold the tip of my tongue inbetween my teeth to make sure I didn't clamp them shut.

After you feel somewhat better, you can stretch your jaw out. Put the tip of your tongue behind your top front teeth. Push firmly with your tongue against your teeth/the front of roof of your mouth. If you're doing it right, you'll see your jaw muscles/jawbone bulge a little on the sides of your head near your ear or your earlobe might move out to the side a bit. You might also hear a popping sound.

You may want to see a dentist if you grind your teeth at night, since there's not much you can do about that. I know of someone who cracked one of their molars from grinding their teeth so much.