I have had TMJ for about 2 1/2 years. In the last year I have been experiencing a lot of tingling and numbness in my face. The doctor I go to doesn't feel that it is related to my TMJ. I go for weeks without numbness and then perhaps a week or more with it. I wonder if I have a pinched nerve in my face. Some information I have read suggest that I could possibly have Fibromyalgia. I also experience localized pain in my joints and extreme fatigue at times.
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Re: TMJ - tingling and numbness in my face
Posted by Walt Stoll on October 24, 1998 at 12:19:21:
In Reply to: TMJ - tingling and numbness in my face posted by Bev on October 23, 1998 at 16:56:31:
Dear Bev,
There is NO doubt that this is ALL related. You need a better doc.
All of this has been discussed many times right here on this BB for years. take a look at the archives.
THEN, if you still have questions, write again.
Walt
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Re: TMJ - tingling and numbness in my face
Posted by Bev on October 26, 1998 at 21:53:53:
In Reply to: Re: TMJ - tingling and numbness in my face posted by Walt Stoll on October 24, 1998 at 12:19:21:
In the last 2 1/2 years since all the pain began in my jaw, I have to say that I am in some ways much better. The pain in my jaw started after having oral surgery. I asked the surgeon what he thought was causing my pain and he said he did not know. (I find out later that he is a specialist in TMJ) I went to my physician, who sent me to a neurologist who felt that it could be TMJ, he sent me to my dentist who made me a splint, and when this did not work the dentist sent me to another dentist who specializes in TMJ. He showed me exercises that help to relax the jaw and I am now trying to recognize when I am clinching my teeth and attempting to learn to relax more at home and at my job.
The worse problem with TMJ is insurance companies not recognizing it as a real problem. Medical insurance companies see TMJ as a dental problem and dental insurance companies see it as a medical problem so neither one wants to pay. I was not covered by my insurance or my husband's.
This in itself can cause a lot of STRESS!!
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Re: TMJ - tingling and numbness in my face
Posted by Walt Stoll on October 27, 1998 at 12:01:56:
In Reply to: Re: TMJ - tingling and numbness in my face posted by Bev on October 26, 1998 at 21:53:53:
Dear Bev,
You are exactly right! They play a wonderful game don't they?
The only reason they can get away with c--p like that is because they have a monopoly. ANY Chiropractor, Naturopath, Relaxation Therapist, Cranial Osteopath, Therapeutic Masseur, Rolfer, Aromatherapist, etc., could do better. However, the AMA has made sure that insurance will not pay for anything seen as compettion to our monopoly.
That is why I wrote my book. I am convinced that the AMA will not give up their kingdom till the public knows enough to abandon the monopoly.
Walt
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Re: TMJ - tingling and numbness in my face
Posted by Bev on October 30, 1998 at 12:47:28:
In Reply to: TMJ - tingling and numbness in my face posted by Bev on October 23, 1998 at 16:56:31:
When my TMJ started I expected that I would go into my physician and find a miracle cure. Was I ever wrong! I would always feel that in someway I was bothering them. I had one dentist actually tell me that he had done everything he could for me and that I would have to look somewhere else. Was I mad? No! I felt like I was in the wrong for bothering him over something like this. After this incident I went home telling myself that I could not blame him. He is a busy person and I'm not his only patient
I knew from that time on that I was on my own and I had to make myself better. I started to read about vitamins and any book I could find on TMJ. I'm the type of person that it takes me to be on my deathbed,to even call a doctor. I try to keep a mental journal of when my jaw bothers me the most. To find out what might cause it to flare up one day and be fine the next. I also try to make sure that I'm not unconsciously tightning my facial muscles.
Re: TMJ - confused about my bite
Posted by dani on November 03, 1998 at 02:26:27:
In Reply to: Re: TMJ - tingling and numbness in my face posted by Walt Stoll on October 27, 1998 at 12:01:56:
i'm glad i read your archives about tmj... made me decide to try more stuff before considering surgery. for almost a year now my jaw has been clenching and clicking and my ears have felt "plugged" which has made me feel like (and my friends are convinced) i'm going deaf even though my hearing tests normal. but i'm trying to sort out the _cause_ of my tmj: it could be due to stress and the body bracing you are mentioning, because my whole body does ache a lot. (combination of stress, car accident in march and sitting at computer all day) but could it also be a genuine bite problem? because i had several years of correction for an overbite starting when i was 10 (braces for 5 years, headgear, retainer) and i was left with a retainer on the inside of my bottom teeth ... this problem started very very soon after the bottom retainer finally fell out (i'm now 23 so it'd been in for many years) and my teeth started to move more. i'm confused about how much my tjm is caused by psychological problems and how much it might be due to actual bite problems beyond my control (or would you disagree with that last phrase?)... i'm afraid that if i go to the orthodontist they'll naturally recommend braces or surgery or something. i wear a mouth guard at night but this only keeps my teeth from touching, not my jaw from clenching. i guess my main question is: how can i sort out real orthodontic problems from stress-induced tmj, or are they completely, forever and always, inseparable?
thanks much,
dani
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Re: TMJ - confused about my bite
Posted by Bev on November 03, 1998 at 23:00:47:
In Reply to: Re: TMJ - confused about my bite posted by dani on November 03, 1998 at 02:26:27:
The mouth guard does help. You would be amazed how much pressure we exert on our jaws even when we swallow. I have worn one for about 2 years and I am much more comfortable. I have on occasion fell asleep without it in and awaken with a lot of discomfort. Give it some time. I thought when this all began that I would never get better. Keep the faith.
Bev
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Re: TMJ - confused about my bite
Posted by Walt Stoll on November 04, 1998 at 10:57:39:
In Reply to: Re: TMJ - confused about my bite posted by dani on November 03, 1998 at 02:26:27:
Hi, Dani.
They are, of course: "completely, forever & always, inseparable"! What that means to me is that you should deal with the part of the problem you can do for yourself (skilled relaxation at least twice a day--see protocol) FIRST. THEN, see what you have left to deal with.
Some food for thought: WHY do YOUR teeth "move around" so much more than the rest of the worlds'? Of course, it is your bracing that does that TOO.
If you have a copy of my book, you should know that less than 10% of the "stress-effect" that causes TMJ is "psychological". So long as you still see this as mostly a psycological problem you are missing the entire point. Since you cannot, practically, avoid the stressors you must focus on releasing the stored fight-or-flight in the hypothalamus so you will have more reserves to deal with them.
I am sure that your total body bracing started long before you were 10 years old!
Once you are healthy, dealing with any psychological stressors will be a lot easier. You will probably come to the conclusion that you don't even need to.
Bite guards & retainers are such a primitive response to this problem as to be amusing if they weren't so effective for temporary relief. Of course, that is one of their dangers. The dentist and the patient see those temporary benefits as a solution to the problem and all they do is put off the effort needed for the understanding that would REALLY resolve it.
The consequence is years of income for the professional and suffering (and expense) for the patient (sigh).
Walt
Re: TMJ - confused about my bite
Posted by Walt Stoll on November 04, 1998 at 13:11:20:
In Reply to: Re: TMJ - confused about my bite posted by Bev on November 03, 1998 at 23:00:47:
Dear Bev,
Without dealing with the total-body bracing that is the cause of TMJ, a mouth guard will never be the answer to this problem. I have seen people get symptomatic relief for years but finally the mouthguard is no longer effective.
The problem is that the person getting that temporary relief mistakenly thought that this was the answer---while the causes continued to get worse. SO, finally, when the problem came back it was a lot further along than it would have been if the causes had been dealt with in the beginning.
ALL mouth guards should be prescribed only as an adjunctive relief while the person is getting rid of the bracing.
Walt
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Re: TMJ - confused about my bite
Posted by dani on November 04, 1998 at 21:27:25:
In Reply to: Re: TMJ - confused about my bite posted by Walt Stoll on November 04, 1998 at 13:11:20:
ok, ok, so you've sold another book!!!
In Reply to: Re: TMJ - confused about my bite posted by Walt Stoll on November 04, 1998 at 13:11:20:
For me the mouthguard has been the answer. I do though notice when I am tightening my facial muscles. I do know though that I am the one that has to make it better. I don't want to become as sick as I was even a year ago. I was pretty bad 2 1/2 years ago and after I was diagnosed with pre-cancerous cells I knew that things just had to change. I couldn't allow this jaw to make me so sick anymore. It was taking everything I had to just go to work. I slept a lot and was losing weight and becoming anemic.
In Reply to: Re: TMJ - confused about my bite posted by Bev on November 28, 1998 at 23:07:37:
I WISH that "for you the mouth guard has been the answer". At best it has been of effective temporary benefit. NOW, while you are still "better" is your best chance to REALLY get rid of it. Changing your diet and exercising (although your greater awareness, from using the mouth guard, will help) will NEVER solve this without the inclusion of the regular practice of skilled relaxation--which is the most important single thing BY FAR. Walt
thanks.
Re: TMJ - confused about my bite
Posted by Bev on November 28, 1998 at 23:07:37:
Now I take vitamins everyday, eat fruit, and try to exercise.
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Re: TMJ - confused about my bite
Posted by Walt Stoll on November 29, 1998 at 10:27:38:
Hi, Bev.