When you have jaw pain and a difficult time opening and/or closing your mouth, just thinking about going to the dentist to get a cleaning or have a cavity filled is enough to fill you with anxiety. Here are some tips we’ve gathered over the… Read More »Dreading Your Trip to the Dentist? Tips for Survival for TMJ Disorder Patients
Here are the latest questions that have been submitted by TMJ disorder patients. Do you have a TMJ related question? Ask in the comments section below or send it to us and your question could be featured in our next Q&A!
1. Once you have TMJ do you have the problem for life or can you get rid of it completely?
This is a hard question to answer. Some patients find that they get better almost immediately with self-care techniques like a soft diet or heat or ice. Other patients however, don’t get better so fast. They might need some follow-up treatment with their dentist, splints, physical therapy, some medications, or other treatments. An even smaller percentage still may need to go on to more invasive treatment, like surgery. Please understand that this percentage is very small. Right now we don’t have any specific data on how many people end up having jaw surgery, but we do know that it’s a very small percentage – possibly in the 5% (or lower) percentile.
So to answer your question, is TMJ disorder something you will have for life, or can you get rid of it? I am not sure – everyone is so different. Most people don’t have it for life as far as we can tell, but I think it’s also something that you will always be aware of. For example, you might always have some jaw discomfort after eating something that is chewy. So it may be something that you have to deal with on and off throughout your life.
We find that many patients have periods in their lives where they are not affected by TMJ disorder, then other times where it does have an effect on their life and how they live. Stress is obviously a factor, and many patients find that if they are able to get rid of the TMJ pain for a long time, a period of high stress will make it come back.
I hope this answers your question, I know it’s complicated and I wish there was one answer that was 100% definitive but unfortunately there isn’t yet.Read More »TMJ Disorder Questions & Answers Part Three
Here are the latest questions that have been submitted by TMJ disorder patients. Do you have a TMJ related question? Ask in the comments section below or send it to us and your question could be featured in our next Q&A!
1. Once you have TMJ do you have the problem for life or can you get rid of it completely?
This is a hard question to answer. Some patients find that they get better almost immediately with self-care techniques like a soft diet or heat or ice. Other patients however, don’t get better so fast. They might need some follow-up treatment with their dentist, splints, physical therapy, some medications, or other treatments. An even smaller percentage still may need to go on to more invasive treatment, like surgery. Please understand that this percentage is very small. Right now we don’t have any specific data on how many people end up having jaw surgery, but we do know that it’s a very small percentage – possibly in the 5% (or lower) percentile.
So to answer your question, is TMJ disorder something you will have for life, or can you get rid of it? I am not sure – everyone is so different. Most people don’t have it for life as far as we can tell, but I think it’s also something that you will always be aware of. For example, you might always have some jaw discomfort after eating something that is chewy. So it may be something that you have to deal with on and off throughout your life.
We find that many patients have periods in their lives where they are not affected by TMJ disorder, then other times where it does have an effect on their life and how they live. Stress is obviously a factor, and many patients find that if they are able to get rid of the TMJ pain for a long time, a period of high stress will make it come back.
I hope this answers your question, I know it’s complicated and I wish there was one answer that was 100% definitive but unfortunately there isn’t yet.Read More »TMJ Disorder Questions & Answers Part Three
This is the second installment in our questions and answers feature here on the blog. If you would like to read other questions, the first installment is here. After speaking with thousands of fellow TMJ disorder patients over the years, I’ve noticed that each patient… Read More »Your TMJ Disorder Questions Answered
Over the years I have spoken with thousands of TMJ disorder patients, and have noticed that we ask very similar questions. I had a lot of these same questions when I started researching, but it was hard to find the answers.
Yes. Many TMJD patients experience dizziness, and some experience a general off balance feeling. Sometimes this can be attributed to swelling in the joint that is putting stress on the inner ear. The inner ear is where your balance comes from.
Maybe. Jaw noises do not 100%, all the time mean you have TMJ disorder. Some people have noises in their jaw joints, but never worry a day in their lives about developing TMJ. I think of it like a knee or ankle popping. Sometimes my knees pop when I go up and down the stairs, but I’m not too worried about developing a massive arthritis problem.