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.
1. Does anyone experience dizziness with TMJ disorder?
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.
2. Sometimes when I move my jaw, I hear a popping noise in my ear. Does this mean I have TMJ?
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.
3. Do Botox injections decrease TMJ related muscle spasms or jaw pain?
Here’s the thing… we don’t really know. I hate to tell you that because I know it doesn’t really help.. but it is the truth. 😉 We did recently have a great thread starting up on the forum about Botox and TMJ, though. You should read it. In the meantime, please remember that Botox is not FDA approved for the treatment of TMJ disorder or jaw pain. It is usually not covered by insurance, either.
4. Have you heard of any pillows that make sleeping with TMJ disorder easier?
Not yet. Everyone seems to have their own solution here. As of yet we haven’t found one particular pillow that most TMJD patients seem to adore… but we hope that will change soon. Good news though! We will be starting product reviews here on the blog and pillows are the very first review going up! In the mean time, I have heard patients that really like using the Micro Bead Therapy Pillow
and some like the Tempurpedic type pillows.
5. Is there a cure for TMJ disorder?
NO, not yet. There is no cure for TMJ disorder. Despite what you may read on the internet, and the scammy, spammy “programs” that make me nauseated, people (who are NOT medical professionals) may be trying to sell you things that tell you otherwise. Again, though: at the moment there is not a cure for TMJ disorder. TMJ disorder is a condition that becomes chronic for some patients…it CAN be controlled. Developing a multi-disciplinary team to help manage the pain and symptoms has been shown repeatedly to be very helpful in managing TMJD.
We also find that the support available from your patient peers here at TMJ Hope is so incredibly important! Learning from those who have already gone through what you are going through, and knowing that you aren’t alone… these things help all of us THRIVE with TMJ disorder!
What other questions do YOU have? Comment below or send us your questions and we may feature them in one of our next blog posts!
I don’t agree with your last answer. There may not be cure for some complicated tmj cases but many can be successfully cured.
If there is proof then some of us who have TMJD would have been told by now. I am a TMJD patient and I have lived with this disorder for as long as I can remember. Sometimes it gives me headaches. It is really hard for me to chew certain things like certain ways meat is cooked. I have to have it medium rare otherwise my jaw will become tired from just chewing my first bite. So I disagree with you because I don’t see any proof that anyone was even cured with TMJD. My mom has it. My sisters have it and my little brother also has TMJD. No there is no cure according to what my doctor has told me.
Hi Amit. I think we are coming from the same place here, it’s just the words we’re using to describe “cure” are different.
The definition of the word “cure” is: “the eradication of disease or sickness” (per dictionary.com) or “complete or permanent solution” per Webster’s dictionary.
A cure is permanent. No matter what you do, how you act, what you eat, how large you open your mouth, etc you will never have the disease again.
In the scheme of things – what really matters is the published opinions of the dentists, doctors, and scientific researchers.
Christian Stohler, DMD who is Dean of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry explains that there is “no specific cure [for TMJ disorder], even though many different therapies have been tried over the years.”
Daniel Laskin, DDS who is the former editor of the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and an oral surgeon himself, says that literature shows that “curing your TMJ problem is not a likely possibility.”
So, while there are some TMJ patients that have relief of symptoms, a complete cure is not possible at this time..
I agree. Thanks for your valuable opinion.
I was diagnosed with TMJ by an orthodontist, oral surgeon, plastic surgeon, and an ear doctor. They all told me to go to a dental school like NYU to further look in, but I haven’t yet and one of them told me to get a surgery done soon by the severity of my jaw not being aligned (only two of my back teeth touch together when I close my mouth) at S. Korea. However they also mentioned the huge risk I would have to take in the surgery, would a TMJ surgery performed successfully considered miraculous then? I currently don’t get any pain from my jaw, but I have a constant cliking noise when i open my mouth, swallow, sometimes when I walk, and my right ear constantly rings. Is it possible for me to become deaf b/c of TMJ? I don’t think you’re a doctor, but it seems to me that you know a lot about tmj. I hope you can tell me something honest after reading this:]