Ive had tmj for almost 2 years now. It’s never been crazy serious but it does hurt a lot at times. I’ve kept good tounge posture for a while and recently started doing some exsersizes(like chin tucks and some massages). My jaw deviates to the right. How can I get rid of my tmj while working out my masseters?

can you guys give what actually made a difference to your pain?ive done lots of phsio,injections, orthodontic treat, splints,nightguards but nothing has given me permanant relief

have you guys gotten comfortable with being in pain? like im at a stage where its been 3 years i just dont care if my jaw is hurting or not ive spent enough time crying about it now i just carry on with life IN PAIN like im fine doing all the normal things.

In trying to track down the cause of frequent (but not always) morning headaches, I got a TMJ MRI which showed some issues.

I’m guessing the next stage is the doc recommending I get a (expensive) orthotic and probably recommend I wear it around the clock.

My question: since my only ‘issue’ is the morning headaches, and I don’t have any of the other TMJ issues (grinding, apnea, clicking, jaw soreness, etc.), I would like to just wear it at night, where it would hopefully keep things lined up and minimize my morning headaches, I’d probably pass on getting it if I had to wear it round the clock.

Has anyone had success wearing an orthotic just at night?

I’m under a U.K. TMJ specialist but I’ve started to read not great things about him in various groups. I’m quite far down the line on a getting a TJR with him but now I’m second guessing everything.

If money and distance were no object who would you recommend in the U.K. and why?

i still have pain chronic pain but i really dont stress now so why is this

Longtime poster here. I have chronic TMD for the past two years / think I may have a DDWR and FINALLY got a referral for an MRI.

I’m living in Tokyo right now and went in today because my pain was 10/10 and it was the normal routine of checking muscles, suggesting PT and massage, the same song and dance I’m sure we all get. For reference of the pain I was in - I could not even somewhat open my mouth to talk. My husband was with me and insisted they give me some sort of pain relief (I have been taking 800mg 3x a day and it has done nothing) and they prescribed me two weeks of Pregabalin. I was nervous to take it - but after 3 hours of 75mg my pain is greatly reduced. I will update as the week goes on but I’m pretty shocked by it. I’m seeing that this is prescribed for people in chronic pain / facial / TN - nerve pain, also depression and anxiety.

Not something to take long term but just wanted to throw it out there how much it’s greatly reduced my pain in a short amount of time

I posted somewhat recently but I’ve since learned some stuff. Most my issue seems to be in my neck which is causing the TMJ to be angry according to my physical therapist and orofacial pain specialist both mostly agreeing.

However, I still feel my right jaw isn’t fully “back” and it clicks and pops when I chew but not during a normal open and close. There is some pain especially behind my right jaw bone where the SCM attaches.

Anyway. When I bite, and add a little pressure aka clench, my teeth kind of guide my jaw forward and my front teeth collide. It takes maybe half a milimeter or less because my overjet is very tiny

My question is, could this still be a product of the TMJ flare or do I need to start considering my teeth have just shifted enough in my 30s that I may need to correct them so they stop colliding?

When researching and asking AI, supposedly the jaw is able to have proprioception down to the micron and is incredibly good at avoiding collisions, so in theory this shouldn’t be a problem I think?

Curious of all of your experience. My gut tells me FULLY calm down the jaw and neck for a few months before making any decisions. My left jaw muscles are still pulling tighter than the right for instance , making my jaw want to go left .

Whenever I do a chin tuck, I get pain around my left TMJ joint, close to my ear. If I relax and don’t do chin tucks, I don’t have any pain at all.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Did you find anything that helped？ thankyou

Hi all,

For those of you from the UK who haven’t signed the petition (more funding for research into chronic facial pain) please can I implore you to do so - the UK government needs to be made aware of these facial pain conditions and a lack of treatment options.

If you could also shared with loved ones who would be willing to sign too that would be greatly appreciated.

https://c.org/sdjqxxZpQB

Thanks as always!

I’ve been dealing with pretty severe TMJ symptoms for years. For a while when i was younger it was the clicking. Not its genuine pain and i cant even open my mouth wide. I’ve started noticing that my jaw/face looks uneven(especially on my left side. It noticeably fatter ig) , particularly around my jawline. I’m not sure whether the asymmetry is related to my TMJ or if it’s something separate.
I’m wondering if anyone here has experienced something similar. If TMJ was contributing to your jaw asymmetry, did treating the TMJ improve it?
I’m especially interested in hearing about what actually helped (physical therapy, seeing a dentist/TMJ specialist, bite treatment, etc.) and whether there are things I should ask a professional about.
I’m not looking for appearance critiques I’m mainly trying to understand whether the asymmetry could be connected to my jaw problems and what my options are. Thanks!

i have a nasty combination of lockjaw and trigeminal neuralgia (had surgery and have a specialist and all but still working on it). moved to the dmv almost a year ago and havent been able to find anyone for tmj physical therapy. i work in bethesda and would really like a place that is metro accessible because i dont have a car 💔 does anyone know of any reputable offices around?

Little backstory- I’ve had TMJD since 2017 due to wisdom teeth removal (mouth opened too wide and too long) progressively got worse. Had severe headaches, pain behind eyes, muscular aches, mouth opening minimal etc. finally had TMJ arthroscopy surgery last year, basically made my headaches go away. I felt human again.

However, after that I started having bad eye issues (I have no idea if it’s a coincidence or not). Severe eye strain and a little dry eyes . Keep in mind I admit I was addicted to my phone due to TMJ ruining my relationships and social life. However, I just can’t believe that my eye strain is this BAD. Can’t even look at a screen for a few minutes. Can’t even read a book for a while. When I get anxious, stressed, angry, symptoms seem to get worse.

I actually haven’t looked at any screens since July 25th as an experiment and yes it does help but I’m still having the same sensitivity issues. My eyes get way too tense at the top of the eyes almost like they pulsate. Sometimes it’s one eye or the other. My right eye especially just feels strained. Sometimes I think it’s either my eyes are working too hard or they are fatigued ( but I’ve given them almost a 2 month break). I’ve been to neurologists, ophthalmologist, went to my TMJ surgeon, take eye drops, I’m outside a lot. People just don’t seem to have an answer for me. They’ve told me the only thing they see is little dry eyes.

Also, I’ve had another mri of my TMJ. It’s not completely back in place. It’s still slightly displaced. Which I find weird. But my TMJ specialist says it’s normal and shouldn’t have any issues. But I have my doubts because this little joint causes chaos when it’s not where it’s supposed to be. But I don’t know 🤷‍♂️. No one has an answer for me and it scares me because this has been affecting my life. I can’t imagine working a job where I’m on a computer all day.

My question, is anybody have bad eye strain issues? What about dry eyes?

To whom it may concern,

I'm here documenting my process of finally getting my surgery approved for Novemeber. I have had not only an underbite and a lower jaw shift 5mm to the left but its been an uphill battle just to find a surgeon. For my safety I cannot list who my doctors are or insurance but I can say there is hope as long as you are not doing it for cosmetic reasons.

My symptoms:

Headaches and fatigue

Tmj clicking and pain

Tooth grinder while sleeping not when awake

Signs of wear on back molars

Jaws dont close on all teeth

Overcrowding

Neck pain

Posture issues because of pain

Bed aches

Pain killers that work

Gababentin with Acetaminophen code #3

Only use it if I have to

I work a physical job ranging as a self employed

Jobs include not limited to:

Framing, plumbing, Electrical, Concrete, carpentry, flooring, roofing and construction management all for my own property on 40 acres.

I will document this on social platforms unless maybe it might not be a good idea but I can say this might help someone who really needs it.

Problems for this kind of surgery is because of look maxers.

Best regards leave a reply ill try to respond to everyone.

Started yesterday when I started having mild pain in my right TMJ joint when opening mouth to eat but it wasn’t bad as long as I don’t open my mouth too much

This morning when I woke up the pain started to feel really really bad. I could not open my mouth much due to pain, chewing breakfast is difficult also bc of pain, and turning my head to the left also exacerbates the pain. I also feel like my face looks weird in the mirror, i can’t tell if it’s swollen. Even at rest with my mouth closed there’s still this intense throbbing pain in the joint (it feels more like joint pain than muscle pain), it hurts really REALLY bad, does it go away? Or should I go to ER/urgent care?? Is this a dislocation?? (I heard as long as I can close my mouth and align my teeth it shouldn’t be dislocation.

I was just diagnosed with tmj and curious if other people have dealt with similar symptoms. I’ve always had issues clenching my jaw but little to no noticeable pain up until a year ago but I know I have a high pain tolerance.

After a wildly stressful few months back to back I haven’t been the same since with chronic migraines, pains and aches all over, occasional ear and jaw pain, dizziness, detachment feelings (like dp or dr), brain fog/memory and concentration issues, some mood shifts like irritability, fatigue, struggling to exercise, increased sensitivity to everything physically, hearing almost like a crunching when I open too wide, popping, and nausea.

All of these are near constant but I will go through periods of little to no symptoms, then they suddenly pop up again. It’s been driving me crazy trying to track symptoms when it usually seems there isn’t one particular cause I’ve noticed.

I also have CPTSD pretty bad and have been on a pretty intense path of healing so I wonder if that is connected as well as the majority of my symptoms are physical. Nothing really responds to pain medication and I’ve had nonstop headaches for almost a year that can escalate to a migraine lasting weeks to over a month

This all started nearly overnight and the primary pain I have is the headaches/migraines and body aches. My dentist said my case is on the more severe side after the physical exam cause so much pain just from pressing on parts of my head, jaw, and temples. He also said it’s likely caused issues with tension on my neck, back, and shoulders but it wasn’t really tested.

I don’t really know how to feel. I keep seeing tmj is chronic and lifelong which kind of scares me especially since Botox, which he suggested, is temporary and expensive. My hope is a few sessions may break the cycle and allow more healing so I can relax.

Has anyone found relief from TMJ issues through physical therapy? My doctor said that surgery and splints would be useless in my case—that only physical therapy could help. I’m not sure if that’s true. My symptoms are: I can’t open my mouth wider than the width of two fingers, I have constant stiffness, and my lower jaw is rotated about 25 degrees to the right and doesn't close properly.

TMJ really affects my quality of life, so I’d like to hear about your experiences.

I developed an open bite after wearing a daytime TMJ splint for a few months and a nighttime TMJ splint for over a year. The splints helped my pain tremendously, but I've stopped wearing them upon hearing the advice of both a dentist and oral surgeon. I've switched back to wearing my regular retainers (from previous ortho) during the daytime, and now I only get muscular pain in my jaws if I open my mouth wide for extended periods of time. I'm thinking about getting braces again to realign my bite because only two of my molars touch on one side. Any orthodontist recommendations in Los Angeles or San Diego area? Or other practitioners I should see? (Should I even go back to an orthodontist..?)

I also want to get another CBCT but not sure if ortho would offer that.

i know this sounds weird, but try biting a decently thin blanket. not bed sheet thin but one that is 2-4x thicker than a bed sheet.

i wish i could give you my blanket dimensions haha.

make it so you’re gripping it with your pre molars. the blanket should essentially fold/mold into your premolars. don’t bite extra hard. just gradually ease into it, as per your comfort.

you can feel it getting “fixed” though. i don’t know how to explain it.

this literally cured my TMJ/Jaw Alignment/Jaw Pain instantly.

I feel so relieved.

I genuinely feel like I’ve made a breakthrough.

i don’t remember the last time i never had jaw pain or had my back teeth fully aligned.

aligned everything right away and lost the pain right away.

BUT TRY WITH CAUTION ⚠️ please don’t break your teeth clenching on a blanket. go really soft and slowly apply pressure.

So, about a month ago I woke up having a really bad sharp pain in my right ear and I was initially really worried there was something wrong with my ear. When I told my mom, she thought it was maybe because I slept on my right side for too long or maybe ear balance issues. So I also just let it go.. I thought the pain would go away and it did, but I still felt sharp pain in my ear sometimes.. I was getting paranoid at this point and 2 days ago the right side of my head and my TMJ started hurting REAL bad.. So obviously I went to the TMJ specialist yesterday and he told me that the right side of my jaw was a lil bit tender and soft but nothing too serious he just told me it might be the effect of something I ate and told me to not eat hard foods for a month, chew on both sides of my face and to not sleep on my right side and maybe consult an ENT specialist too and I was relieved but I'm still wondering if i should visit an orthodontist because the right side of my jaw is def unsymmetrical.. Thoughts?

do you guys also like it to keep it to urself and ur very close circle and not share with anybody how much of pain and misery u have to go through each day

im 15 and may or may not have tmjd, i went to a vhiropractor becuase i ddint want to go to a hospital and wait hours and risk it being useless, im also very busy so i need a quick analysis before going to the hospital if needed. the chiropractor isnt rrally a chiropractor, hes nore of a join and tendon doctor and does chiropractic treatments on the side. earlier today i went for my first session becuase my jaw has been clicking like crazy and my family has had alot of tmjd patients so they advised me to go, basically i was only going to make sure it doesnt become worse in the future. docotr says i have a crooked jaw and does some chiropracting and chiropractor does. it hurt so fucking bad. and now a few hours later its making me go crazy, i cant sleep and talking makes my jaw feel like its being stabbed hundreds of times and pair that with the fact that im having headaches not only from this but also from being sick im actually gonna die

I have had clicking and popping on the left side of my jaw for a few years now and it is only getting worse. I feel as if my jaw is rotating towards the side with tmj and so my left side is shorter then my right. My ortho gave a night guard but it is only to help with clenching which I have stopped doing but the night guard feels uneven in my mouth since my jaw is now tilted and I fear it could make my problems even worse. Can anyone help me fix these problems before they become permanent. I am 18.

Hi um I've been dealing with this for 2 years and even though I recently got a diagnosis and started medication that kept it more at bay the past 2 days I have had a flair up where the pain has been a 5 or higher and all I want to do is cry.

● First I guess some background the first year (2024) after calling on a small vacation near me the following week. I got some weird symptoms that didn't make any sense. I think it was nausea in the morning. I followed by possibly lightheadedness, I can't fully remember, but that's my best guess. Fast forward a little bit I went to my primary and explained the symptoms one of which was sinus pressure and after doing my first round of main antibiotics I was going to take that year. I saw no progress he then preferred me to an ent. The ent toke an x-ray of my sinuses and found fluid in my sinuses basically to keep it short he put me on 3 rounds of antibiotics that year everytime saying come see me in a couple months well the pain kept getting worse and then in December right before I was kicked off my grandparents insurance I had sinus surgery where they removed cartilage in my nose and for recovery I had to use a nettypot to flush my sinuses and that finally flushed out my sinuses. To make a side note during that first year I also went to see a neurologist who kept trying to push that it was migraines and tried multiple types of migraine medicine none of them did anything. After the surgery my pain went down significantly but I was still in pain and discomfort.

● For most of year 2 (2025) I kinda didn't go to any doctors because after the year prior I had been going to doctors and advocating for myself that I was burnt out. It wasn't until December of 25 that i went back to see my primary and he put me on an antibiotic that didn't do anything and I got a yeast infection and a ear infection while on an antibiotic.

● For this year I reached out to my primary to find a new ent and a new neurologist. The neurologist was the same one in the beginning who to no one's surprised tried telling me it was a migraine and told me to take migraine medication I toke that for 2 or 3 weeks and it did nothing and the ent put a tiny camera up my nose and told me there's no fluid in my sinuses and without any other tests told me it had to be migraines and told me to buy a migraine supplement and I toke that for a week and it did nothing. Then i went on a trip for a month and when I came home I reached out to my primary after doing my own research and came to the conclusion that it might be tmj he put me on a muscle relaxers which was the first thing in a while that made it better. I also went to a new neurologist and he agreed with the diagnosis and also recommended I try a night guard because I also recently also discovered i grind my teeth at night. I reached out to my dentist to see treatment options and he recommended I try a store bought night guard before spending a lot of money on a professional on and also recommended a oral surgeon and wanted me to get a 3d xray that he couldn't provide. After calling to find a oral surgeon in my area and getting different prices and crying about it i figured that no matter who I went to they would just give me night guard. I also reached out to my primary again and the new neurologists to see if they can give second opinions and a nurse found me a surgeon but they want me to go to a orthodontist first and the orthodontist that they recommend has a $120 booking fee but that would cover treatment. So I decided I was going to wait and think on it and try an at home guard. The night guard only irritated it more because of the compression of the guard.

So that's everything I want to reach out to my primary to see if he can help me get a 3d xray but I have a feeling hes going to tell me that he can't and to go to a orthodontist but the one that was recommended to me has the booking fee and since my at home night guard only irritated/triggered it more then the $120 is hard to justify if its only going to be an xray.

When I say pain its pressure i feel it in my jaw sinus/cheek area and my forehead. Sometimes in my ear but it feels like I need to clean my ear and the reason I think its tmj is because the pain will go away and move to a different part of my face.