Tag Archives: Jaw Pain

Botox

Botox and Migraines

My wife has been having jaw pain and migraines. We took her to the dentist because we’ve heard that can be TMJ disorder. The dentist checked her over and suggested Botox. That sort of threw me because I thought that was a cosmetic procedure. Will that actually help her?

Karl

Dear Karl,

I am glad you wrote and believe I can help clear some things up here. If you look at the image above, you can see in the top (before) image, the woman looks angry. In truth, it was the constant tension in her forehead muscles that were causing her muscles to cramp up like that.

Using Botox relaxes those muscles and gives her a less angry appearance, as you can see in the after image. This is the principle behind using Botox for TMJ disorder.

The same medication used for cosmetic purposes can serve a three-fold purpose. The smoothing out of the face is a side benefit for your wife. What she is really after is the way it releases the tense muscles. This will relieve the pressure on her jaw joint, which will help with her TMJ disorder. TMJ disorder can cause migraines. So, three birds with one stone. There is another use your wife probably doesn’t need, but I will mention it here for other readers. It can also help with gummy smiles.

You will still want to get to the bottom of what is causing her TMJ. Many times if it is a tension issue, you may find that your wife grinds or clenches her teeth. She may not even realize she does it because those types of habits are often done during sleep.

One thing that can help with that is a nightguard. It is like a sports guard but custom-fitted to her jaw so it will be very comfortable. The Botox will give her immediate relief. The night guard will help protect her teeth, at night, from any grinding and absorb some pressure from any clenching.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

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Possible dislocated jaw

A week ago my left jaw and chin landed bottom first onto a wooden table. I experienced pain for the first 5 minutes and then did not have any pain the rest of the week. Just the other day I woke up with pain, numbness, and a swollen (no bruising) feeling. I still continue to experience this pain, numbness, limited movement, and swelling feeling on my left jaw. My question here is it possible that my jaw is misaligned. What is weird, that it took 6 days to feel pain, numbness, and that swelling feeling (no bruising) again. I mean wouldn’t it have been consistent, in which I could have felt all this during the past week. If my left jaw were to be out of line, what symptoms are most common and how can I correct my jaw. Would surgery be the only option?

Thanks, Terrance

Dear Terrance,

It is highly possible that you dislocated or even fractured your jaw. A fractured or dislocated jaw can cause difficulty when eating or talking, pain, bleeding, and even airway blockage. Some symptoms of a dislocation are difficulty speaking, teeth feel out of alignment, difficulty closing the mouth, lower jaw may protrude forward, and pain in the face or jaw and gets worse with movement. Signs that your jaw may be fractured are difficulty opening your mouth widely, facial swelling and or bruising, hurts to bite or chew, numbness of the face especially the lower lip, and an abnormal appearance of the cheek or jaw where you hurt yourself. We recommend you seek medical attention immediately to prevent the possibility of breathing problems or bleeding. A physician or oral surgeon can restore your jaw by using his hands to press your jaw back into place, however do not attempt to do this yourself. If your jaw is fractured the only way to repair it is to have your jaw wired shut and if the fracture is unstable surgery will be required.

Post courtesy of Dr. Malone, Lafayette Louisiana Cosmetic Dentist

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Really Confused about TMJ Treatment?

I’ve been recently diagnosed with TMJ dysfunction was told I would need to be fitted for a splint that I would wear for 69 months until my symptoms went away and then I would need to look at more permanent option like orthodontics. This doesn’t seem to reflect a lot of the research I’ve been doing. Most of what I’ve been reading seems to say that TMJ is very poorly understood and they aren’t really sure how to treat it. I’ve read that splints can be effective but it varies from person to person and they shouldn’t be worn over an extended period of time. I also read that irreversible options such as braces should be avoided. Doing less seems to be the preferred method of treatment. So now I’m really confused. Do I go ahead with what the doctor recommended or do I try lifestyle changes such as correcting my posture, minimizing stress, etc which seems to be supported my credible institutions and organizations.

Thanks, Ashley

Dear Ashley,

We are glad to know that you have been doing some of your own research on TMJ Dysfunction. The cause of temporomandibular dysfunction is unclear and can be difficult to treat at times however some things that can contribute to this disorder are grinding and clenching of the teeth, stress, a bad bite, and arthritis. Wearing a splint can relieve a lot of symptoms like a popping and clicking jaw, headaches and earaches, as well as in the prevention of grinding and clenching of ones teeth. This disorder can last for a short time and go away on its own or last for years. At times orthodontics is recommended especially if your bite if off. Having braces may eliminate your TMJ dysfunction but not a guarantee. If patients experience severe symptoms and a split is not working for them surgery is recommended however this is very rare. Making some lifestyle changes is not a bad idea and may help relieve some pain therefore reducing stress, eating soft foods, exercise, and not chewing gum to name a few. Placing ice or heat packs on the side of your face may also help in relieving some discomfort.

Post courtesy of Dr. Malone, Lafayette Louisiana Cosmetic Dentist

 

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Am I Grinding My Teeth?

For the past of couple nights when I’m a sleep I feel like my jaw keeps going to the side and I can’t move it…like it locks up on me and I don’t know if it’s actually doing it or if it’s just me dreaming. Technically it feels like it goes to the right side and no matter how bad I try to move it I can’t and then I wake up. So I don’t know if it’s a dream or if it’s really happening while I’m asleep. It’s not painful just real annoying. Happened about 5 times already. Any information on this?

Thanks Derek

Dear Derek,

It sounds like your grinding your teeth at night while you’re sleeping. It is common for this to happen especially if you have some stress or anxiety, an improper alignment of the teeth, or even some missing teeth. Grinding over time can chip and break your teeth, cause them to become worn down, and even cause bone loss around your teeth. If you notice that you are continually doing this in your sleep we recommend you let your dentist know about your grinding and have them do an exam to see if there are signs of grinding. If so, a custom made mouth appliance will probably be recommended for you to wear at night while you are sleeping to prevent you from causing damage to your teeth and help in the prevention of future grinding. Try to avoid caffeine and alcohol and relax your jaw muscles at night by putting a warm washcloth on your jaw by your earlobe.

Post courtesy of Dr. Malone, Lafayette Louisiana Cosmetic Dentist

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Why do I have pain after getting a filling?

Ten days ago I had a white composite filling placed in one of my molars. Almost immediately, I started feeling really extreme pain in my jaw, radiating up to the top of my head and down to my neck, on the same side as the new filling. I’m getting by taking Motrin constantly, but this can’t go on. Other than labor, this is the most severe pain I have ever felt.

My dentist said it might be from grinding my teeth, so I bought an appliance that is supposed to help, but it didn’t. He then tried to adjust my bite by grinding off some teeth, but that  didn’t help at all, either.

This CAN’T be normal! I really think I need a second opinion, but what type of specialist should I see?

Thanks,

Leatha in Connecticut

Dear Leatha,

Teeth grinding does not sound like the culprit behind your pain.

Many different things can produce pain in a tooth, and dentists typically try to find what types of things create or worsen pain. Constant, very serious pain usually mean the tooth has an infection. If the pain is provoked by cold but then recedes when the tooth warms up, most likely it is just an irritation and not an infection. Pain while biting can mean a bite that is out of adjustment, or an abscess, or an infected ligament holding the tooth to the bone.

So, the source of your pain may a variety of things. Pain immediately following a filling could mean an undetected infection was present and it has now worsened, or that an improper technique was used to place the white composite filling.

A second opinion is definitely in order. You don’t necessarily need any kind of specialist, just a good general dentist.

This blog post courtesy of Lafayette Louisiana cosmetic dentist Dr. Mike Malone.

To learn more about Lafayette Louisiana CEREC crowns, visit our website.

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Are infections in your teeth dangerous?

I don’t have any dental insurance, or medical insurance either. I am writing to ask about a problem I am having, so I don’t waste my very limited resources in going to see the wrong professional.

Here is what has happened: Last week I broke one of my molars. It is the very back molar on the left side, right ahead of where my wisdom tooth used to be, in my lower jaw. Ever since I did that, I have a lot of pain in my cheek and jaw. In the last couple of days, the pain seems to be in my sinuses and nose, too. Basically right now my hold head and face just hurt!

I had some antibiotics left over from a recent infection (they are not expired), so I’ve been taking those but that doesn’t seem to be helping at all. Does all of this sound like it could be caused from that broken tooth, or is this more likely to be sinus issues? I know I need to see someone, but like I said I don’t want to waste my money on a visit to someone who is just going to tell me to go see someone different.

One of my co-workers said today that infections in your teeth can get in your brain?! Is that even true? She said that it can be really dangerous and that has me kind of freaked out. Any advice you can offer would be really helpful.

Thanks,

Eleanor in Ludington, MI

Dear Eleanor,

Your friend is correct–an infection in your tooth is dangerous, and can indeed spread to your brain. You must get this taken care of right away. The infection is spreading, and this will not get better on its own.

Call your dentist and see if he or she will work out some kind of payment plan. Very few dentists will turn away a patient in an emergency situation like this. If by some chance your dentist will not help you, keep calling around until you find one that will, or contact the local dental society (look in the yellow pages for a listing) and see if they maintain a list of emergency dentists in your area that can help patients without insurance or funds. You can also go into the emergency room and they will help you.

You should also discontinue the antibiotics immediately. If you take antibiotics for a tooth infection without treating the source of the infection within the tooth (and oral antibiotics do not touch it), then you simply strengthen the bacteria that remain and make them antibiotic-resistant. Only a root canal treatment or an extraction will reach the source of the infection. If you have to have an extraction, talk to your dentist about a dental bridge to replace the tooth. The location of the infected tooth means that a dental implant would be the best choice to replace the tooth, but dental implants are quite expensive and never covered by dental insurance.

Please do not delay. Get this taken care of right away, before the infection spreads further. Wishing you the best of health.

This blog post brought to you as a courtesy by the office of Lafayette Louisiana cosmetic dentist Dr. Malone.