My TMJ

I hate my TMJs (temporomandibular joints). Actually, I hate my left TMJ more than my right...and it definitely hates me.

This hate/hate relationship started when I was in high school. The last day of school during my sophomore year, I woke up not able to open my jaw much past an inch. So basically I went to school that day feeling like a freak. My mom made me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich because it was soft and easy to chew. But, at the lunch table that day, I didn't feel much like eating. I ripped off little pieces of the sandwich and shoved them through the one-inch opening I could muster. Needless to say, that day sucked.

Since then, I've had bouts of TMJ pain every so often....times of stress or a "certain" time of the month may make it worse. Part of the problem for me is that I have a very small mouth, which my dentist has confirmed on numerous occasions, especially when they can't get the adult-size films to fit in my mouth for routine x-rays (that's always a fun visit). I've learned to cope with it, for the most part, by avoiding too much gum-chewing and by staying away from hard breads and large sandwich rolls.

My dentist fitted me for a night-guard that is supposed to alleviate my jaw-clenching when I sleep, which makes my TMJ pain worse.......oh, yeah, jaw-clenching? Yet another part of the problem. However, I've stopped wearing the night-guard because it was actually making the pain worse and I was waking up feeling as if my jaw was pushed out of alignment; plus there were clicking noises when I'd eat. So, no more night-guard for me.

Although the clicking has stopped, the pain in my left TMJ continues...at times, it feels like a really bad earache. I've been doing some jaw exercises and putting a hot compress on the area to help reduce the spasms causing the pain. Needless to say, I don't think this will ever completely go away for me. I've been reading up on this a lot lately, and other contributing factors weighing against me are that I'm female, I have hormones, and am already prone to neck pain.

Anyone else deal with TMJ pain? Please offer any advice!