A TMJ Flare on top of pelvic pain issues.

I’ve been around this site for a while now, working on my pelvic pain/IBS-C symptoms, learning a lot from people’s stories and experiences. I've been doing a lot of self examination and journaling and trying to get back to a normal life.

Last Friday I had a heavy-duty crown preparation session at the dentist –lots and lots of drilling, and that evening and ever since I’ve had really horrible acute TMJ jaw pain on the side of the mouth that was worked on. The dentist has advised anti-inflammatories and I have also been using an ice pack with variable success - seems to depend on the day. I had much milder jaw issues on the other side of the mouth a few years ago when I had to have a crown put in but nothing like this level of pain

The reason I’m writing though is really because in the past week I’ve noticed that my pelvic pain has been much less troublesome. Seems the brain can only cope with so much. Every cloud etc etc. And I do find it interesting that my original symptoms have faded so noticeably.

I’m trying to manage my reactions to the jaw pain with mind-body principles, i.e. am trying to accept it and just give it time to settle. I have to admit though that it’s very frightening at times particularly when it disrupts my sleep. I have the final session at the dentist this coming Thursday to have the permanent crown fitted so I suspect it won’t be till after that that the jaw will have a chance to properly settle down.

Any advice/experience anyone has of similar issues would be really welcome.

 

Hello angel,

I've had loads of fun with tmj and dentists due to undiagnosed atypical trigeminal neuralgia. I know well enough how disturbing such pain can be. It is very hard to cope with facial pain as it is so immediate and intimate in its own way. During those years I explored many things, one of which was the connection between hip and jaw.

Here is an article that summarises this connection:

http://littlewhitelotusblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/the-link-between-hips-and-jaw.html?m=1 (Little White Lotus: The Link Between the Hips and Jaw)

I practice yin yoga and it really helps soothe pain and emotions. Here is a link to a yoga teacher whom I follow:

Yin Yoga Classes - All levels: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0v0k7UCVrmK5WvoJMCAof0LJxuQXqxk (Yin Yoga Classes - All levels - YouTube)

I'm enrolled on this course at Udemy:

https://www.udemy.com/yin-yoga-to-heal-restore/ (Yin Yoga to Heal & Restore - Udemy)

The jaw/hip connection is also well known in midwifery courtesy of Ina May Gaskin. Her work is fascinating.

I offer these insights for your contemplation with an assurance that it is a body~mind aspect that has served me well. It is interesting to note how tension moves, and where it moves to.

I have never fared well with ice packs. Resting the side of my face on a hot water bottle is infinitely more soothing. Aside from this, I've found any ache from dental intervention has passed with time. If you can relax into knowing it is just tms and loosen any anxiety surrounding it you should find it easier to deal with this.

Sending you healing thoughts.

Plum xxx

 

Bless you, Plum, for your understanding and kindness. I wouldn't wish the pain on anyone but it is helpful to know I'm not alone - as you say it is SO intrusive and upsetting.. And from what I know of trigeminal neuralgia it really is not fun at all so you have my sympathies.

Thank you for the links as well, I will investigate all of them. Interesting about hips/jaw, as my pelvic pain is of course in the hip area. What I have noticed since last Friday is how angry this flare is making me - and I'm normally fairly stoical about pain, but I've been having real tantrums in my daily journal.

The first few days heat did work but latterly it seems to make it worse and ice does seem to dull the inflammation, at least for a while. I do believe this will pass in time - my previous dentist-induced minor flare a few years ago did indeed shift in a few weeks. This is far more severe so I'm not predicting when.

 

Five years ago almost to this day, I had a minor dental filling that caused me all sorts of jaw/TMJ problems. My bite always felt wrong and uncomfortable. I went back to the dentist numerous times for adjustments until he couldn't figure it out. Then I went to several other dentists. X-rays, nerve tests, etc. showed nothing- they were all baffled. I was convinced the filling was bad and my bite was messed up. Drove myself and my wife nuts looking for a solution. Problems went on for three years until I fell on my tailbone and started with pelvic pain. Then, literally, all the teeth problems instantly and permanently disappeared overnight, replaced with unrelenting PNE symptoms. Looking back on it now after learning about TMS and mindbody syndromes, it fit the description of "occlusal dysesthesia" or "phantom bite syndrome" perfectly. There are people who have terrible bites and have no pain, yet people whose mouths look perfectly fine yet have debilitating TMJ pain. Like most TMS symptoms, this is stuff your brain should just be tuning out (and does in fact tune out, in ordinary people). Your brain has now decided the jaw area is important and turns up the microphone there, while ignoring whatever messages come from the pelvic nerves now.

I'm not diagnosing you or anything, just letting you know I can relate as the exact same thing happened to me.

 

The relationship between jaw pain and anger is a real live wire. I find that journalling doesn't help much but walking (and ranting a bit ), does. Anger is such an action-oriented, c'mon you b******* emotion that some kind of physical release does well. I've just remembered...I used to have a punch-bag...wonder where that went?

Really though anger is sublime and quite beautiful in it's white hot purity. I no longer fight the feelings, which I did for such a long time (and before that, simply never felt), but try to give them some form of expression.

As an aside I think dental work can range from the unpleasant to the traumatic so it's little wonder the body~mind seizes upon it as a tms opening.

If nothing else, a glass of wine takes the edge off.

 

Jason, it's interesting to note there are parallels between dentistry and other surgeries in that there are patients who "nomadically pass" between dentists searching for the elusive answer.

Psychosomatic issues are acknowledged within the profession but even these seem like a diagnosis of last resort. It is a great shame that so many people have unnecessary procedures that are both costly and ineffective when all along it is the old bogey man tms.

Thanks for sharing your experience.