Information about TMJ or deviated septums?

[Lilac]

I''ve gotten headaches on an almost daily basis for as long as I can remember. I have been told by neurologists that they are migraines, and I have been told I clench/grind my teeth which also contributes to the problem. A few months ago I went to an ENT and was told I have a deviated septum which could cause the headaches also. He didn''t seem too concerned about it but told me to come back to discuss it at another time.

My other issue is that for the last 6 weeks I''ve had very bad ear pain and dizziness. I''ve been to the doctor twice and first was told my ear looked slightly red but not infected and I was given some ear drops. The ear drops caused much worse pain, so I stopped using them. The ear pain has stayed the same and even possibly gotten worse the last few weeks, and I''m really not sure what to do about it. The pain is right in front of the ear on the outside of my face (it feels like it''s right inside the ear and hurts when I press right in front of my ear on the outside).

I have an appointment with an ENT tomorrow night to discuss the deviated septum and now I would like to ask if he can give me answers on this ear pain as well. I''m wondering if it could possibly be TMJ - sometimes I get jaw pain and it feels like my jaw moves and locks for a second and then shifts back into place. It doesn''t happen often, but when it does, it hurts a lot.

Does anyone know anything about TMJ? Or about deviated septums and correcting a deviated septum? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks so much!

 

[sba771]

Hi Lilac,

I am sorry you are going through all that. My mom has TMJ and I had a deviated septum. With the TMJ my mom was given a night guard which prevents her from clenching and grinding her teeth which helps alleviate some of the stress on her jaw. She also gets steroid injections every 6 months to a year into her jaw to help some of the eternal swelling.
If you have specific questions about the surgery for a deviated septum I am happy to answer, I just don''t know what to offer up otherwise.

 

[elle_chris]

I don''t have a deivaited septum but I do have TMJ. Many years ago it got so bad that one morning I woke up and couldn''t open my mouth for hours. I winded having minor surgery where they make two tiny incisions and insert a camera into one, and then they lubricated my jaw in the other. I was also fitted for a night gaurd. Not sure if anything else can be done for it.

I do get terrible headaches once in awhile but I have a feeling it has more to do with my sinuses than TMJ. Not sure if anything else can be done for it.

 

[Lilac]

Date: 10/12/2009 4:07:22 PM
Author: sba771
Hi Lilac,

I am sorry you are going through all that. My mom has TMJ and I had a deviated septum. With the TMJ my mom was given a night guard which prevents her from clenching and grinding her teeth which helps alleviate some of the stress on her jaw. She also gets steroid injections every 6 months to a year into her jaw to help some of the eternal swelling.

If you have specific questions about the surgery for a deviated septum I am happy to answer, I just don''t know what to offer up otherwise.

Thanks so much for the information. Did you have surgery to correct the deviated septum? Basically mine is bad enough that I can see it myself from the outside and it makes it very difficult for me to breathe on one side of my nose. When I get very bad headaches, I sometimes feel like I can''t breathe and when I try and pull my cheeks to the sides (to try and open up the side of my nose that is hard to breathe through) it seems to make it SO much better. If the doctor says surgery to correct this is an option, I''m just wondering if it''s worth it. I REALLY don''t want to have surgery, but would do it if I thought it could make a significant difference in the headaches. If you had the surgery, was it because of headaches associated with the deviated septum? Did the surgery to correct it make it better? How long is the recovery time and how bad was it? I guess I''ll know more after I see my doctor tomorrow but I just wanted to see if anyone here had any experience with this that they could share.

 

[elle_chris]

The surgery made it much better. But I was told the procedure would need to be done every few years. I was also told that my wisdome teeth needed to come out because it would put more pressure on my jaw.

 

[Novel]

Ugh, so sorry you''re going through this!

I''ve had both TMJ and the deviated septum (broke my nose a couple times). I had trigger point injections to help the TMJ. I used to have lots of days where my jaw would just lock and I couldn''t get anything in or speak clearly. Most of my joints do that, though, slip out and then come back in. For the jaw, stopping chewing gum and getting a nightguard both helped. Its also something that as I got older got firmer, but I didn''t have headaches, just jaw and ear pani. The other thing that helped me was never to open my mouth all the way. When I yawn I put my tongue on the roof of my mouth so that I don''t open all teh way. It helps the tendons heal.

As for the septum surgery, it really helped with the breathing. Ditto for both (!) my sisters. It isn''t something to take lightly, the surgery, but it isn''t too bad, either. For my sisters, it also stopped their sinus infections, which may contribute to headaches. If you find a surgeon you trust and its right for you, I''d consider it. I had no idea how much I wasn''t breathing until I could!

Good luck!

 

[dianne]

No deviated septum but I did have TMJ surgery 21 years ago. It was really tough to get my insurance company to pay for it because it was considered experimental surgery. I called almost every day to the home office for 6 months until I truly believe I just wore them down and they gave in.

I had headaches, severe jaw pain that did not allow me to sleep, and my jaw would lock either open or shut. When it locked open it would be about a 1/4 inch where my teeth didn''t touch, couldn''t eat because I couldn''t chew. I had lots of soup and it''s hard to swallow properly when your jaw doesn''t work. Talked a little funny and it was easy to drool...gross, I know.

When locked shut, it would lock at the same place only I could touch my teeth so my only chewing space was within that same 1/4 inch. It would take an hour to eat a sandwich made with one thin slice of ham, crust cut off because they were too thick to get between my teeth. I would use really fresh bread, cut it into rectangles and press it as flat as possible and feed between my teeth like you would feed your ATM card into the slot on the machine.

My problem was when I clenched my teeth at night I had damaged the tendon on the right side that allows a small disc to slide back and forth when you open and close your mouth. The tendon had to be repaired surgically. I can still hear that crunchy, eggshell-breaking-sound when I move my jaw back and forth but it has been great since the surgery. I rarely chew gum, though, because it does seem to aggravate it.

Good luck to you!

 

[Lilac]

Thanks sba771, elle_chris, Novel, and dianne for the information and advice. I guess I''ll talk to my doctor tomorrow about whether he thinks the deviated septum surgery would help my headaches and whether he thinks I could have TMJ. I appreciate your thoughts and it''s very helpful to hear from those of you who have had similar experiences. Thanks!

 

[packrat]

JD had surgery on his nose last year. He used to box, so his nose has been broken several times. He couldn''t breathe very well and snored so horribly I was about ready to make him sleep in the basement. The surgery made a huge difference in his breathing. He does still snore, but that''s partially b/c he sleeps all weird.

I''m not sure what TMJ is..I need to google it. My jaw clicks when I open my mouth or chew (just when I chew on a certain side tho and boy is it loud) and sometimes it sticks. It''s like it unhinges..like a shark or snake or something. It hurts when it sticks. Is that what TMJ is? I don''t clench my teeth at all tho, but I notice I keep my tongue on the back of my upper teeth and top of my mouth so my teeth are never together all the way.

 

[sba771]

The deviated septum surgery helped me sleep so much better (and I had no idea I was sleeping poorly) also my sinus pain was a lot less, I no longer was affected by sinus/allergy issues in my under eye area, if that makes sense. It also made me stop snoring, I wasn''t a regular snorer but apparently I was sleeping with my mouth open due to my nasal passages being blocked. The surgery itself was eh, I had a bad reaction to the anesthesia so that part was a tad annoying, but I had no bruising and minimal swelling. I had it during the second week of Passover way back in the day, so I was off from high school, and was back to school the following Monday and was up and walking around 2 days after the surgery. The part that hurt the most to me was when they removed the giant tampon-like packing from my nose post op.

 

[AprilBaby]

I had deviated septum surgery. The worst part was the nasal tampons for 24 hours. I didn''t have headaches before but I do now. I do breathe MUCH better.