Has anyone found a way to get real relief from TMJ pain?

I had TMJ, and still feel symptoms (an ache or slight stiffness) when I get stressed and grind my teeth at night though that is now rare. Self-massage did nothing for me, and my TMJ was bad enough that my jaw would be lock out of place for the first two hours or so after waking up. Sometimes, it would lock painfully while I was speaking, going in for a bite of food. All sorts of things.

I never found anything that helped until one day I took a bite out of a burger, my jaw locked but my muscles I guess were too strong by then, I felt a ripping and my jaw snapped back in place, no more clicking, no more pain… I dunno what happened. And I’m kinda okay with being ignorant on that one.

But like I said, the self-massage didn’t work for me, sipping warm tea helped loosen things up and help the ache when that was a problem. I’ve heard massage only helps some people. I’d give it a try.

You can work with a massage therapist who specializes in TMJ. They basically will slap on a rubber glove and massage the inside and outside jaw muscles, and possibly some inner ear region. Oh wait, now I’m just reading that you asked about massage. I should probably read the descriptions before I answer. But, yeah I just graduated from massage therapy school and it has been known to be beneficial. I, however, am not experienced in that field, so I don’t really know the details. Good luck!

I grind my teeth a lot at night and I found that sleeping with a dental mouthguard helped considerably. The ones I got at the store were just too bulky to sleep with. I actually ground holes in the mouthguard, I’m so bad. Try talking to your dentist about it.

Been there, done that! I was having terrible TMJ related headaches. The dental Xrays showed my teeth were coming in on an angle. I had my wisdom teeth removed and that fixed the problem. I’ve been fine for 25 years.

Actually, now that Lupin mentioned it, I just had mine removed – an emergency extraction of all four last week. Two were in my lower jaw, and the top two were coming in at 45 degree angles towards my cheeks. Since then I haven’t had any of the achy feeling I get when I grind my teeth usually. I know I’m still grinding because I catch myself doing it when I concentrate sometimes.

Just thought I’d add that.

I had my wisdom teeth removed almost 20 years ago, and I’ve used a custom-made dental mouthgaurd or splint for three to four years but stopped using it because I felt like it made the grinding worse. Any way to reduce or stop the nighttime grinding?

I’d talk with you doc about adjusting the splint, if it’s making it worse, it’s not right.

Also, be aware of what you’re doing with you’re teeth during the day. Your teeth shouldn’t be touching if your jaw is relaxed. I was told “Lips together, teeth apart!” and that chewing gum is an absolute no-no. Good luck!

Yes, don’t bite your nails either! I found the night-time guard just made me wake with my jaw in spasm and plastic clamped tightly over my teeth! The one thing which really helps is an exercise where you pull your tongue back against your palate, until the tip is right at the back of your mouth. Then keep it there, and drop your chin as far as you can whilst NOT moving the tongue.

This relieves pain if I wake with it, and also if I do this regularly, it seems to stave off attacks.

I just drink dark ale or wine until the pain goes away.