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mjl · Dec 2, 2007, 05:30 PM

After years of painful lock jaw, and about 10 different dentists later, my dentist finally found out why I have lock jaw... apparently I clench my jaw tightly closed when I am asleep(but I do not grind my teeth) and it causes my muscles in my jaw and face to go into spasims.
So I got a bite plate about 2 months ago. It is one of those hard arcylic ones that doesn't even bend. Anyway, ever since the first time I wore it to bed it has been giving me a lot of trouble. It feels fine in my mouth when I go to bed, but I always wake up in the middle of the night and my teeth are just KILLING ME!! They feel like they are about to fall out of my mouth! I always have to take it out in the middle of the night, and I can't fall back asleep cause my mouth hurts so bad.
It is obviously something I'm doing in my sleep to make this happen, cause when I have it in my mouth before I go to sleep it doesn't bother me a bit. Any ideas of what it is that is causing this and how I can stop it? Please let me know!

Wondergirl · Dec 2, 2007, 05:47 PM

Lockjaw is from a rabid dog bite. What you have is TMJ (Temporo-Mandibular Joint) disorder.

My sis had this along with pain and starvation from not being able to eat/chew. She went to a good chiropractor who adjusted and realigned her jaw bones. Thirty years later she is still doing fine.

Maybe try a chiropractor?

mjl · Dec 2, 2007, 05:53 PM

I have gone to see a chiropracor, but that was for my back and neck. But anyway, they have checked out everything with the joint and the bones and nothing is wrong with that. It is the muscles that I have a problem with. I had a maxilofacial surgeon look at it and said my muscles aren't strong enough. I haven't had my jaw lock in a long time, but when it would happen I would go to the hospital and they'd give me muscle relaxers and after a while it would loosen up. I'd even have to wrap my face in warm towels and everything too to relax the muscles!
I don't understand how a bite plate is suppose to help if makes my teeth hurt to bad. It is fustrating.

Wondergirl · Dec 2, 2007, 05:56 PM

Chiropractors have checked your joints and bones and have not been interested in helping you?

Hmmmmm, so how do you make those muscles stronger? If you don't, this will be the story of your life, for the rest of your life. I'm all for curing the problem and not just covering it up with pain pills and muscle relaxants.

mjl · Dec 2, 2007, 06:00 PM

I haven't taken any in about 7 or 8 years, and when I did they were few and far between.
They said I have to do "jaw exercises"... my dad picks on me and says I have to go to a jaw gym!
But that's besides the piont, what I was asking about was the bite plate, and why it would be hurting my teeth.

Wondergirl · Dec 2, 2007, 06:05 PM

You're probably still grinding your teeth, or at least the muscles in your upper and lower jaw are pushing down hard against each other. You can do that now by biting down hard and holding it. After a while, it hurts!!

Tell the dentist this and ask him if you can switch to a flexible plate or some other system.

I still think you need to cure this now so you won't have to live with it any longer.

flossie · Dec 2, 2007, 06:12 PM

Firstly, return to the dentist to have him check your occlusal night guard (splint/bite plate). He should be checking your bite with your guard in. He should have you bite on a piece of articulating paper (horseshoe shaped blue carbon-like paper) and with your teeth together slide side to side. He should check for any high spots on the guard and adjust the splint. This should have been done before you were sent home with it.

This is something that should also be done on an annual basis because if you are clenching at night you can wear it down so that you are right back to square one with it.
Having done that, try a registered massage therapist who specializes in TMJ area. Mine did wonders for me. He/she will manipulate the muscle from inside your mouth and outside (with gloves on!).

Some chiropractors don't have a lot of experience in TMJ manipulation, you should call around and find one who does a fair bit of it.

mjl · Dec 2, 2007, 06:26 PM

I did do that thing where I had to bite down over and over, and then he fixed it with a drill, over and over... then I had to bring it back a month later and I had to bite on that paper over and over again with a different dentist, and yet again he did some drilling too.

There is only one chirprator on the island that I live on, and he only deals with the back and neck. Which I had to see him to because of muscle problems in my back and neck too. I have a feeling all this muscle problems are all related because they are all very similar, but I'm not the doctor.

mjl · Dec 2, 2007, 06:27 PM

What do you think flossie? Since you're the expert on this stuff!

flossie · Dec 2, 2007, 06:40 PM

What do you do for a living? Do you sit at a computer a lot? If you do, this will put you into a forward head posture which causes you to clench. Try to avoid eating really chewy things like bagels, chewing gum, etc to give your TMJ muscles a rest. You could try sleeping with a good posture pillow under your neck (I have one, it's just tubular in shape, I bought it from my massage therapist and cannot sleep without it!). Try not to sleep on your side with your head resting on your hands as this can push your jaw out of position while you sleep.
Ibuprofen (Advil) is a good anit-inflammatory to use when you feel your jaw muscles getting tight.
Look at the stress level in your life. Stress can often cause a lot of our muscular type problems.

mjl · Dec 2, 2007, 06:51 PM

I'm a part time cashier at a grocery store, and postal worker. My chiropractor says being a chashier at a grocery store is pretty much the cause of my back and neck problems. and I wouldn't doubt it.
I never chew gum, I think it is rude and it just bugs me ( a bit of a pet peeve haha), though I do sleep on my side with my arm underneath my pillow (how'd you know?! )
Though I haven't had lock jaw in a few years, I just started going to a new dentist and I didn't mention it to him cause it was forever ago that I had the problem. He started to feel my jaw and told me there was something wrong before I even told him! He said he could feel bumps in my muscles in my jaw and right up to behind my ears. Like as if I had a lumpy head! haha I can't see them, but he can feel them, he was actually quiet shocked, that's when he decided on the bite plate, which is just killing my teeth.

flossie · Dec 2, 2007, 07:02 PM

You know, if you aren't having any problems with your jaw at present, don't wear your guard. I'm sure you paid a pretty penny for it but if it causing more discomfort than you had before put it away in your dresser drawer. I think your dentist just made some extra income on you... sorry :(
Do you have wear on your teeth (biting edges flattening) or notches on the tooth at the gumline? Those are signs that mean you are clenching or grinding.
Try sleeping on your back (if you don't keep yourself awake snoring!)

flossie · Dec 2, 2007, 07:03 PM

By the way... what island do you live on?