Fibromyalgia and TMD
Having both Fibromyalgia and TMD also known as Temporomandibular Disorder or Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ) is common. TMD is a group of conditions that involve the chewing or mastication system.
The Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the jaw joint that connects the lower jaw (mandible) to the skull (temporal bone) in front of the ear canal. The joint contains a cartilage disc which separates the jaw form the skull. Strong muscles surround this joint and are needed for chewing or talking.
Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction is a bit of a mouthful, pardon the pun, so is abbreviated to TMD.
Studies have found that people with Fibromyalgia and TMD symptoms are common. Fibromyalgia sufferers are 31 times more likely to have a diagnosis of facial muscle pain than people without Fibromyalgia. Both Fibromyalgia and TMD are more common in women than men.
Symptoms of TMD
Symptoms of TMD include stiffness or pain around the jaw, ear and temple, difficulty opening your mouth fully to yawn or eat, pain whilst chewing food, clicking or popping noises when eating or talking and jaw locking.
Causes of TMD
Causes of TMD are teeth clenching or teeth grinding (Bruxism), wear and tear of the joint, stress, an uneven bite and trauma to the teeth or jaw.
Exercises to ease TMD
I found these facial exercises for TMD in this video really helpful.
My experience of having Fibromyalgia and TMD
I was diagnosed with both Fibromyalgia and TMD after being misdiagnosed by my dentist of having Trigeminal neuralgia. Trigeminal neuralgia is another very painful facial condition. For over 3 months I had suffered excruciating pain in my lower teeth that radiated to my jaw and temple. I had visited a total of 5 different dentists over that time who all said they could find nothing wrong with my teeth. I was given several rounds of antibiotics to fight of any infection. But the pain remained. I underwent a root canal filling, a separation of a dental bridge and finally an extraction. I paid over £500 for these painful procedures.
But still the dreadful pain remained. I was in terrible pain and wept almost daily. Finally my dentist suggested I had Trigeminal neuralgia and sent me immediately to see a GP. The doctor I saw later that afternoon was not my regular GP. She was very nice and could not be more understanding. She gave me a prescription for an anti epileptic drug used for nerve pain - Carbamazepine.
I found Carbamazepine to be an awful drug that had many bad side effects and had little impact on my pain.
After researching the subject of facial pain it dawned on me that I did not have Trigeminal neuralgia at all but rather TMD. I had ordered a mouth guard from Amazon some time ago and had begun wearing it to see if it helped. And it did. I also remembered that a previous dentist I had several years ago had mentioned that I clenched my teeth – most probably during sleep. I had often woken with a start as I had bitten into my gum while sleeping.
I had read that teeth clenching can be a cause of TMD. I had also read that having both Fibromyalgia and TMD was common in women.
With all this information I saw my regular GP who agreed it was most likely that I had TMD. She referred me to an Oral and Maxillofacial specialist. While waiting to see the specialist I continued to wear the mouth guard during the night and as if by magic the pain disappeared. So after waiting a number of weeks to see the specialist, I reported to him my miraculous recovery. He said that although TMD was not curable it was manageable. He said they would provide me with a custom mouth guard.