I was just diagnosed this week with TN. I have TMJ symptoms which started about 8 months ago. I've read that mouth guards don't help with TN, but my dentist still believes that if I keep wearing it my jaw may pop back. I was under a great deal of stress when my jaw got this way, and gritting my teeth a lot. My questions are, do I keep wearing this mouth guard, and if my jaw does "pop back" will the symptoms of TN decrease?
-Lolly
I have been diagnosed with TMJ three different times in the past. As far as I am concerned it was just a misdiagnosis. I have never had a dentist or dental specialist that would admit to TN.
The night guard may help with the grinding but it won't do anything for the TN. My night guard aggravates my TN. It is painful to wear it so I stopped using it.
May I ask what your TMJ symptoms are??
Hi, your tmj syptomsbmay be caused by your TN. I am not sure what type if TN you have or what your triggers are but for me at least clenching my jaw is a trigger. If it is the same for you then you may stop clenching your jaw your sleep because it causes you pain. The mouth guard would be fine so long as it doesn’t aggravate your TN. But I doubt it would help at all with your TN pain.
About 8 months ago I woke up and my jaw wouldn't align anymore. There was a crunchy sound in my jaw on both sides. I went to my dentist about a month later when it really started to hurt, and he made me a night guard. When it happened I was stressed out with family health issues, so I know for sure I was gritting and grinding my teeth. My jaw on the other side still makes a crackling sound if I open too wide, and my jaw still isn't aligning right. And I agree with you on the dentist and dental specialist (I saw an orthodontist). It was actually my ENT who diagnosed it after performing a sinuplasty that really didn't do anything.
justjane37 said:
I have been diagnosed with TMJ three different times in the past. As far as I am concerned it was just a misdiagnosis. I have never had a dentist or dental specialist that would admit to TN.
The night guard may help with the grinding but it won't do anything for the TN. My night guard aggravates my TN. It is painful to wear it so I stopped using it.
May I ask what your TMJ symptoms are??
It sounds like you definitely do have issues with your jaw other then TN. I do grind sometimes but don't really have other TMJ symptoms.
Hopefully for you your nerve pain is a result of the misalignment of your jaw and if that is addressed maybe the pain will decrease.
I am learning that neuropathy can come from other things than traditional Trigeminal Neuralgia. It can certainly be caused by injury from an accident, a surgery or a dental treatment, etc.
If the night guard doesn't aggravate your TN then I say wear it. I don't see how it could be of harm. You should talk to Cleo, she is one of the administrators on here and she has a lot of knowledge about neuropathy and dentists.
LibraryLolly said:
About 8 months ago I woke up and my jaw wouldn't align anymore. There was a crunchy sound in my jaw on both sides. I went to my dentist about a month later when it really started to hurt, and he made me a night guard. When it happened I was stressed out with family health issues, so I know for sure I was gritting and grinding my teeth. My jaw on the other side still makes a crackling sound if I open too wide, and my jaw still isn't aligning right. And I agree with you on the dentist and dental specialist (I saw an orthodontist). It was actually my ENT who diagnosed it after performing a sinuplasty that really didn't do anything.
justjane37 said:I have been diagnosed with TMJ three different times in the past. As far as I am concerned it was just a misdiagnosis. I have never had a dentist or dental specialist that would admit to TN.
The night guard may help with the grinding but it won't do anything for the TN. My night guard aggravates my TN. It is painful to wear it so I stopped using it.
May I ask what your TMJ symptoms are??