Hi Bopper,
I tend to agree with Isaiah although I do think they are tied together with one worsening the other.I have been dealing with TMJ worsening for years re: clenching/tight SCM. Lots of neck issues I think from whiplash in my late teens. I only recently found out I had significant bone loss in one TMJ side due to osteoarthritis causing a major jaw out of alignment / dysfunction. One side has been jamming back against the trigeminal nerve that has been the cause of major Temporalis muscle /skull pain that caused me to seek out a neurologist in 11/2020. I have been getting quarterly botox and steriod injections. The pteragoids were a definate target for botox. This doc suggested a possible Eagles and a month later a CT scan confirmed it with about 3.2 / 3.5cm. In April 2021 I had one side done causing a major TMJ flair (I was warned it could happen). It took a good 5-6 mths to calm down w/ injections. 2nd surgery was in Dec 2021. I’m about 4.5 mths out. Im generally feeling pretty good although a 3 hour stint at dentist doing 2 crowns caused a huge flair in TMJ. Ive only noticed the past 2 weeks some TMJ issues creeping up but not bad. I truely believe the botox and steriod injections help.
I bit the bullet and got fitted for a $2K special bite appliance last week to help realign the jaw. I also get another round of injections next week too as well as 1 more crown. I think I’m looking at a root canal in my future as well.I wont get the appliance for a few weeks so the jury is out on that one. I chose to do eagles surgery, then appliance (Ive tried them before many years ago). Im attacking this from all angles.
Surgeon mentioned after Eagles surgery #2 that my neck was really tight. If you follow the science behind acupuncture, dry needling and/or proliferan injections…the insertions of anything into tight muscles helps to disrupt muscle tension. I wonder if just by cutting a very tight neck open, it may have the same impact. Botox serves to paralyze the muscle in hopes of getting the muscle to release.
My TMJ doc told me about One theory of when you have calcified ligaments / elongated styloid process and your neck muscles become very tight, they clamp down on the calcifications causing pain.
I think it is a vicious cycle of both interacting with each other. My pain is substantially reduced overall since having surgery #2. I do know the eagles surgery is not going to correct the major jaw alignment issues and ongoing TMJ problems. The only medication I take is Zantax at night but only 1/2 dose. I hope to stop taking it after I start using the new appliance and the new round of botox and steroids. Ask me in a couple months.
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