Thank you for your response. I will attach what was sent to me 2 days ago by a tmj oral facial specialist Dr. Droter. Let me know what you think if you know how to read some of these images. It’s hard accepting this. I’ve had some good months and some bad months weeks and days. I’ve had this flareup for 3 weeks or so. Before that I felt ok – no medications needed. I had like an 8 week lull. Anyways always thinking I’m helping my situation because I thought TMD / TMJ but now another orfacial specialist told me PTNP. Nerve damage. For a couple years I have noticed a tight neck – most noticeable when turning the head in a car to check a blind spot. Side to Side rotation is there but feels like a door stop and the muscle is tight turning left. Right has better movement. I’ve been doing chin tucks and leavator scapula stretches. Never felt comfortable when doing them. chin tucks started to hurt and scapular stretch neck bent to armpit felt like my throat muscles and adams apple all knotted up when head was down for 30 seconds. Not comfortable. I’m wondering if I could of triggered this with the styloid process and I need to give it a break.
Roof of my mouth and gums ache. I’m attaching the letter and photos he sent me. Let me know what you think.
Below is what he said and you will see the attachments.
Styloid is Normal. See attached.
Hopefully you recieved therapies for the problems we found back in 2023.
I will be glad to see you for a reevaluation.
JohnR
We’ve had many members w/ decreased range of motion in their necks caused by ES who have commented soon after surgery how much more range of motion they have post op. ES symptoms are also notorious for coming & going as you’ve noted. At some point, they can come to stay. I suspect your TN pain will subside to at least some degree if your left styloid is cut back.
Looking at your images, your styloids do look ‘normal’ sized, they are quite angled though so that can cause symptoms as well as the length. Some of the cranial nerves exit the skull for a hole called the jugular foramen, along with the IJV & carotid artery, and this is right beside the styloid processes. So if they’re angled they can irritate nerves where they exit the skull…there are other causes of Trigeminal neuralgia though, like a blood vessel compressing it, & this would need an MRI to see, especially a FIESTA/ Ciss MRI. It’s worth trying a nerve pain medication to see if that helps with the tooth & mouth symptoms if you’ve not tried any of these already…
I can’t see if there’s any calcification of the stylo-hyoid ligament; there is a bit of a line which shows up against the inside of your jaw bone ; it may be an artefact, or something on the jawbone, I think that’s most likely- I’m sorry but I’m not technical enough to ring the bit I’m talking about.
Your hyoid bone processes look pretty thick though, so that might be worth getting someone to look at, it could perhaps be affecting your swallowing, have a search for posts on Hyoid Bone Syndrome.
