TMJ during pregnancy?

SJFTCA

Since yesterday, I have had pain in the right side of my jaw and around my ear. It hurts when I open my mouth too wide and it hurts when I chew. As soon as I googled "ear and jaw pain", lots of sites popped up regarding TMJ. Anyone else had experience and/or know if it could be pregnancy related? I've never had this issue before.

ETA: my teeth are not bothering me...just the jaw and ear

mjfrost821

I have had TMJ for a few years and that's what it feels like. Mine is from tension and grinding my teeth at night so don't know if it's pregnancy related. Have you been sleeping differently?

SJFTCA

Eh, maybe. Not sleeping well lately. I alternate between sleeping on each side, and even though I have a body pillow, I've been having pain in the night in my legs, hips, and back. Any remedy for the pain?

ETA: remedy for the TMJ pain

feebee21

I went to see an ENT doctor in November last year who diagnosed I me with TMJ from teeth grinding at night.. I thought I had an ear infection cause my ear would hurt a lot.. These are what he recommended

*Soft diet 2weeks (was impossible for me to do ha!)
*Ibuprofen 1week 800mg (now Acetaminophen due to pregnancy,also not sure about the dose to take when pregnant)
*Heat pad from temple of head to jaw
*Do NOT chew gum

I hope this helps.. And I got this advice last year before my husband and I started trying to get pregnant..

mjfrost821

ha normally I would tell you either Ativan or a muscle relaxer before bed. . I've noticed my pain is worse when I sleep on a certain side and if I don't sleep well. I wake up in the middle of the night and can feel my jaw clenched. Honestly, just rest & relaxation. A hot shower and a cold compress on the back of my neck can help too.

oliarnmom1517

Most of the time TMJ is triggered DURING THE DAY by a lot of chewing...so just stay away from a lot of chewy stuff like too many gummy candies or chewing gum...at night I wear a grind guard..it seems to help a lot...before I got pregnant I did a liquid diet for 2 weeks and it helped a little bit because it was minimal chewing...but everybody is different...That's just what helped me out.. If it works for you that's great if not I would talk to my dentist and see what they think is the best idea for you...

mjfrost821

oorl11052015 said:

Most of the time TMJ is triggered DURING THE DAY by a lot of chewing...so just stay away from a lot of chewy stuff like too many gummy candies or chewing gum...at night I wear a grind guard..it seems to help a lot...before I got pregnant I did a liquid diet for 2 weeks and it helped a little bit because it was minimal chewing...but everybody is different...That's just what helped me out.. If it works for you that's great if not I would talk to my dentist and see what they think is the best idea for you...

there are more causes of TMJ than just excessive gum chewing. It can also be caused by anxiety, poor posture, arthritis and teeth grinding (at night). I really wouldn't recommend a two-week liquid diet when pregnant either.

mommiewee

If you haven't been sleeping/feeling very well, you could be unconsciously clenching your jaw, which would trigger the TMJ pain. I find using a heating pad or heated rice bag over the affected ear helps mine.

christina4436

Anxiety is probably the largest cause bc leads to clenching or grinding. I doubt chewing gum alone would do this. I had awful jaw pain/TMJ a year ago and they put me on Zoloft to stop the night clenching. Haven't had the problem since and even lowered to a very small dosage while preg!

SJFTCA

Thanks so much everyone! Since I've never had this problem, I just had no clue where to even start in terms of fixing it. I really don't want to see a doc yet. I see my OB in about another week, so I'll see what I can find out then. Until then, I'll heed y'all's advice ;-).

oliarnmom1517

I know the other causes but sometimes if you feel normal during the day if you consistently chew things it can trigger it too

Barker2+1

I have it, was diagnosed with it in the fall. My dentist recommends cutting your meat in small pieces like the size you would give a toddler to reduce how much force you have to chew the meat. Also no nuts when you have pain or hard or chewy food. I have a guard bit do to a terrible gag reflex I can't wear it right now so I am using hot compresses on my jaw to ease tension and pain. Mine is caused by teeth grinding due to anxiety I keep a bedside journal that I write all the things I am worried about before bed. My husband reads it while I am washing my face and he helps me to work through them with kind words and reminders of the blessings in my life and sometimes he tells me funny stories to help me forget what I am worried about. It helps me to not try to work through them subconsciously so I grind less. If it last for too long see your dentist they may have more advice for you

francescacaceres

I have TMJ as well, from cleanching at night while i sleep, have had it for years. The best thing u can do is relax ur jaw as much as possible, try not to eat things that require alot of difficult chewing, for example steak. Chewing gum really does my jaw in and i hate it cuz i love chewing gum, now i just have tic tacs A mouth guard at night while u sleep will help tons! For relief tho, i have been using young living essential oils, valor and panaway and they really help, valor is known to help with TMJ pain and panaway is good for relaxing sore muscles so i use them together. They're all natural, so safe for pregnancy also try having ur jaw hang loosely during the day, the less ur jaw has to do the better. Hope this helps!

Cook3133

For your sake I hope it is just a pregnancy thing!! I have had it for about ten years and it sucks! Mine is stemmed from tensing my jaw muscles. I don't really grind my teeth so my case is odd. It went in diagnosed for a while and it was thought that I was having ear infections, after being put on steroids 3x I was finally sent to a specialist who found nothing wrong with my ears and I asked about TMJ and he was like yup that's what you got. Nothing I can do about it either. I tried a mouth gaurd but that irritated it even more. When it gets real bad I can take a prescribed muscle relaxer like flexor. Ask your doc because it's a class B wich I believe is safe for pregnancy. In my case though I love being pregnant because my muscles are more relaxed and I don't get flare ups . Good luck!

always&forever092012

I thought I was crazy! My left jaw and up to my ear have been killing me. Same exact symptoms! So helpful and reassuring that it's not just me!

SJFTCA

I also realized that my pain didn't begin until I started sleeping w a body pillow. I sleep w my head on top of my pillow AND the body pillow, so now I'm wondering if that could be the cause. I'm going to sleep without the body pillow for a bit to see if it helps; it's not really helping my leg/hip/back pain that I've been getting during my sleep anyway, which is why I started sleeping w it in the first place.

maura+c

Omg! Thank you for this post because I thought I was just crazy. After meals, I have been getting a pain on the far side of my jaw close to my ears. Is this brought on due to pregnancy or is just something I'm noticing more often now that everything seems to be more sensitive?!

SJFTCA

According to Google, it CAN be pregnancy related, but it isn't necessarily. I just thought it odd that I'd never had the issue before.

marnaprado

You are propably grindding or clenching your teeth or both. What you need to help with that is a mouth guard. Don't get the soft ones from the store bc they are soft and it kinda makes you chew on it which won't help w ear/jaw pain. The best is go to your dentist and get one - mouth guard,occlusal guard,bite guard- they use all these names.

When you bite on a hard surface it immediately sends a message to your brain "oops that's too hard" and it makes you open your mouth and relax.

Hope it helps