Lock-Jaw Long After Surgery

[vaselina]

I had double-jaw surgery about a year ago. I have never had any problems with my joints, but lately I have developed frequent lock-jaw and intense pain on one side. My surgeon told me it is because I grind my teeth and put me on anti-seizure medication, and if it does not work the next step is to go back in and operate. I am so stressed out because I am already set to have surgery for an entirely different matter (tonsillectomy) and I am dreading the thought of having two surgeries in the same year. And the thought of jaw surgery again is especially nightmarish - just thinking about vomiting massive amounts of blood again makes me want to vomit in general.

My question for the forum: Have any of you experienced a spell of sudden jaw pain after surgery and were you able to see a reduction in pain after careful care without needing more surgery?

[EWUgal15]

I started having TMJ pain on one side about 6 weeks after my braces came off (September 2016). I mentioned it to my orthodontist at my retainer check and she suggested I pay a visit to my surgeon since I hadn't seen him in roughly 8 months. To be fair, I also asked if I still needed to see him and was told no. So I scheduled an appointment with my surgeon and he said that it's due to a disc slip in the joint and that I was likely to have popping and locking again down the road. My orthodontist switched out my lower Essix retainer for a wraparound Hawley to help alleviate grinding to see if that would help my jaw. It helped for a while, but it's only gotten worse. My range of motion has been significantly less than what it was before surgery, but it's gotten even worse since the last visit to my surgeon. I see my orthodontist again on the 18th of this month and I'll see what they say, but to date, my pain has gotten worse, I have a hard time opening my mouth, and I've pretty much been told there's nothing that can be done. I see my regular dentist next month for a cleaning, I'll mention it there as well to see if they have any suggestions.

[eddieh]

I have clenching and grinding mostly on one side - I've had two surgeries that it became worse including a PAOO / gum grafting surgery last week. My left tmj is a hot spit and I've got some kind of dislocation. I've been through splints and a jaw repositioning app that made everything worse. I don't think there are any quick solutions but do think that understandind what position your jaw should be in to help it heal ( i.e. does having your back teeth open put the disc back into the right spot , or....) and what specific exercises will help are important. I'm going through trying to get my tmj to settle down now also. Good luck.

[Nozzelnut]

Do your best to get the clenching and grinding under control. TMJD was the reason I went to my ortho in the first place; in addition to orthodontics he treats TMJD too. Not all orthos are trained to treat TMJD. Find one that can help you!

PT, muscle relaxants, massage, and anti-inflammatory drugs can all help.

Best wishes on your tonsillectomy; I had mine removed a couple years ago. Not to scare you but it freaking hurt! Liquid hydrocodone just to drink water kind of pain. Good news is it was 90% better at 3 weeks instead of being the long drawn out healing of jaw surgery.