... Hey interested, I get the crackling as well. And the clicking. My dentist said that when jaw muscles are all out of whack they put pressure on your discs and tendons near your ear which causes the noises, and in my case, ringing in ears (which TOTALLY sucks). I have a muscular issue as well and my dentist advised against splint therapy. He said that I need to give it time... (8 replies)

... I'm sorry you're hurting and are freaked out. I don't know how long you've been dealing with this or how quickly your symptoms may have worsened, but it sucks to hear another human being suffering so severely. Breathe deeply, friend. Diaphragm breathing and talk to your kiddos. ... (8 replies)

... I'm sorry you're hurting and are freaked out. I don't know how long you've been dealing with this or how quickly your symptoms may have worsened, but it sucks to hear another human being suffering so severely. Breathe deeply, friend. Diaphragm breathing and talk to your kiddos. ... (8 replies)

... are dragging. I also pause and stammer a bit.. my mom says she thinks now I'm paranoid and the added nervousness is making it worse but she certainly thinks it's TMJ related due to my constant head and temple pain, even the "look" of facial swelling. ... (6 replies)

... I'm 33 year old male from California. This all started last November after a dentist adjusted a filling. That changed my bite pushing my jaw back and up. A few weeks after I started getting lots of muscle pain that turned into full blown severe pain. MRI's of head and neck, CT scans, blood work all came back normal. Took 3 months before the jaw connection was made and I... (40 replies)

... Yeah, I've been eating pretty soft foods for awhile now. What really sucks is that, I thought I'm over this soft food crap . . . ... (21 replies)

... are bilateral. The sinus pressure issues are certainly another issue I've noticed...having a bad blockage in association with inflammation around the TMJ is a nightmare. ... (16 replies)

... still manage to carry on a conversation after eating. I'm not a drinker though and I might drink 1 time a month..... Like mentioned above talking on the phone sucks and I do use speaker phone but usually I just text people. ... (9 replies)

... Hi Idreamincolor. I started to have tmj about 6 yrs ago and in the beginning I had vertigo and dizziness with other symptoms. Now I have dizziness now and again. The vertigo rarely. Pain, alot. ... (2 replies)

... luvtocamp, I am so sorry to hear this. For me I was just recently diagnosed and am trying to gather all the best information to deal with this properly. The pain is awful, it's always there and never goes away. Sleeping sucks, eating sucks, hell even riding a bike sucks. I really feel for you, I wish I could reach out and give you an epic hug. If you need to... (1 replies)

... I mean it sucks wearing braces at the age of 24... ... (7 replies)

... a very loud pop in my right jaw one night of videogaming. My left side had clicked for as long as I could remember but this was new. My mother was treated for TMJ in 1985 and I became suspicious. After doing some research, I found a local dentist whose practice was primarily TMJ and Restorative Dentistry. ... (5 replies)

... ed, it is AWFUL!! I've never done anything but take advil and now I regret not taking care of this sooner. I see a dentist saturday who apparently has dealt with TMJ for 20 years. I pray he can help me, this is a nightmare!!! ... (7 replies)

... Dr Andre Hedger, who is a member of the BSSCMD. I suspect the method used for treating the TMJ may be different from your dentist. ... (13 replies)

... The dentist I am having treatment with for my TMJ is in Surrey, and he specialises in treating the TMJ. Who is the dentist you have seen? ... (13 replies)

... Changes in head shape can be due to the TMJ and the lower jaw position. ... (13 replies)

... was diagnosed with tmj by maxillofacial doctor tried nti splint, michigan splint and gelb splint- nothing happened found them too intrusive too sleep with, the head thing must be linked to it -mandibular joint is linked to alot of muscles, nerves- but what do i do! im watching myself get worse and worse and trying to stay positive but its now gone beyond being... (13 replies)

... Who has diagnosed your TMJ? What treatment have you tried and what splints have you had? Where did you get your splint from, was it from a dentist who specializes in treating the TMJ? I have had the same sort of experiences with GPs not being at all understanding or helpful, I can relate to that. And it's stuffed up my life too. I am now having treatment with a dentist who... (13 replies)

... on the down bite. That really sucks that you got that from the back stretcher thing. Can you talk to a lawyer about that? ... (23 replies)

... didn't move back. Now I get a lot of swelling and throbbing pain. Don't know if I'd recommend the surgery. Just recently I've been getting bad pain on the right tmj which happened after a physiotherapy session and since its given me grief. You try and try to do the things everyone tells you and sometimes it just gets worse. ... (5 replies)