r/TMDnotTMJ

My purpose with this post is reach out other people suffering with ETD and TMJ symptoms, i can't find too much information online and doctors haven't helped in an optimal way.

Here's my timeline:

In 2024:

-I had left‑sided gingivitis infection in the last molar for several months (about 8 months).

-Recurrent sinusitis for more than 4 months in a row.

Both infections resolved by the end of 2024.

Late‑onset symptoms on that year: Pain in the left ear and jaw. Later the pain extended to the left side of the neck and clavicle. I had left‑sided nasal bleeding, sensation of being unable to breathe through the left nostril despite no apparent mucus.

Treatments i had that year: several rows of antibiotics, nasal spray mometasone, antihistamines, and sinus rinse.

Exams: Impedanciometry and audiometry showed left‑sided eustachian tube dysfunction with no hearing loss, but presence of tinnitus. A paranasal sinus CT scan only showed an old deviated nasal septum, apparently not affecting current symptoms.

2025:

-No active infections, but residual pain in the left gum after gingivitis. The last affected molar remained unstable at first but gradually became more stable and mostly painless. Constant nasal drip down the throat on left side. Acute pain in the ear and jaw, and pain when swallowing, all on the left side.

Sensation of mucus stuck in the ear and throat. Constant throat clearing that does not help. Nasal endoscopy (nasovideofaringoscopy) was scheduled but remains pending. Doctors were completely unwilling to commit to the case, some of them didn't even looked at me and told me: "you're gonna have this forever". Too much money spent for nothing.

Treatment that year: only sinus rinse and antihistamines. Some days were better, like actually feeling on track of recovery and then some days were awful.

2026:

-The same discomfort persists; the entire area appears to be compromised: left‑sided TMJ symptoms, crunchy and painful jaw, stiff neck, painful ear with altered air pressure sensation, and sometimes constant postnasal drip. Irritation in ear-nose-throat airway on left side. Voice and resonance affected but not always.

However, there is a new symptom: the thyroid cartilage or hyoid bone is displaced to the left. I can push it to the right with my finger and it makes a “pop” sound, simultaneously triggering sharp pain in that area radiating to the left ear. It feels like being strangled. In addition, the left cervical side of the neck is constantly contracted. There is a persistent sensation of irritation at the internal junction between the ear, nose, and throat that sometimes worsens with vaping weed.

What could this be? i'm quite anxious to rule out cancer and to determine whether there is a muscular dysfunction in that area, for example of the omohyoid muscle.

Anyone else living something like this?

Myofascial Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) is frequently under-treated or dismissed because it involves complex, overlapping chronic pain. Instead of a single joint problem, it is often a nervous system and muscular issue, leaving many healthcare providers unsure of how to diagnose and manage it.

Many dental schools traditionally focus strictly on teeth and the mechanical joint, while medical schools focus on systemic diseases. Consequently, neither profession receives extensive training in managing soft tissue orofacial pain, leaving patients in a "no-man's land" between dentists and primary care doctors.

Because myofascial TMD is multi-factorial—often involving trigger points in the face, neck, and shoulders, stress, and nervous system sensitization—there is no "quick fix" like a pill or a single surgical procedure. Treatments must be multimodal and tailored to the individual, which takes significant time.

It can feel incredibly frustrating to seek help for myofascial Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) only to find that many doctors and dentists pass you around or offer few concrete answers. You are not imagining this gap in care, myofascial TMD falls into a "medical blind spot" because it spans multiple medical specialties without neatly belonging to any single one. 

While providers do treat it, finding the right specialist is highly challenging due to several systemic reasons within modern healthcare.

Usual dentists are trained to focus primarily on teeth, gums. Because myofascial TMD is a muscular and connective tissue issue rather than a structural dental flaw, many dentists lack the advanced training to treat it.Medical Doctors (GPs) view the jaw as dental territory and usually refer patients right back to dentists.The Training Gap: Most dental and medical school curricula lack comprehensive, standardized education on complex craniomandibular and myofascial disorders.

Because providers cannot "see" the problem on a scan, many feel ill-equipped to treat it or erroneously tell patients that nothing is wrong.The jaw is highly sensitive to imbalances throughout the body's entire posture chain. Providers who only look at your mouth will fail to fix the issue if the root cause includes:forward head posture or cervical spine alignment issues.Shoulder or upper back muscle weakness.Central nervous system upregulation caused by chronic stress, sleep apnea, or anxiety.

Because it is a multi-system issue, the most effective treatment rarely comes from a standard general dentist or family doctor.

Instead, you need to look for a specialized multimodal team:

Orofacial Pain Specialists: These are dentists who completed advanced, board-certified residency training specifically targeting jaw muscles, nerve pain, and chronic TMD.

TMJ-Specialised Physical Therapists: A physical therapist trained in intra-oral manual therapy can perform targeted myofascial release directly on your masseter and pterygoid muscles.

Neuromuscular dentists: can effectively treat myofascial temporomandibular disorder (TMD) by addressing the underlying relationship between your teeth, jaw muscles, and the temporomandibular joint.

Upper cervical chiropractors: if it's coming from upper cervical spine misaligment can effectively treat myofascial Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD). By focusing on the alignment of the top vertebrae (Atlas and Axis) , they relieve muscle tension, ease nerve irritation, and restore natural jaw mobility.

Spine-Jaw Connection: The muscles and nerves in the neck are intricately linked to those controlling your jaw. Misalignments in the upper neck often create muscle imbalances and strain, which can trigger facial and jaw pain.

Atlas Adjustments: Upper cervical specialists perform precise, gentle corrections to the top bones of the spine. Aligning this area helps decompress nerves and reduces stress on the trigeminal nerve, which provides sensation and motor control to the face and jaw.

Postural Correction: Forward head posture and poor ergonomics often place constant tension on the jaw. Chiropractors provide postural guidance and structural correction to help ease this ongoing strain.

“Your nasal airway is your nose. You upper airway is the space behind your tongue. The back side of the nose is the top of the upper airway. The split between your trachea (to the lungs) and the esophagus (to your stomach) is the bottom of your upper airway.
When you are sleeping your tongue, jaw, and soft palate fall back and create a collapse of the upper airway.”

I’m still able to swallow talk and breathe somewhat well, still have complete range of jaw motion, but the tongue restriction and airway narrowing at my throat is troubling to me and I don’t know how to stop it, especially when these are issues worsening at night, and potentially from clenching. I’ve been consulting an airway dentist, but am wondering what treatments have worked for anyone else with this problem?

So after some shoddy orthodontics leaving me with a crossbite in my teens, my jaw grew assymetrically and its been popping on both sides ever since. If I open past a couple inches i have to pop it to open all the way. over the past couple years its gotten worse with different grinding sounds, and most the time the left side wont even pop anymore, and i have to kind of rotate my jaw to get it 'over the pop'. Is this an extreme case, or do a lot of other TMJ sufferers deal with this? Literally feels like my jaws have to unhinge. Sometimes I get headaches and it feels sore in the morning, but luckily its never caused any severe pain, which is a good sign hopefully?

I'll occasionally talk to a dentist about it, mostly cause I'll have to explain it so they know why I'm doing all the weird movements, etc. but they always just refer me to someone my insurance doesn't cover. And so i've just been putting it off for years. I did also see a myofunctional therapist for a little bit, but it was to expensive to continue. their exercises helped, and I still do some, but its obviously something that would need surgery to truly fix. Anyway I'm 32, and I feel like I have to take some kind of action. So yeah, any advice would be awesome.

If any members of this sub have read my book and have questions or are confused, please ask your questions here. Understanding your condition is a good step in the right direction.

I got a night guard about 2 weeks ago. I figured it wouldn't work, but my dentist and doctor wanted it as a first step.

I noticed that my right side teeth touch the guard before my left side teeth.

The first week was hell and gave me awful flare ups. The second week felt like my normal day to day. Not better and not worse. Going into week three, I noticed that my tmd pain is now mostly on the right. Again, the pain is not better or worse, just moved.

Has anyone else experienced this?

What does less harm? Wearing the night guard or not?

It definitely helps protect my teeth from clenching at night. Or is the imbalance causing the clenching?

I just wanted to share something from my own experience in case it helps someone else connect some dots.

Back in November, my TMJ flared up BAD. It was getting cold where I live around that time, and I was in constant pain. I tried everything — multiple doctors, different medications, heating pads, etc. Nothing really helped. They ended up doing a CT scan and told me it looked like I have pretty significant arthritis in my jaw.

What’s weird is once it started warming up around March, my jaw pain basically disappeared and hasn’t really bothered me since.

So now I’m honestly wondering if colder weather/inflammation from temperature changes may play a huge role in my TMJ pain and arthritis flare-ups. Has anyone else noticed their TMJ gets dramatically worse in colder months and better when it warms up?

The last couple months I’ve been experiencing crazy tightness in my jaw, neck, back, shoulders. And sometimes a tingling tight feeling where skull connects to my neck and it makes my head feel heavy. The other day I noticed my top and bottom teeth didn’t line up exactly the same as they normally do, then figured I was imagining it. But still doesn’t feel right. My jaw has always made a cracking noise most of the time when I do a big yawn or open wide, also when moving my jaw to the left. Today my ear made a weird noise and then I got light headed and dizzy, I felt so disoriented. It lasted over an hour. Also have poor circulation but it’s been more prominent recently. I do seem to catch myself clenching my jaw here and there.
I just don’t know if I am going to be wasting my time going through the process or trying to find someone to get seen that takes my insurance and all that. already have some recent medical problems going on, now thinking some of it could be tmj related. Been thinking this whole time everything is related to my severe vitamin d deficiency. HELP
Anyone experience similar things ???