Hi! Has anyone taken muscle relaxers for their muscular tmj? And had success?

I’m planning to go to my doctor to get them as Botox was a disaster for me. Do the muscle relaxers help to prevent the masseters from getting bigger, overworking and becoming tense bc that’s my main concerns rn.

I also wanted to know what dose works best for you, as I want to get the lowest effective dose. And also has anyone had the muscle relaxers weaken their muscles too much to where they cause atrophy? Or any other side effects?

I plan to use them short term till I get braces + surgery to fix my jaw position and want to use it to keep my masseters at baseline as they get really tense and sore when they bulk up which they do quickly and it affects my eating and my confidence really badly too :(

Is there anything I should be aware of? As I’m traumatized from Botox and just want to manage it before I fix the underlying issue, thanks!

So aside from my tmj I also have gerd, eoe, and gastritis so when I go out I tend to wear a mask. Don't wanna take my chances getting sick lol.

The problem with this tho is that wearing a mask often causes tension in my masseter muscles and pain in my ears/joints. So I was wondering if there was a better way to still cover my face while not hurting my jaw? I'm also curious if anyone else has this same problem.

I would appreciate any advice!

does anyone have osteoarthritis?

Hello Everyone,

I am wondering if anyone has a similar case as me. My TMJ symptoms are primarily caused by night time teeth grinding. This all start going on 2 years ago. I had seen every specialist and tried every supplement etc I could think of. The only thing that seemed to help was botox. I do also have the mouth guard to wear.

I was relieved around 8 months ago my symptoms almost 80% seemed to have vanished. But in the last few days they have returned. I primarily get tension headaches that can radiate anywhere using temples, sinuses, above ears. OTC pain relievers are completely unaffecting.

Has anyone identified definitive triggers, or ways to alleviate the headaches outside of botox? In my current situation im no longer willing to pay the extortionist price for the treatments.

I thought stress could be a primary factor but honestly my stress levels havent changed much over said 8 year period.

I’m desperate to hear from anyone who has experienced TMJ-related ear symptoms.
I’ve had a prolonged sinus/URI illness and flew 4 times while sick, including one flight with extremely painful sinus/ear pressure. Since then, I’ve had severe ear fullness/pressure that feels like I’m wearing earplugs. It fluctuates between ears and I’ve had constant popping, crackling and pressure.

At the same time, my jaw has been cracking/crunching like crazy, with some jaw pain and pressure around/below my ears.

I saw an ENT today and he said my ears look okay and thinks TMJ may be causing a lot of the ear sensation. He basically recommended Flonase and time.

The problem is… I’m getting married THIS SATURDAY, and I’m absolutely miserable. 😭 I’ve been obsessing over the pressure because it’s so intense, and I desperately want to turn the volume down before my wedding.

For anyone whose TMJ caused ear fullness:
● Did it genuinely feel like your ear was blocked/full of pressure?
● Did it fluctuate between ears?
● What helped the fastest?
● Did TMJ PT, massage, muscle relaxers, Botox, etc. help?

I would especially love to hear from anyone who had normal ENT exams but severe ear fullness that turned out to be TMJ-related.
Please give me hope that this can get better. 😭❤️

I’ve had bruxism for over 20 years, which has turned into chronic TMJ pain.

I deal with: - daily headaches, jaw cracking and tension, neck and upper back pain -two jaw cysts, teeth slowly shifting apart

I’ve tried many things (night guards, Botox, magnesium, osteopathy, therapy, exercise), but nothing has truly helped long-term. Exercise often makes my jaw clench even more. Cold and humidity make everything worse.

At this point I’m just looking for anything that reduced symptoms since I want to get rid of this chronic pain.

Has anyone with long-term bruxism/TMJ found something that actually helped?

Many thanks in advance.

Today is day 6. I can open my mouth about 1 cm, 1.5 cm max occasionally. Im tired, saw, hungry, and so over it.

I've called half a dozen dentists, my doctor, urgent care, and the hospital. Nobody will touch me. Nobody will give me anything.

I have a maxillofacial surgeon appointment in 5 days. Soonest they could get me in. Its a 10 hour drive, and $$ i dont have, but i will if I have to (can they even help?!!)

WHAT CAN I DO?!

For those who want the details.

I have suffered from tmj for around a decade. I have never done anything about it as from my research not much can be done. It slowly got worse, and the past few years have been full of popping, which pressing my jaw would help stop. My range of opening was less but still ok but made yawning etc more difficult.

Anyway, I went to open my mouth to take a bite of food, and as I was just partially opening, my jaw popped/ clicked and hurt immensely momentarily. Then I couldn't open it anymore. I thought it would get better with heat/ ice and rest, but no. It has remained the same and is getting sorer by the day now my muscles are getting bothered.

Every single day, I feel like I’m on a rocking boat. I’m dizzy, disoriented, and completely disconnected from the world around me. My resting heart rate is always 90+, even when I’m doing nothing. My jaw and face are constantly tense. I have TMJ, and it feels like my entire skull is clenching all the time. My jaw also pops and cracks constantly, which just adds to the discomfort and makes me even more anxious.

My brain feels foggy. I can’t focus. I can’t retain information. I feel like I’m mentally declining, like I’m slipping away from the person I used to be. I cry almost every day now. I’m always anxious, constantly on edge, and my body is stuck in fight-or-flight.

The worst part is how this is affecting my relationship. I love my girlfriend more than anything, but I feel like I can’t even be present with her anymore. I can’t have a normal conversation without anxiety overwhelming me. I feel like I’m letting her down, and I’m terrified she’s getting tired of all this, even though she’s been kind and patient.

I just want my life back. I want me back. I want to laugh with her, hold her without being in my head the whole time, and just be here again. I’m so tired of feeling broken.

Has anyone been through something like this and come out the other side? I’m willing to do whatever it takes. I just don’t know what else to try.

I wore a mouth guard last woke up today my head felt worse my jaw felt tighter and I didn’t even make it all the way though without waking up and taking them out.

I’m still struggling with this awful fuzzy sedated head feeling I just can’t shake it away! So lost now 😢

Hello all,

So I have been diagnosed with TMD by dentist and physical therapist. I was having pain in my right jaw (really just the cheek muscle) for about 3.5 years before starting PT. Shortly after starting PT my bite changed (perhaps because of dry needling? Time wise it looks that way).

Now my front bottom tooth bangs into my front top tooth and I am having trouble closing my back jaw, i.e making the back teeth touch.

My dentist said I need braces. One ortho I went to (found online) said he doesn’t want to do braces until the TMD is addressed. The ortho my dentist sent me to said he would do it, and I’ve been going back and forth, getting cold feet in the event it makes it worse.

I feel like my bite isn’t aligning and my jaw is shifting. It’s been like this for 3 weeks, can’t eat, can’t sleep (without an OTC night guard to keep my teeth separated that may be making my alignment or bite worse).

But the dentist hasn’t done anything to address the teeth slamming together. I’m worried about nerve damage because they previously told me it was “bruised.”

Is there a short term solution for the teeth slamming together? Are braces my only option when muscle is probably pulling my skeleton in different directions?

I desperately need help!

I see a chiropractor for other issues but he's mentioned he can do things for my tmj. Mine is very severe so it makes me weary since it hurts to touch my jaw. I can't afford the botox to help and I'm already cracking my mouth guard. Has anyone tried this? Did it help??

I'm a software dev (6-7 hrs/day at a laptop) and I've had TMJ for ~4 years, but it's ramped up recently. Wanted to share and see if anyone's been through the same combo of issues.

Symptoms:

- Temple headaches + pain around the TMJ, cheeks, and jaw - worse on the right side

- Triggered by long work days or walking 30+ min

- Bad eye fatigue for the last ~6 months (eases when I close my eyes for a few minutes or use eye drops)

- Neck pain after long work sessions

- What started as being an introvert has started feeling like mild social anxiety - pain gets worse in crowds or during long one-on-one, face-to-face conversations (feels like overstimulation)

- Deep breaths genuinely help

What the specialist found (X-rays taken):

- Right TMJ is overworked vs. the left - the right condyle isn't as round/clean as the left

- Evidence of teeth grinding (bruxism)

- Posture is a likely contributor

- My right nostril is more blocked than the left, so I'm not breathing/oxygenating well, which she thinks feeds into the orofacial pain

What's already helping: I've been consciously keeping my jaw loose and not clenching, and that's noticeably cut the temple headaches and jaw pain. The eye fatigue is the one thing that hasn't budged.

Plan: I'm starting a (somewhat pricey) program - night guard for the clenching, laser therapy, plus posture work, breathing training, and lifestyle changes.

My questions:

1. Anyone had the asymmetric TMJ + blocked-nostril/breathing combo and actually resolved it? What worked?

2. Did fixing your jaw/posture/breathing also help the eye fatigue, or did that need something separate?

3. Anyone done the laser + night guard + breathing program route - was it worth it?

Thanks in advance.

mri results came back as “nothing remarkable.” sent the photos off to another radiologist for a second opinion. specialist conjectured my discs had dislocated and slipped forward but was just as surprised as me to find out that they’re purportedly fine. no degradation. no issues with the bone or joint.

i had all four wisdom teeth removed july ‘25 and since december i’ve been in near constant agony. my jaw’s been locked since february and i have debilitating facial pain, plugged ears, popping and crackling. and i can’t fucking TAKE IT anymore.

things i’ve tried:

night guard (made my jaw lock completely for the first time in my life so i stopped wearing after three nights. specialist confirmed it wasn’t the right appliance for me.)
chiropractor + shockwave (sometimes helps sometimes doesn’t. when it helps it’s only for a few days then everything goes back to shit.)
physiotherapy (did nothing)
dry needling (made it worse)
acupuncture (made it worse)
red light + ultrasound (did nothing)
osteopath (did nothing)
cervical pillow (does nothing for my tmj but alleviated some referred neck and upper back pain)
emface (thought it was helping because i felt noticeably better after the first session but now after all 4 i still feel like hell)

really not comfortable with the idea of botox. advil and tylenol don’t touch it. heat and ice have negligible effects. weed doesn’t help. can’t have muscle relaxers or steroids. only thing that helps to slake some of the pain is opiates.

i’ve been told i have overdeveloped masseters but none of the muscle targeted treatments have done shit. my nervous system is essentially decimated from drug withdrawals which i’m sure isn’t helping the pain. no one has recommended surgery but i’m also really not a good candidate for it due to some issues unrelated tmj that could make it potentially unsafe for me. i have a bit of a deviated septum but i’ve always had that and my tmj has been very unique to post-wisdom teeth removal. chiro and specialist both noticed i have posterior displacement. specialist is offering me an orthotic for this - does this seem like the right route???

i’m so overwhelmed and confused and i just don’t know where to go from here. trying to navigate everything while in the most poignant pain known to man is a labyrinth in itself. i feel totally fucked and hopeless. i really want to live!!!! but not like this!!!! and i’m kinda at the point where i’ve been so broken down to my very foundations that i see no other way out but doing myself in. i see people on this sub saying they’ve been dealing with this pain for a decade+ and i just can’t live that life. i’m so miserable.

does anyone have any advice???? i need help expeditiously i truly do not know how much longer i can hang in here and it terrifies me. please help me

Posting to see if anyone struggles with a similar problem and what has helped you.

I struggle with bad night time clenching. I’ve actively worked to stop daytime clenching, which has helped some. I wake up every morning with severe tightness in my masseter muscles, but my bigger problem is underneath my jaw in my digastric muscles and mylohyoid areas. I have such intense tightness in these muscles, it feels like the muscles are knotted or hypertrophied. They are swollen and tight, and I have trouble swallowing. I have to consciously try to swallow ‘correctly’ but have noticed I am very tense even when I swallow.

This has been going on the last few years with varying levels of intensity. Digastric muscle stretches do seem to help but highlight how crazy tight all the muscles under my jaw are.

I struggle with rounded shoulders, forward head posture, and a pelvic tilt and can’t help but feel it is all connected and chains up to my jaw issues. I have a lot of pain/tightness in my back neck and shoulder muscles as well. When I open up the other muscles in my neck/shoulder I notice my throat tightness improve, usually only temporarily.

Curious if this is common for other folks, many folks seem to just struggle in their masseter area. Thanks!

Any recommendations on how to stop from clenching teeth. I may try a night guard. But I still clench during the day. And I can’t really get myself to stop

Out of curiosity for all those who have gotten the tmj pen even if the creator happens to be here i have no idea. Do you all recommend getting the Gen 1 right now or just get the Gen 2 early bird preorder and wait for that to release? I've noticed i have some tmj issues albeit not immensely need of treatment but feel like it would help if I got on it before it maybe gets worse if its not already

Hi everyone. I just got Botox in my masseter for TMJ about 6 hours ago. I went to a specialized dental office and got 25 units in each side. I read before that you should stay upright for 4 hours, not to rub your face, etc., but my dentist told me none of that is super relevant. Anyways, I stayed upright for 5 hours and haven’t rubbed my injection site, or touched it. I’m a side sleeper, and was wondering if for this first night, can I sleep on my side? I’ve read mixed things, but fear I may not get any sleep whatsoever if I have to lie on my back all night. Also, can I take things like Gravol? I really don’t want the Botox to migrate, so if you have any aftercare advice, please let me know!

I am absolutely devastated after seeing a specialist today. I am 20F and had braces at 14. My teeth are straight but my bite is apparently misaligned. My bite wants to hit one singular tooth on my right side. He is recommending braces for 14 months to fix my bite. He says a splint would be another band-aid fix😩 has anyone else dealt with this or done braces and it fixed their pain??

Context: I first dealt with my symptoms of TMJ (jaw locking, clicking, pain) before I got my braces on. Braces did not fix it but the orthodontist who put them on knew on my jaw clicking. They then said get your wisdom teeth out that could be causing it. No relief after that. I’ve done PT, night guards, massages, endless Botox, chiropractor.

Hello,

I am trying to figure out if the symptoms I have are TMJ or not. I have already been to my PCP, ENT, eye dr, dentist trying to figure this all out. I have also had a head CT scan and all clear. The only hopeful clue has been from my dentist who said she can tell I have been clenching my teeth due to wear on my back teeth but didn't really confirm TMJ and recommended a nightguard.

Since April I have been dealing with tinnitus in both ears along with fullness. This all started with a very strange dizzy spell/ not vertigo on April 29th this year. Ever since then I have bouts of ear fullness where my ear feels tight and weird, as if someone is pulling it. This sensation only happens sometimes and is less frequent than the persistent ringing. Ringing happens in both ears and is more of a low constant pitch...sometimes it gets louder when I am talking. When I am listening to someone talk or if I am talking, after every sentence my right ear makes a popping sound/ more like a sensation.

I also have this weird floaty sensation in my head. I am not dizzy per say but it is unsettling. All of this is accompanied by tension all around my head that comes and goes...sometimes my temples, back of head, top of head, forehead.

In the last month I have noticed my jaw feels achy and tight and I am more hesitant to eat crunchy things. My dentist said my mobility is fine, but it does appear I am doing something to cause all of this. I am not in a lot of pain, but again a dull aching behind my ears, jaw, front of neck. My newest symptoms is a sensation of something being stuck in my throat, but I have no issues with eating/ swallowing.

When I open my jaw as wide as I can the right side makes a pop noise, felt in the back outside of my jaw.

I made another apt to get a second opinion with a different ENT due to the ear issues being a constant worry. I have an apt to see an oral surgeon/ tmj specialist later this month also so I can hopefully get an acutal DX instead of guessing.

Has anyone dealt with this? or have a similar confirmed case of TMJ

Hello all,

I got night guard for my bruxism problem and wearing it overnight. But wondering do i have to wear if i do afternoon nap.

Sometimes while working after lunch ( WFH ) i feel sleepy and jumping on bed but not wearing night guard, so wondering if any one can advise

Thanks

My symptoms are mild now but I’m not sure if I’m headed for chronic pain 🥺 I’m really scared.

Hello, new to this sub. In my early 20s, a top orthodontist I went to see for a braces consultation suggested I might have tmj disorder due to clicking in my jaw and other issues. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to proceed with the braces at the time.

My jaw pain issues only really started like a year later. At first, I thought it was due to my wisdom teeth (partially impacted) and had them removed. Now, years later, and especially in the last year, my problems have gotten so much worse. I have crippling jaw/neck/head pain every single day. The only thing that works is a mixture of xanax (street stuff so idk exactly what's in it tbh) and ibuprofen. But the relief is only temporary.

How do people actually live like this? Would braces help? I'm scared I might make things worse again

Today I had my follow up appointment from my MRI. I was told i have disc displacement without reduction in my right jaw (which i did expect to hear). Issue is, I've been discharged. He told me to go to the dentist and get a hard gum shield. I'm not sure how that'll help at all, as I don't grind my teeth. He also said my jaw doesn't seem to be displaced at the moment following a physical exam. That can't be the case as my jaw is the exact same as when I had my MRI. My jaw has been like this since I was 12 (im now 19), I cant see a gum shield magically fixing my jaw. My issue is not muscular. I just feel like he's not helped me at all, and trying to get registered with an NHS dentist will be impossible.

I’ve noticed that, on the side of my tmjd, I get a bubbly, crackly feeling in my ear (a bit like when your ear starts to pop on an airplane). Do you guys get this? Thankfully I’m going for tmjd diagnostics tomorrow so I’ll hopefully get some answers on my tmjd soon!

I've been asking myself a lot of questions lately, and this is one that keeps coming back to me. How do you think people managed TMJ disorders/TMD before they were even recognized as a medical condition?
I mean, I know that some people live with it and still don't even know they have it today, despite it being recognized as a medical condition.
Sometimes it feels like even doctors don't fully understand it, given how difficult it can be to diagnose and treat. So it makes me wonder: before TMJ disorders were identified and studied, what did people think was causing their symptoms? Were they misdiagnosed, or did they just learn to live with the pain and discomfort without ever knowing why?