jaw pain hard to bite

does any one get problems with biting and stiff jaw and could this lead to lock jaw

[allanah]

Yes there is a joint called the tmj joint in your jaw that can be affected by RA. Best to visit your dentist.they made me a splint for nighttime. Also they said make sure you get good pain relief and RA control as if you are in pain you often subconsciously grind your teeth making jaw and teeth painful.

Lock jaw is a slang term normally for tetanus which you would be seriously ill, but if you mean will your jaw lock up with pain then I haven't experienced that although when I have pain or inflammation in this joint I can not openly mouth fully.

[Hidden]

thanks for your reply will visit dentist

[nellysgran]

Yes I have had this in the joint at the top of your jaw which is caused by RA, it does make it hard to open your mouth or eat properly but take some painkillers, I found that was all I could do until the pain went away and I was able to open my mouth again.....

Hope you feel better soon.

Wendy x

[Pands]

And i have damage to my TMJ from uncontrolled RA. You wouldn't be able to tell from looking at me but my dentist and rheumy can tell. My mouth doesn't open properly and I sometimes wake up with a jaw mis-aligned. Fortunately it doesn't hurt (at the moment)!.

[Hidden in reply to Pands]

thank you for you reply will tell the rheumy next time I go

[Hidden]

I've had this for a while...had to wait until my next Rheumy appt to get it confirmed that the RA was affecting my jaw, after my Dentist and other medical professionals telling me it's extremely rare to get RA in your jaw joint!! I have

to say though after doing a lot of research it does seem

fairly common!! A general steroid jab did dampen it

down but now it's coming back especially first thing, I've been offered a steroid jab into the jaw joint which I think I'm going to have to take up...good luck and if they tell you it's tooth pain or teeth grinding at night...which I'm not saying it isn't but after all other investigations have found nothing...keep at them! Good luck

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

thank you for your reply its strange but it not as bad if you feel your not the only one suffering

[farm123]

I'm glad I'm not the only one - doctor and dentist have both queried that the pain is in my TMJ joint is from RA and said that it is rare to be affected. Like Kiki11 it does seem worse first thing and fluctuates depending on how controlled the rest of the body is at the time. You have to think about what you eat. Its gets embarrassing when you forget and load spoon/fork up and then everything falls off as you try putting it in your mouth cos you cant open your mouth wide enough. Going to BBQ this afternoon so will have to squash hot dog down to eat. Kiki11 - please let us know how steroid injection jab in jaw joint goes and position of needle - not sure I fancy it but when needs must you try anything and I know I get more relief from a joint injection rather than IM. S

[Hidden in reply to farm123]

Hi Farm123, it's good to know that there are a few of us having very similar experiences with jaw joint problems especially with getting it diagnosed as being the RA...when it first started I could not distinguish where the pain was coming from as in my ear, teeth or jaw, it wasn't until it became worse that I could localise it. Of course I will let you know how I get on with the steroid jab into joint when I have it done, it would be interesting to see if anyone else has had it done on here too? Good luck to you x

[Jeanabelle60 in reply to farm123]

S, you are so right. just before i was diagnosed with RD i thought i had an on going ear infection/tooth ache.......moving on a year my consultant confirmed that i did indeed have RD in my left jaw. the pain relief i'm on for the RD does help sometimes but as you say i too sometimes forget my jaw doesn't work right and i go to open my mouth wide and the pain is just awful. sometimes now it clicks and sometimes it grinds.....yuck! another thing that happens with no warning is when i'm speaking my tongue gets caught and i end up biting it, very sore and embarrassing too.

my new dentist was just useless.....i couldn't open my mouth far enough when i had my first visit with him so he told me to make an appointment with a dental dr (or something to that effect) i eventually mentioned it to my GP and he was great. he called the dentist and got it all sorted out for me and referred me to some boy over in the hospital......that was 18 months ago and i've heard nothing! in the mean time a large filling has fallen out and my teeth have become very sensitive too. i really need dental work don't.....

good luck with the BBQ. X

[Mybigpain08]

I get really bad pain in my jaw up to my ear it brings tears to my eyes , dentist gave me a cover to wear over my teeth at night but it didn't help . Pain killers and eat softer food is what I was told good luck

[LizzieMay]

Ive just been diagnosed with it, though looking back its been there for some time. Dentist has thought me a specific massage for inner mouth which os helping it to realign. Its wait amd see how it will settle now.

[wishbone]

I had something similar about 9 months ago. It lasted around a week or so and became so painful that i could hardly open my mouth. Had to eat soup with well soaked bread for a day or two and even that was uncomfortable.

[beeckey]

Yes i have it in my jaw was getting a lot of pain asked my doctor and he says you can get it anywhere there is a joint but doubt it would cause lockjaw hope you feel better soon

[Hidden]

One side of my jaw is affected, it was painful at first but my dentist has made me a gum guard to wear at night to stop me biting/grinding on it. this has helped. My jaw "crunchies & grinds" like the other joints affected - I hate the noise!

[Bazzypants]

Hi lucindajune, I used to suffer from that a while ago used to drive me mad couldn't enjoy food at all but I am glad to say since being on humira it has stopped, hope you get some help with it soon. xx

[Mall]

When I first had RA and before it was well controlled I had jaw problems. The more I used my jaw the worst it became. My jaw would seize up after eating a steak and If I talked a lot it could also seize up; which was unfortunate because there were days when I had to speak a lot at work. One day at work when I had to spend an hour speaking my jaw became so sore that I began mumbling my words; my work colleagues thought I was drunk! I had to adjust what I ate, no steaks for a while and plan my work to take into account this problem. Fortunately this quickly resolved once my medication was sorted out and disease gotten under control.

Hope things get better for you son.