Temporomandibular

[kitty18]

I have Rh Arthritis and crohns , my son came to c me last night , he is 25 he has been to the doctors , she said he has Temporomandibular he is in pain , what sort of the Arthritis is it , I so hope my son does not get these illness , can someone help me to no what it is

[nomoreheels]

It can be a problem without it being linked to arthritis so please don't be overly concerned at this point. Maybe this will be helpful in understanding TJD patient.co.uk/health/tempor...

I hope it's not too problematic & eases soon.

[Hidden]

Hi Kitty, I suffer with this but it's the RA affecting the joint BUT you can get problems with this joint without having any form of arthritis....it's a very hard working joint after all!! Teeth grinding and jaw clenching especially at night can lead to problems with the TM joint especially during periods of stress or anxiety, a Dentist can make a mouth guard to use at night to stop the grinding or clenching. Until I developed problems with my TMJ I wasn't aware that I clenched my jaw but I'm aware of it now!! There's lots of useful info on the internet as sometimes it's not explained fully or taken in when we see a doctor. Maybe worth trying to get a bit more info from your son as well to put your mind at rest or getting your son to go back to the Doctor for some more info. Good luck and please don't worry but appreciate as a mum also that's part of life x

[dtech]

Seems like a very strange diagnosis as everyone has a tmj! It's the jaw joint. So a bit more information is needed I think. And if it is a jaw problem the dr would refer him to a dentist or dental hospital. I would be interested to hear the outcome.

[Hidden]

I had a flare in my tmj at Xmas last year, found it very diff to chew. My dentist referred me to an oral surgeon on 9th jan 2014 and I still haven't had an appointment.

[earthwitch]

If your son is starting with any kind of arthritis and you have the history of RA and crohns, then it would make sense for him to see a rheumatologist and get screened for one of the inflammatory arthritises - spondyloarthritis as well as RA. If he does have inflammatory arthritis, then the sooner he starts being monitored and treated the better. Chances are he is also suffering from other joint pain but just hasn't mentioned it - its amazing how long some guys can put up with chronic back pain, for example.