Jaw

[Elswick]

Another problem I have bad pain in my jaw as anyone else had this I wondered if it’s to do with RA or something else .It hurts to eat brush teeth eat may pay visit to dentist but teeth seem fine thanks

[wishbone]

Yes, I had it on and off for a year or so, mostly off... thankfully. Not very nice at all! I found chewing food the worst, and yes I believe it is to do with RA. I haven't had it for a couple of years now. Hope it eases off soon.

[helixhelix]

The joint that connects your jaw to your skull (the TMJ joint) is a synovial joint. Which means it's a nice tasy snack for RA.....sadly.

But get your teetch checked anyway, just in case there's an infection somewhere.

[AgedCrone in reply to helixhelix]

Agree with HH, but also it could be blocked salivary glands...speak to your Rheumy nurse, I had it when I was first diagnosed but cannt remember if it just passed off or if I had treatment.

[VeronicaF in reply to AgedCrone]

yes sorry to say it is, I have it in my right jaw and have been told its down to RA, its the first pain I wake up with and the last pain I fall a sleep with

CBD oil helps with pain

[Mall in reply to VeronicaF]

Yes I have it when in a flare. For me it’s a sign that my RA is not under control and that my meds need tweaking. My most embarrassing experience was being mistaken for being drunk at work as my words were a bit slurred due to the pain when trying to move my mouth to speak. Try and not over use your jaw. avoid steaks, gum even talking too much can aggravate it. Make sure you let your rheumy know at your next appointment. Your drugs may need adjusting.

[Jane76]

Hi. I had awful pain in my jaw, teeth and ear . I really thought it was down to my teeth. After a trip to the dentist it wasn’t, the pain got unbearable with excruciating pain. No pain killers would help at all. I went doctors and was told it’s Trigeminal neuralgia. Since being prescribed Carbamazepine it has helped but it keeps coming back. I think you should go to the doctor and see if it is that x

[benjijen]

For 2 years I was told that the pain I had in my jaw was to do with my inflammatory arthritis. I had test for TMJ and it was negative. The pain also gradually went between my shoulder blades. It wasn't until I was rushed into hospital from work one day that it was correctly diagnosed as unstable angina and 2 stents were fitted. Don't be fobbed off like I was if you believe the diagnosis isn't correct.

[oldtimer]

The dentist suggested that I rubbed in a non-steroidal gel like Voltarol gel into the temporo-mandibular joint. It's available over the counter and I think it helped a bit using it three times a day about half an hour before meals.

[Simba1992]

I had the jaw problem in the beginning of RA. It changed from side to side. I treated it with NIR light and haven't been bothered after that. The symptoms in RA seem to wander, they come and go it seems. I hope the IR light made a difference though.

[Anniebl24]

Do try the dentist. I had an infected wisdom tooth and did not know. It affected my head, neck, ear, jaw...a few days on antibiotics and it was gone.

[Stormpetrel]

Hi there Elswick

I had awful trouble with my TMJ joints on both sides when my RA was at it’s worse a few years ago. It did pass once I started MXT and inflammation went down. It really is awful, sincerely hope it passes soon for you.

I have since had to come off MXT unfortunately due to side effects and I changed my rheumatology team sometime ago. When describing how I was when first diagnosed to Consultant she proceeded to tell me jaw pain was nothing to do with RA. I believe she was entirely wrong to say that, it was a joint affected by RA.

Good luck

[VeronicaF in reply to Stormpetrel]

ahh I had that problem with my dentist, he said its o athristis in that jaw, you can't get RA in a jaw

so I told rheumatologist what dentist said after they told me it was RA

and they said the dentist was wrong it was RA

I ignored them both and convinced myself it was an infected root from back tooth

had it out, it made no difference, just - one tooth