GCA jaw clicking

[Plains]

I have PMR and GCA. I had been on a slow taper of prednisone, down to 3 1/2. I have a new thing happening “sometimes” when I eat. My jaw makes a loud clicking sound. It’s not painful but very disturbing. Could this be GCA related?

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

More likely to be TMD/TMJ issue - GCA issues are usually when eating [claudication]

You can see related posts on screen, and these links -

mayoclinic.org/diseases-con...

webmd.com/oral-health/tempo...

[Plains in reply to DorsetLady]

Thank you very much!

[SnazzyD]

I had GCA jaw issues which was the muscles running out of steam and cramping up with chewing that got better once I stopped. This was due to inflammation in the blood vessels making the blood supply inefficient. Then when my muscles got a bit weak, probably from Pred, I had a bit of Temporomandibular joint dysfunction where the muscles that stabilise the hinge joint weren’t up to the job. This could cause noises when opening my mouth or chewing on something. It resolved over time for me. My dentist confirmed the TMJ issues and looked to see if I had been gritting my teeth in my sleep or other times or needed a teeth guard for nighttime. DL has given you some links.

[Plains in reply to SnazzyD]

Thank you!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Very unlikely - much more likely to be a TMJ issue.

[Plains in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you

[Potter100]

As a precaution I would recommend seeing your dentist. It could be a number of things & you may need to use a gum guard.

[Plains in reply to Potter100]

Thank you, I do have an appointment coming up with my dentist.

[Hidden]

i think that it might be. i have both GCA and PMR too.