An Appointment with the Dentist

I suffer from temperomandibular joint disorder (TMJ). This is very common in fibromites, but in my case the fibro did not bring on the TMJ. I believe the TMJ was the cause of the fibro.

In my early 30s, I was knocked flat by a volleyball bumped by one of teammates. It hit me square under my lower jaw and laid me flat on my back. I got up, finished the game, and thought no more about it.

Then the facial pain started. I thought it was my sinuses. I would get intense headaches, and my teeth would ache. This went on for quite a few months. I started getting severe earaches and muscle spasms in the jaw. By the time I went to the doctor, my bite had shifted because of the muscle spasms. My teeth were not hitting together correctly. The doctor diagnosed TMJ and sent me to the dentist. It took months of eating only soft foods, a bite-guard, and two years of physical therapy to bring my TMJ under control.

Now, roughly 15 years later, my TMJ is well-controlled. I wear a bite-guard nightly and I know the signs of a recurrence. I can proactively prevent or minimize an attack through the exercises I learned many years ago. 

I have never feared a dentist visit. I tend to be meticulous about my dental hygiene. But dentist visits are problematic, because it requires having my mouth open for long periods of time. This can set off the pain and muscle spasms of TMJ. When I go to the dentist, I expect my jaw to ache afterwards. I expect to have a mild headache. I do my isometric exercises as soon as the visit is over.

Something that didn't occur to me until after my recent visit, was that a visit to the dentist can also cause my fibro to flare. I am always uncomfortable in a dentist chair. Not just because my mouth is being forced open wider than it wants to go, but also because the chair bothers my back.

On this last visit, I had two procedures back-to-back. I was in the chair for three hours. By the time I returned home, not only was my jaw aching, but my whole body. I had flu-like pain throughout, especially in my back. My skin hurt, and just leaning back in a chair was agony. Fatigue and a bit of nausea crept in. I ended up taking some acetaminophen and sleeping the afternoon away uncomfortably. Fortunately, the flare was short-lived. A muscle-relaxer and more acetaminophen at bedtime, and I felt fine the next morning. Now when I go to the dentist, not only do I have to be proactive about my TMJ, but I have to consider my fibro as well.