Monday, August 3, 2009

TMJ Overdone = Locked Jaw

Two weeks ago I blogged about the misfortune I had with a root canal in one tooth, that
triggered an abscess in a molar 4 teeth down from the root canal. The abscess was pulled.
Both of those events combined resulted in keeping my mouth open for about 2 hours in the
same week. That's a lot when you have Temporomandibular joint disorder ( TMJ).
TMJ is an umbrella term covering
acute or chronic inflammation of the temporomandibular joint, which connects the mandible to the skull. The disorder and resultant dysfunction can result in significant pain and impairment.
Well, there was pain, and there was (and still is) impairment. "Lock jaw." In fact, since then, I've only been able to open my mouth about 1" without pain. My chiropractor has been treating it, too (yes, Chiropractors treat TMJ!) and helping a lot. Maybe by the end of August, I'll be able to eat a sandwich without squashing it flat. Meanwhile, I'm hoping to stay away from dental issues... (PHOTO: Rob trying to smile with TMJ?)

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Who I am

I'm a simple guy who enjoys the simple things in life, especially our dogs. I volunteer for dog rescues, enjoy exercising, blogging, politics, helping friends and neighbors, participating in ghost investigations, coffee, weather, superheroes, comic books, mystery novels, traveling, 70s and 80s music, classic country music,writing books on ghosts and spirits, cooking simply and keeping in shape. You'll find tidbits of all of these things on this blog and more. EMAIL me at Rgutro@gmail.com - Rob

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