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What Can I Do About A Chronic Jaw Drop Problem For Over A Year?
Question: I have had a jaw drop problem for over a year that probbaly was due to a dental procedure that overstrtched my medial pterygoid muscle. I am getting worse now, with hardly any speech ability due to my tongue now misaligned, my throat stiffness, and salivary glands leaking all the time. My sinuses are not quite the same as they used to be also. I have no pain in the side of the jaw that was stretched, and have had some laser therapy to try and revive the muscle--it did not work. Finding any Doctor to treat me or try and deal with my ongoing problems has been almost impossible up here in Maine. A Neurologist made me get abrain MRI, and it showed no stroke or brain tumor. I have also been teted for ALS, and it was negative also. Basic info is that I am 64 and female, and do have a narrow face and mouth/chin area.
Brief Answer:
Possible cause- amalgam dental fillings.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
It is not common at all to have a muscle to lose the entire function just because of overstretching. And having this problem only in that side, not in other muscles of your body, tells me that it is not something systemic but rather local.
So while I was reading your description it prompted me that one problem which is very common, but that dentists and doctors often forget. The problem that the amalgam dental fillings give (the metallic, sulfur fillings that used to be very common in the past).
So one thing I would strongly suggest you rule out is that if you have from those fillings, consider talking to your dentist to remove those and substitute with the fillings that are used nowadays. Those fillings give so many weird problems that are not related to specific causes and doctors struggle to diagnose.
I hope I have been helpful. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Papaqako
Possible cause- amalgam dental fillings.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
It is not common at all to have a muscle to lose the entire function just because of overstretching. And having this problem only in that side, not in other muscles of your body, tells me that it is not something systemic but rather local.
So while I was reading your description it prompted me that one problem which is very common, but that dentists and doctors often forget. The problem that the amalgam dental fillings give (the metallic, sulfur fillings that used to be very common in the past).
So one thing I would strongly suggest you rule out is that if you have from those fillings, consider talking to your dentist to remove those and substitute with the fillings that are used nowadays. Those fillings give so many weird problems that are not related to specific causes and doctors struggle to diagnose.
I hope I have been helpful. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Papaqako
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Thank you, Doctor, for mentioning those old-style fillings, as I do still have some amalgams, and am going to be visiting my Dentist in July to see if he can also help me with my chewing problem now, as one side (opposite the stretched muscle side) doesn't allow me to chew there alone. I also know some teeth have jammed closer together after this jaw misalignment began, and that does not help to solve things easily either.
From my reading online, I got the impression that the facial muscles are all connected and also to other facial parts, such that maybe it has also pulled down my salivary glands. And the re-stimulation of my facial muscle is something that I wish to pursue. Do you know of use of electromagnetic devices for such therapies,as I have heard they are being used to for other body muscle restoration??
From my reading online, I got the impression that the facial muscles are all connected and also to other facial parts, such that maybe it has also pulled down my salivary glands. And the re-stimulation of my facial muscle is something that I wish to pursue. Do you know of use of electromagnetic devices for such therapies,as I have heard they are being used to for other body muscle restoration??
Brief Answer:
Not evidence based treatment
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Yes facial muscles are connected together, but they are not affected all if the problem is not in the nerve or the joint. So if your problem is only in that muscle, it should not be a problem to reconstruct that together with the joint.
I am not an expert of those stimulation therapies but it is not one of the evidence based treatments for Temporo-mandibular joint misalignment. If it doesn't give side effects, I would say try it if you have nothing to lose.
Regards,
Dr. Papaqako
Not evidence based treatment
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Yes facial muscles are connected together, but they are not affected all if the problem is not in the nerve or the joint. So if your problem is only in that muscle, it should not be a problem to reconstruct that together with the joint.
I am not an expert of those stimulation therapies but it is not one of the evidence based treatments for Temporo-mandibular joint misalignment. If it doesn't give side effects, I would say try it if you have nothing to lose.
Regards,
Dr. Papaqako
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
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