Sore Jaw

[pack]

I've been using a cpap for almost seventeen years. For quite a while now I awake each morning with a sore jaw. My jaws don't seem to be lining up right. After a few hours things start to realign but chewing is a problem for a while each day. I couldn't pinpoint why this was happening and then I started to think it may have something to do with the cpap machine. I've seen a few dentists but nobody seems to have an idea why this is happening. Anybody else ever experience this problem?

[deadhead]

Hi. I've had sore jaw issues for a few years. I can't keep my mouth open for long periods of time when I'm at the dentist and sometimes when I eat it gets sore - particularly half way through a bag of chips (probably not a bad thing). My dentist at the time didn't know but my new dentist knew right away - bruxism. Unbeknownst to me, I was (still am) grinding my teeth while I slept. He showed me in a mirror the jaw movements I was unconsciously doing in my sleep and the resulting evidence of wear on my teeth.

The probable cause is stress. I am yet to find a solution to it but I wear a mouth guard at night to protect my teeth from further damage. I got a fitted one from my dentist. You should see the dents in it from grinding. Yet another night time accessory…

I don't know if this applies to you or not. Hopefully it was helpful (or hopefully it was unhelpful I guess?!?).

EDIT ADDITION - I just looked up bruxism on wikipedia. It lists sleep apnea and other sleep issues as an associated factor.

[gsbuck]

I also have bruxism and TMJ. The TMJ is aggravated by the bruxism, and the bruxism seems to be aggravated by my using the cpap. Or maybe I'm just noticing it more since adjusting to the cpap has been waking me a lot. The reverse of what it's supposed to do. I'm going to try a new mask to see if I can sleep better with the cpap, and also start using my dental piece for the bruxism. See your dentist and tell him about your jaw, or risk cracking a tooth during the night and having to have a root canal, like me.

[bbong73]

Did you guys teeth grinding start before or after starting on cpap? The reason i ask is I just started cpap last week and notice that I been waking up with a sore jaw too. Of course this wasn"t an issue before I started treatment and none of my 3 sleeps studys mention anything about teeth grinding (it was being monitored with a sensor).
GC

[gsbuck]

I was already grinding my teeth before starting cpap. And it seems to me that the cpap might aggravate it. It may be that I notice the grinding more since I have not totally adjusted to using the cpap and am awake frequently thru the night. I have discovered that I am a mouth breather since starting cpap, having to keep my mouth closed to keep from leaking air pressure. I think this has caused me to grind more than usual. I received a full face mask this afternoon to try, so am hoping that it all gets better and that I can get a good night's sleep!
My dentist is the one who brought the teeth grinding to my attention a few years ago. I had not realized that I did it at all, but he saw the wear on my teeth. In the past couple of weeks I've woken myself by 'clashing' my teeth together very hard and fast. This is resulted in a cracked tooth and root canal. So don't take it lightly if you grind, do something about it.

[JZ]

I, too, have bruxism. I am not a tooth grinder, but a tooth clencher. That has been going on long before I began cpap therapy. I have been wearing a bite guard (made by my dentist) at night for a dozen years or more. However, the problem was significantly aggravated by cpap. My working theory is that those early months of cpap were extremely stressful for me and my masks were so uncomfortable that I gathered all my stress tension in my jaws. It seems those muscles got used holding stress and I have a very difficult time relaxing my jaws during the day even though my cpap therapy is pretty successful at this point.

In the last year, I cracked my bite guard, cracked a permanent bridge, and cracked three temporary bridges while waiting for the new permanent bridge. Apparently I have jaws of steel.

The result is that my jaws hurt every day. Even worse, when my jaws stiffen up, one side of my tongue rubs against my teeth and it feels like it is on fire. There are "specialized taste buds" along the edges of our tongues and the doctor tells me they can be easily irritated.

Some things I think are worth trying are: 1) a high-quality bite guard to wear at night -- tooth grinding or clenching can be very damaging to the teeth, 2) facial massage to loosen up the jaw muscles, and physical therapy if needed (there are physical therapists who work on TMJ and bruxism), 3) a dental visit to determine whether or not you have TMJ, 4) a mild anti-anxiety medication if your doctor feels it is warranted.

I have just begun acupuncture treatment for this problem -- too early to tell if it is going to work or not.

I would love to hear any other ideas about how to combat this jaw pain problem.

[FriskyPanda]

Have had bruxism & OSA for many years The former has been more bothersome of late, despite using a customized dental guard. Recently had CPAP pressure elevated to 14 and need a new mask. I wonder if anyone w/both problems has any useful input on the type of mask that could help ameliorate both issues. Specifically, I wonder if a full face mask might be preferable since mouth breathing is allowed; don't think I can clench my teeth w/my mouth open

Thanks for any input/answers you folks may provide!

[cflame1]

I have TMJ... and bruxism. They were diagnosed long before the sleep apnea.

The cranio-sacral therapy (massage) worked great for me. Really small movements by the massage person. Usually puts me to sleep in no time flat.

I've had the typical TMJ treatment (without the surgery which doesn't have a good track record), but right now it's just a massage and a bite guard for when I sleep (even with the machine).

[JZ]

I have just begun acupuncture treatment for this problem -- too early to tell if it is going to work or not.

Here is an update on the acupuncture. I had about five treatments. It was amazing in that I could feel my jaws relax within about 5-10 minutes of having the acupuncture needles inserted. I felt great after the treatments for the rest of the day. However, the effects only lasted for the day of the treatment. I wish I could afford to go to the acupuncturist every morning for a treatment. Still, I thought it had an amazing effect and would not hesitate to encourage others to try it.

[Snoredog]

my guess:

Bruxism, bruxing geeze I never can get that right um it means grinding your teeth. Jaw hurts because this grinding puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the teeth to the point of cracking and/or splitting your molars.

This same pressure can put enormous amount of pressure on the TMJ joint, the main hinge of the mandible. Like other joints there is a disc between the joint to prevent bone-to-bone rubbing.

IF your Dentist cannot give you an explanation for what it is, time to get a new Dentist, preferably one that has gone to an accredited Dental School. There are many kinds of Dentists. There are many kinds of Dental Schools. There are schools that train you to be a Dentist and there are schools that train you to be a good Dentist. Some can get you graduated in as little as 3 years, some it may take 5 years. Where you do your Residency can impact that, it is where you get your initial experience. Do your residency at a very busy place and you get lots of invaluable experience, most likely more experience than seen in 4 years of Dental School.

Soo... call 1800 Dentist, ask for a Dentist in your area, one that Graduated from a highly respected Dental School one that that is ranked highest in the nation, one that its program has been found superior and its model used for other Dental School programs in the country, like UCLA Dental School at the Geffen School of Medicine. Once you find the Dental School ask for a Dentist who graduated at the top 5% of their class ranked nationally, even better the top 3% in nation rankings, maybe one of the few that earned induction into the Omicon Kappa Upsilon Honor Society. If they graduated Magna Cum Laude or Summa Cum Laude even better. Hey I just described my daughter, ah be she hasn't finished her residency yet and you have to be a Vet in Long Beach to see her, besides you want someone with more experience, she only did like a dozen root canals her first month.

The only other Specialist I could recommend is a Oral Maxillofacial Surgeon, your Dentist should be able to refer you to one. They will give you a panoramic x-ray and have a looksie, if you have a cracked molar they may be able to see it. Sometimes a bite-wing x-ray or digital x-ray offers better resolution as those cracks can be hard to see until it is too late to save the tooth.