Exploring Misaligned Teeth in TMJ & Scoliosis

So, my right jaw is still in and out of spasm. One really easy activity that I do involves using my tongue to press against my teeth, especially ON THE NON-SPASMING side.

My TMJ spasm is on the right side which means that my jaw has been pulled to the right over the many years of my teeth grinding. My goal is to gently coax my jaw into moving more the left which will allow my right jaw to relax. I've had 3 crowns on the right side of mouth alone, so there is basically no predicting how many teeth are further contributing to the exacerbation of the problem.

When I "normally" close my mouth and bring my teeth together, none of the upper and lower teeth line up.  However, I can align my jaw with very little strain on the jaw itself by a simple maneuver using my tongue.

I take my tongue and press it on the left side of my inner teeth (place tongue between teeth number 16 and 17), using the pressure from my tongue to gently slide the jaw into alignment. Try to relax your entire body. I use an in and out breath cycle until I literally feel my right jaw release. Hold gentle pressure against the left teeth using your tongue, aiming to keep your left teeth slightly touching. When I do this, I actually have a little bit of space now between my right upper and lower teeth which is pretty exciting.

Here is a tooth diagram with teeth numbers:

Now I know my bite is out of whack, but at least now I am aware of it and can make changes accordingly to get out of this constant cycle of TMJ spasm and migraines.

Gauze Roll for TMJ Toothache Pain

I have been in-and-out of some debilitating pain for the past week in my right jaw, neck, and upper back. One thing that works without fail, at least relieve acute pain, is a small gauze roll. I usually wear my roll to sleep and / or during the day when I feel the pain about to strike.

All I do is take a 4x4 gauze roll and fold it into a small square. I put the square gauze roll in my mouth between my right cheek and lower jaw (close to the 4th tooth from the back). Eventually, when the pain releases near the 4th tooth from the back, I push it further and further back to my tolerance level. Eventually, I can place it at the very back of my jaw between the pyterygoid muscles that line the upper and lower jaw lines. When the pain is relieved and my bout of spasm has ceased, I usually remove the gauze.

The gauze roll is used in emergent situations and can prevent you from grinding too much during the night if you want a change from night guards (or a change from wearing nothing to sleep, in my case).

If you don't have / don't want to buy any guaze, you can also use a high quality paper towel folded from a 4x4 square. Cheap paper will melt in your mouth, and not in a good way. Also, you might swallow cheap paper at night which is a choking hazard. :/ As any registered nurse (or person who has undergone a significant amount of rear mouth dental work) knows that gauze is much more absorbent than regular paper towels. You won't drool as much when you wear the gauze, which makes it easier to talk with the gauze in your mouth (only if talking IS NECESSARY) and you won't look much more miserable than you already do, which is always nice.

Here's some gauze from Amazon.com for less than $5.

Safe gauze rolling!