JAWS! | Arthritis Information

HAHA....made you look! Anyway, my jaw has been bothering me a ton lately....I have to take 2 pain pills to get any relief. My dental insurance doesn't kick in till Jan, and my next rheumy appt isn't until mid-January. What I wanted to know is if anyone knows anything I could do to relieve some of the jaw pain (ie exercises) . Let me know, don't hold out on me!

Hi Sara,

I haven't been to the rheumatologist yet, however my blood work and symptoms all point to RA. My jaw is amongst the list of joints that are swollen and painful. My friend is a nurse who told me to get a mouth guard and sleep with it. She said she has had RA patients that have had some relief with that. My symptoms actually started with my wrists and jaw...then the list grew rather rapidly with other joints. At this point I'm in a lot of pain and can't wait for my upcoming rheumatologist appt. Looking at a lot of side effects that people on here have had with their medications has got me a tad freaked out though. Okay, I'm rambling...sorry. Anyway, try a mouth guard. My jaw seems to loosen up after an hour or so upon waking up but is still painful throughout the day. Good luck.

Sara, do you have TMJ? I do and I don't think exercises are a good idea. When my jaw gets inflammed I try to eat small bites, soft food I don't have to chew very much and take ibuprofen. Opening my mouth wide, like you would to take a bite of an apple, is not good. I have also discovered that if I fall asleep sitting up, like in a recliner, my jaw gets sore. I guess I sleep with my mouth open, LOL, and the gravity pull on my jaw gets it going. (It ain't pretty to picture, but hey, I'm honest!) You can try heat - it's just hard for me to find a comfortable way to apply it. Laying on a heating pad on low helps, but you can only do one side at a time!

Good luck - Karen

I have this problem, I take 2 Aleve ( cannot take any other NSAID due to the ulcers I had) and use a mouth guard( I grind my teeth and clench my jaw). I also have a gel pack that can be heated or frozen that I can put around my jaw if need be. You can also make a rice sock and heat it up ( you may want to place in a few drops of a scented oil or sachet cause the rice does not have a good heated odor). That way you can wrap it around your jaw and neck.

Aint it fun? NOT!!!!!!!!!!!

When the pain is severe and I will not be driving, a good old fashioned glass or two of wine or a shot of whiskey helps sometimes ( but you didn't hear that from me *wink*)

man I wish I could have a beer but one of the supplements i take your not allowed to have alcohol, or chocolate and yup not even icecream, ugggggg! But did have a donut today

Mark, I am not a beer drinker, I'm a bourbon fan myself, but I
wish we could all go out and have a big drinking party!

Thanks everyone for your input with the jaw stuff. My husband
says it is because I talk too much! Those of you who mentioned
the mouthguards, where could I get these? Are they the ones
that you heat up and put it your mouth so it becomes the shape
of your mouth?

My friend told me to start with one of those, but to get the best relief, have your dentist make one for you.

Good luck.

Thanks Debrakay! I just got my dental insurance card in the
mail so I will make an appt for after the holidays, but I'll go get a
cheap mouth guard for the time being. Good luck with your first
rheumatologist appointment, hopefully you will get some help
there.

Thanks Sara!