# Jaw pain and stiffness like TMJ from Crohn's Disease



## Crohnie

I was just diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, but I have had stiffness and pain in my jaw for months now.  My dentist said he didn't think it was TMJ so now I'm wondering if it's the Crohns that is doing it.  Does anyone else have jaw issues?


----------



## matty

My dentist said i have tmj.  I get pain in jaw on and off which extends to ear and basically lower side of face with bad toothaches.  I've worn a mouth guard a little over a month now and its helped a bit.   Does the stiffness feel light a tightness, that's what i felt on the cheek area.  Also ringing in ears on and off.  I told dentist and that's what he dx me with,tmj.


----------



## LucyL

I have Crohn's and have had pain in my jaw also.  I believe it's from clenching my teeth in my sleep because of the pain I feel in my gut.  During the day I try to consciously relax my jaw by aliening my teeth and just relaxing the jaw.  It does help.  Stress also will cause a person to clench their teeth while they sleep.


----------



## beth

Yup, I get jaw pain. It can be set off by my pillow if I don't punch it down in just the right way, or by leaning by chin in my hands on the desk. I used to grind my teeth so it could be that, or related to my Crohn's as it only came on whilst I was delaying about going on azathioprine.


----------



## lola99

I get this too. My mother has tmj but i don't grind my teeth or anything. My face will just hurt around where my jaw bones connect and up into my temples.


----------



## juicy24

I was diagnosed with crohns a while ago, I just went to the denist couple of months ago and got a mouth guard because I grind and bite down hard at night. Since I have got the mouth guard my jaw has stopped hurting, it is worth it to get one.  You can ask your denist or buy one from the store. Denist is more expsensive but it fits a lot better. My denist also told me I was more likely to get cavities to because crohns can dry your mouth out. I actually had a lot of cativies so make sure you take care of your teeth!


----------



## atomb

I had TMJ  for years and last year it got so bad that chewing became a big problem 
I couldnt even get the mouth open for the dentist to clean the teeth 
they told me to go see the oral surgeon . 
 I told him its gotten so bad i cant even eat a sandwich .
 He told me then dont eat sandwiches , gave me some pain meds Xrays that  showed nothing and billed me.  
Anyhow around that time i started using allegra and relieved my tmj and a whole lot of other Crohn's related ailments that i had since i was about 13. YMMV


----------



## scottchopchop

TMJ is common amongst all auto-immune disorders and it is very serous....there is a Jaw pain / TMJ thread here:
http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=46051

Please also consider LDA Immunotherapy.  LDA Immunotherapy will loosen the muscles in your neck/face/head/haw and shoulders.
My super doc here in Oklahoma likes to use LDA and LDN together. I have had amazing results. There is an LDA Immunotherapy thread on this forum...found here:
http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=45977


----------



## tabes

Wow. I have Crohn's and TMJ.  I didn't think they would be related, but maybe they are?


----------



## scottchopchop

yep... they most certainly are....some, maybe many, also develop dystonia...like cervical dystonia....LDA Immunotherapy will stop the reactions that cause the muscles to constantly contract.


----------



## Novice

This is curious, because I've been getting what I was told were "Ice pick" headaches it's a horrible horrible sharp severe pain next to my ear but in my face (not in my ear) and whenever I looked up the symptoms they were all related to tmj huh. It always makes me curious what other puzzle pieces are doctors putting in the wrong places :/


----------



## scottchopchop

My experience has been that certain types of dentists like Dr Klemons @ www.headaches.com and also medical doctors that don't accept insurance are usually the most intellectually curious and thus are the most apt to have searched for solutions that work and do so in dramatically positive ways.


----------



## djp69

tabes said:


> Wow. I have Crohn's and TMJ.  I didn't think they would be related, but maybe they are?


The more I read on these forums the more answers I find to the problems I'm having. And I had no idea they are most likely linked to Crohn's. I was diagnosed with Crohn's 4 years ago.

All in the space of 2 months I have had bad jaw pain/clicking, severe neck/back pain,cracking, tingling in my hands, chest pain.


----------



## Catjaq1

Crohnie said:


> I was just diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, but I have had stiffness and pain in my jaw for months now.  My dentist said he didn't think it was TMJ so now I'm wondering if it's the Crohns that is doing it.  Does anyone else have jaw issues?


I was diagnosed a year ago with Crohn's, had surgery and am on pentasa and remicade, recently started with bad joint pain and jaw pain. Went to rhumetologist and he's thinking it may be remicade induced.  More blood work ordered. This affects alot more than I imagined


----------



## my little penguin

Catjag1

Please look into spondyloarthritis 
It's common with Crohns
And can occur despite Crohns being calm 

Ds started with arthritis while on humira
It was not due to humira 
Stopped humira more than once
Now on Stelara 
He was dx with juvenile spondyloarthritis 

http://www.spondylitis.org/Types-of-Spondylitis


Ds arthritis flares runs independent of his Crohns 
Tagging Maya142


----------



## Maya142

It could be Remicade related, but like MLP said, they should also rule out Spondyloarthritis. Typically symptoms are morning stiffness, pain that gets better with movement and worse with rest and lower back pain. However, any joint can be involved, including the jaw.

For your jaw, seeing an oral and maxillofacial surgeon who specializes in jaw arthritis might be a good idea. It's generally one of two possibilities - TMJ dysfunction, which is functional pain. That is usually treated with a splint or PT.

Then there is TMJ arthritis, which is more serious. Inflammatory arthritis is treated with biologics like Remicade and Humira. Often MTX is added to give them a "boost." They also may do intraarticular steroid injections - injections into the joint. My daughter had those and they helped a LOT.

But the first step for jaw arthritis is usually an MRI to determine whether it is inflammatory or not. If it is, then they decide whether to increase or add systemic meds like Remicade or MTX or to treat with steroid injections.

When you saw the rheumatologist, did he/she see signs of inflammation in any of your joints? When you say joint pain, which joints hurt, besides your jaw?


----------



## Catjaq1

Maya142 said:


> It could be Remicade related, but like MLP said, they should also rule out Spondyloarthritis. Typically symptoms are morning stiffness, pain that gets better with movement and worse with rest and lower back pain. However, any joint can be involved, including the jaw.
> 
> For your jaw, seeing an oral and maxillofacial surgeon who specializes in jaw arthritis might be a good idea. It's generally one of two possibilities - TMJ dysfunction, which is functional pain. That is usually treated with a splint or PT.
> 
> Then there is TMJ arthritis, which is more serious. Inflammatory arthritis is treated with biologics like Remicade and Humira. Often MTX is added to give them a "boost." They also may do intraarticular steroid injections - injections into the joint. My daughter had those and they helped a LOT.
> 
> But the first step for jaw arthritis is usually an MRI to determine whether it is inflammatory or not. If it is, then they decide whether to increase or add systemic meds like Remicade or MTX or to treat with steroid injections.
> 
> When you saw the rheumatologist, did he/she see signs of inflammation in any of your joints? When you say joint pain, which joints hurt, besides your jaw?


He saw inflammatory joint issues in my hands, feet knees and shoulders.  Strange that it came on this fast and thus hard, I could barely walk last week. I finally went to ER where they gave me a long acting steriod, helped alot. Now it's bearable.  Little depressing thinking all this stems from Crohn's.i will look into all of your suggestions and really appreciate the feedback.


----------



## Maya142

What is he prescribing for the inflammation in your joints? Generally if it is peripheral joints (joints other than the spine), Methotrexate works well. 

Alternatively, they could up your dose of Remicade or increase the frequency.

Steroids work well and are used for flares, but of course, they're not a long-term solution.

Spondyloarthritis is just like Crohn's - it is a chronic, progressive, inflammatory disease and needs to be treated aggressively to avoid damage to the joints. Both my daughters and my husband have SpA.

My husband was not treated with biologics because they were not available when he was diagnosed. He has a LOT of joint damage - many hip replacements, a partially fused spine, fused sacroiliac joints, a destroyed ankle etc. 

My daughters have been treated with biologics and immunomodulators (like Methotrexate) and because of the aggressive treatment, have managed to avoid the kind of joint damage their dad has. They do both have damage to their SI joints, knees and hips (and jaw for the younger one), but it is nowhere near as bad as my husband's.

I say this not to scare you, just to point out that SpA needs to be treated aggressively, to get the inflammation under control as quickly as possible. 

CCFA has a good handout about the types of arthritis that are associated with IBD. In some cases, the arthritis flares when the Crohn's flares, and then treating the Crohn's also treats the arthritis.

In other cases, like my younger daughter's, they flare independently and need to be treated independently.

Here is the CCFA handout: http://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/assets/pdfs/arthritiscomplications.pdf

Good luck!!


----------



## Dawn101

Maybe check out a RMT who specializes in TMJ.


----------



## JennyT

I have had gum swelling and infection under my teeth losing several of the back ones - then my front teeth got wobbly - the dentist took xrays and there is disintegration of my jaw bone and its hardly holding in the teeth - he said he has seen that in people with  Crohns before.   Has anyone else had this happen?


----------



## Maya142

I would see an oral and maxillofacial surgeon ASAP. I would try to find one who specializes in TMJ issues. Have you been on steroids a lot? It could be avascular necrosis. That is honestly what it sounds likes.

Other than that, it could be arthritis in the TMJ. That can occur when you have inflammatory arthritis with your Crohn's - so spondyloarthritis or psoriatic arthritis. Do you have any other joint symptoms? Stiffness? Pain? Swelling? Red or warm joints?

Do you have morning stiffness or pain that gets better with movement and worse with rest? Those are all red flags for inflammatory arthritis.

Generally there are symptoms if you have arthritis in your temporomandibular joint - pain (often gets worse with chewing), inability to open the mouth wide, popping or clicking noises coming from the joint. The pain can be quite severe.


----------

