Important lesson: Why we go to the dentist
My tooth had been hurting a lot the last couple of days of break, so I made an appointment at our local dentist and stopped in to get it checked out. Thinking I had a cavity or possible abscess (because it hurt so badly), I waited for the dentist to look at my tooth and discuss the procedure for a root canal. However, after looking at the xray for my tooth and those surrounding it, he looked at me and said that the tooth was healthy as could be. A piece of the enamel had broken off, but other than that it had no noticeable problems. Instead, he told me that I was showing signs of extreme jaw clenching. He followed by asking me if I ever clenched my jaw, either during the day or when I was sleeping. I answered him that I wasn’t sure, especially regarding night time (I obviously don’t watch myself sleep!), but said it was a possibility. He ordered for me to try eating only soft foods and resting my jaw for the rest of the day and the day after to see if I noticed any sort of difference or fatigue in my jaw muscles.
The next day, I had an extreme temporal headache and my jaw was sore as can be. I called up the dentist and explained to him what I was feeling and said I was in quite a bit of pain. After listening to my observations, the dentist told me that I definitely was suffering from jaw clenching, and that it actually had progressed to TMJD. TMJ is a jaw disorder that brings about extreme soreness and immobility in the jaw and can lead to the jaw actually becoming “stuck.”
If I had never gone to the dentist, I would not have known that this simple toothache was actually an entire jaw disorder that can lead to even more adverse side effects in the future if not taken control of. As much as I hate going to the dentist, all I can say is that this time, this guy saved my behind! Hopefully we can reverse the effects with the right precautions.
