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Question:
Jaw Pain related to loose dentures? About 10 years ago I fell and my face hit hard on gravel.
I ended up later with teeth dying and getting an upper denture. I am now 50.
My problem is I have been working out and lost 35 lbs. My dentures are a little loose, not alot. I am constantly and not realizing but making a sucking motion.
All of a sudden I started feeling horrible right jaw pain and a soreness in front of right ear and under. It hurts when I drink anything but water, especially carbonation. ...Visitor from DE
Answer:
It sounds like your upper denture has loosened up a bit since you have lost weight.
This is a common occurance and a denture reline of your current denture or an updated cosmetic denture may be needed.
The pain you are feeling in front of your right ear sounds like an inflammation or soreness of your temporomandibular joint (TMJ). This may be caused by a denture that is not fitting correctly which is putting undo pressure on your right TMJ area.
The first thing you can do to reduce the pain is to take 800mgs of an anti-inflammatory over the counter medicine like Motrin or Advil. Combining it with Tylenol, which is an acetaminophen, can increase the pain relief.
Only take both medications if you can tolerate them and have no contraindications to taking either one. You can take 1(800mg Dose)of Motrin or Advil every 6-8 hrs for a day or two.
It will also help to place hot compresses on the painful TMJ area (20 minutes on 20 minutes off for several hours to calm the pain also.) Use a washcloth with very hot water without burning yourself for best results.
Once your pain has subsided you should have the fit of your denture evaluated by a competent dentist who has a proven track record in successfully treating neuromuscular dentistry related pain.
ComfortableDental.com
Ron Briglia, DMD
Chester County Medical Building
600 East Marshall Street, Suite 201
West Chester PA 19380
(610) 692-4440
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