The left side of my face ONLY is affected. It feels like- but I can't be certain- my salivary glands are involved. I was wondering if TMJ would cause a symptom like that? I have NO PROBLEM with producing saliva, it just feels like my salivary gland near my left ear and cheek tingles and is full of cotton. My face still has sensation, but inside my face feels weird- like it is stuffed with cotton or something. It moves around too. One day it is near my left eye, the next day it is near my chin/upper lip. This is the left side ONLY. Can TMJ do that? Since this sensation, I have developed tight jaw hinges and they are painful- both sides. I am just worried that I have something wrong with my salivary glands and would be relieved to know that TMJ can cause this type of sensation. My upper side teeth also seem to cause abrassions on the inside of my cheek when I smile a lot or sip from a straw. I rinse with Listerine and it stings on the inside of my mouth where my side upper molars hit my cheek. So do I have a problem with my salivary glands or is it TMJ? HELP!






First- thank you SO MUCH for responding to my comment. Symptoms aside...there doesn't seem to be any doctors out there that are "detectives" any more. I have been to my PCP, a Neurologist (a joke), and an ENT. I've had an MRI and a CT scan....only to have MS ruled out and diagnosed with Chronic Sinusitis. Now this may seem like "detective" processes to you, but what I mean is that I can't seem to find a doctor to LISTEN to what I'm saying my symptoms are and explore those connections- instead of trying to fit me into a "box" of past patients. You know what I'm saying?
That being said, everything seems to get going on the left side of my face when I smile excessively (I'm in HR- I have to smile a lot ;0) ) or when I lay on the left side of my face or even when I drink a soda. It is on the inside of my cheek- where the upper back row of teeth hit the inside of my mouth- and I am thinking it's where one of my salivary glands empties into my mouth because when you stick a finger inside there and rub the inside of my cheek you feel a small bump that feels like a duct. The effect is a stinging sensation or a tingle that can sometimes run up the INSIDE of my face in a narrow line. There is NO surface sensation of my face issues. Another symptom is when I lay on my back in bed, it feels like the left side of my face "droops" or is "weighty". When I stand up from laying down, it feels like a weight is pulling on parts of the left side of my face. Very odd sensation. I have been to a TMJ doctor that diagnosed me with TMJ, and I have had a "pop" or two in the left hinge of my jaw. The worst is when I "fish" for food in the crevices of my teeth with my tongue- that is now a big no-no...that really gets the hinges of my jaws in an uproar. I recently canceled my appt with the ENT doc because he wanted to guide a needle up my salivary gland duct on the left side to see if it was clogged, but I have issues producing saliva at all- hence the reason I canceled my appt. I am at my wits end at this point. Scared to smile too much...scared to lay on the left side of my face...just scared really. Any thoughts or guidence? Would an Ultrasound of left side of my face help at all?