Anyone have jaw problems? How common is this?

hi,

i was DX in july also (the day before my 43rd birthday..happy freakin' birthday, right??).. i didn't get the jaw pain til about 6 wks later.  it didn't hurt very bad, but it was hard to open my mouth.  fortunately, it was only one side, and it was only for a few hours at a time. (all 3 times it's been bad has been watching my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers play-go figure). On my last rheumy appt, i mentioned it to him and he said he didn't think it was because of RA, he thought it was TMJ.  i don't believe that for a second because I've never had jaw pain before, unless it was from an extended visit to the dentist...i'm not a tooth grinder in my sleep either.  since those episodes, i get occasional popping in my jaw but when i do get the jaw pain, it's not excruciating.  i've had worse RA pain in my elbows, knees, etc.  I started out on Relefen at first, no relief.  then he started me on 250 plaquenil, twice a day and still no relief.  then he took me off relefen and gave me 5mg prednisone (still on plaquenil too).  it's been almost 3 months since i started plaq, so it might be 'working' . AHHH RELIEF.  it's been about 4 wks now that i've been on pred and i can honestly say i feel NORMAL...i've had no side effects of either drug (including weight gain, water retention, etc).i haven't had a flare in about 6 wks. i do get achy once in a while, but it's NOTHING compared to what i was dealing with prior.  i can ride my motorcycle and hold a pencil again.  i can even wear a ring on my right hand again (haven't been able for the entire time). have you experienced inner ear pain yet?  i had that right after the jaw pain episodes. i asked the doc about those 3 smaller inner ear bones (hammer, anvil and stirrup-remember that from school??) and he was kinda of stymied.  said he didn't know if those bones had synovium or not....anyway, i hope this helps.  i'm doing very well and i hope it continues...ask from some pred and plaquenil and see if that helps.... ~desiree

I was diagnosed in April 2006 with RA-blood test not positive. I to have had jaw discomfort and throat discomfort on and off.I noticed it when I would go to eat something like a sub sandwich which might be thicker than a regular sandwich.Just the opening of the jaw there is discomfort and even the jaw joint is painful to touch.My rheumatologist just shrugs off all my concerns and says "the Remicade does not take the pain away only helps preserve the joints.He does not want me to use Prednisone bacause of the side effects-Relafen is prescribed-no methotrexate-Extra strength Tylenol for pain--I work as a School Nurse now which is an easier job than my last job in Orthopaedics-I am 56 1/2 years old and no visable deformities at this time.The initial treatment after dx was Remicade I.V.-my Dr. believes in aggressive treatment for the joints.Any others with jaw and throat discomfort I would like to know also.

I was diagnosed mid-year 2007 with symptoms that started in late 2006.  I did experience jaw pain to the point for about two to three weeks I could not eat anything solid as I could not open my mouth wide enough or chew food properly.  My rheumy said that it was a part of RA but that normally jaw problems will get better and not as constant or common as knees, ankles, elbows, etc.  The pain did go away and I have not had any problems with my jaw since.  As for my other joints.........well that's another story.  Also I start remicade next week and my rheumy and many testimonials I have read has stated that it DOES help the pain.  I wish you the very best of luck.

Oh, absolutely! Jaw involvement is pretty common as far as I know - it's my impression that it's especially common for kids with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, so much so that there is a specific "look" for kids with RA in their jaw that makes them look sort of like birds (the lower jaw seems to be pulled in towards the neck a bit). Of course, with the much better treatment options these days that may be a thing of the past. Anyway! For some reason, jaw pain seems much harder to ignore than pain in other joints - it seems to affect your whole body. Before I got on some good biologic drugs, I ate a lot of soft foods and chewed with the front of my mouth instead of my molars.

However, jaw problems can also be related to muscle issues (e.g., fibromyalgia). I used to have really bad TMJ, which seemed definitely to be partly related to RA activity in the joint. However, after seeing a dentist to make sure all my teeth were fine, I couldn't get relief from the pain and ended up doing a lot of Internet-based research on TMJ. I finally found a website written by somebody with the condition mentioning that jaw problems often seem connected to a shoulder muscle and all the pieces fell into place. There's a muscle that goes from your shoulder up the side of your neck ending around your jaw slack here and I discovered that if I treated that muscle with massage, acupuncture, heat, etc., it helped the jaw pain.

My initial symptoms were jaw pain which I saw a dentist about and shrugged it off thinking that I had TMJ.  The dentist didn't seem concerned.  I was told to come back if it didn't get better.  Over the following month or so I started having pain in my fingers which I thought was due to an injury of some kind.  Eventually the pain led me to see a doctor and I was diagnosed with RA this past spring.  I still get jaw pain off and on but my joint pain is now mostly in all my other joints.  I do get a sore throat and have fatigue if talking too much which is a big part of my work, my loved ones are probably thankful that I can't talk as much anymore.

Good luck to you,

Michelle

My jaw is the most painful part of my RA.  I have suffering a lot with it lately.  I was also put on high doses of steroids - it does help, but not completely.  I wish I had the answer for both of us.  i live in Maryland and have noticed that when the humidity and high pressure rise so does my pain.  All my joints are involved but the jaw is the worst to deal with.  I have noticed that my migraine pills - relpax - helps with the pain.

About a month ago I started having jaw problems...excruciating pain that was almost unbearable. The pain would go into the throat and i got a feeling of fullness also. I take 400mg of plaquenil and wellbutrin SR....I have been on plaquenil for almost 2 yrs....I am afraid to go anywhere with the possiblity of a flare-up in public.

I started having problems with my my jaw clicking a year ago.  It stopped a few months ago and started to get sore and I can't open my mouth as wide.  The dentist said it was TMJ and made a bite plate for me but it was still causing me a lot of problems especially at night when it would throb when I slept on that side.  I went to my family doctor and he had x-rays taken and sent me to a specialist, who then sent me to another specialist.  He said it was my RA.  I go back on Mon to have cortazone shots but he said I will have to eventually have my jaw replaced!!  This is very scary to me as I don't know what the results will be.

I just googled to see if its possible to have rheumatoid arthritis in the jaw and you popped up as the first entry. I was diagnosed with RA in 1986, then a Lupus-like disorder in 1996. I've had issues with most/all joints, right now again with feet, elbows and shoulders. It progressed to my eyes, skin, kidneys (hence the lupus-like diagnosis in 1996). I've been able to manage it all pretty well, but now having a flare up and now affecting my jaws. Extremely painful, to the point I want to jump out of my head. Haven't gone to my MD yet, but will need to soon. So I was wondering if the jaw pain was related to my RA, googled it and if you're experiencing it, then I'm not the only one.

hi

iwas diagnosed august 07 my jaw is now badly affected i have been on several treatments including methotrexate and a biological about to start azathioprine i am goin to see a facial expert as there is a procedure to help reduce some of the pain which involves cleaning the joint but wont know ill i see him on the 9 th nov

Toni x