Aa
Dental problems
I have a hard protrusion that feels like bone (about the size of a dried pea) on the corner of my lower jaw. The exact term is "the angle of the mandible". I noticed it back when all of my Lyme symptoms started and I've had several CT scans and X-rays and none of my doctors have ever been concerned about it. My jaw and neck have been really sore again the past few days so I made an appointment with a dentist. The dentist informed me that I have an impacted wisdom tooth sitting in that exact spot that I have the weird boney growth. She said she did see some unusual stuff on my X-ray and tried to rush my out the door to the oral surgeon. I have no dental insurance so I can't have an emergency until Friday (payday). Now I'm reading about Lyme causing jawbone infections but I don't understand why. Does anyone know how that works?
Well, I'm plumb out of ideas without actually seeing it. Sorry. Wish I could see it.
Probably not Lyme, though. I wonder if it's related to that impacted wisdom tooth.
Probably not Lyme, though. I wonder if it's related to that impacted wisdom tooth.
Nope. I can't feel any lumps inside my mouth. The lump on my jaw is literally on my jaw line in the very corner.
There are such things as buccal tori's------ but I rarely saw one. They were mostly 'lingual' or ' palatal' , meaning inside the mouth BUT on the bone of the mandible or from the roof of the mouth.
A buccal torus will be on the bone of the mandible (lower jaw bone) but facing towards the cheek/face----- and inside the mouth.
Next assignment (grin)----- wash your hands, open your mouth and put a finger inside your mouth and see if you feel that lump on the mandible (lower jaw bone) or within your cheek tissue.
A buccal torus will be on the bone of the mandible (lower jaw bone) but facing towards the cheek/face----- and inside the mouth.
Next assignment (grin)----- wash your hands, open your mouth and put a finger inside your mouth and see if you feel that lump on the mandible (lower jaw bone) or within your cheek tissue.
Yes, when I look in the mirror I can see it protruding out of the angle of my jaw, just below my ear. It is fixed to my jaw and feels as if the bone just kept growing...
"Mine is on the outside of my jaw."
So-----when you look in the mirror, mouth closed, you can see a pea-shaped lump on your face?
Is it stony hard?
Can it be 'moved around'? or does it feel like it's 'fixed' to your jaw bone?
I love a mystery. (grin)
If you have Chrome and gmail then they have something called Images and you can ask for pictures of something.
exostoses
cysts
bony protrusions
So-----when you look in the mirror, mouth closed, you can see a pea-shaped lump on your face?
Is it stony hard?
Can it be 'moved around'? or does it feel like it's 'fixed' to your jaw bone?
I love a mystery. (grin)
If you have Chrome and gmail then they have something called Images and you can ask for pictures of something.
exostoses
cysts
bony protrusions
A 'torus' (plural 'tori') is medical word in Latin for any smooth, rounded anatomical protuberance [=something sticking out] (such as a bony ridge in the skull), regardless of location.
From what I understand a tori is inside of the mouth right? Mine is on the outside of my jaw. I wish I knew how to include a picture because I'm sure I do an awful job of describing it. But it's a pea size lump on the exterior corner of my lower jaw that seems to be fixed to the bone. I'm sure no one else notices but I can tell that my lower jaw is no longer symmetrical.
It's probably a 'torus' (plural is 'tori'). Giving an opinion over the Internet is fraught with problems but since you already saw a dentist about this and they weren't concerned I'll take a chance. :)
I saw hundreds of these during my long career as a dental hygienist. Usually they were on the roof of the mouth (palate), some tiny some large.
They are usually left alone unless they start irritating the tongue/gums or if the person might need partial or full dentures.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torus_mandibularis
Your torus is small and it might grow but it might not.
Usually the 'jaw bone infections' are TMJ problems------- but it could be Lyme exacerbating it. OR it could mean that Bb has settled there.
TMJ became the darling of many unscrupulous dentists many years ago and some real damage was done for those that treated jaw pain as TMJ. Sometimes a simple grinding down (painless) of molars corrected it. I've saw that happen so many times, by a dentist who was ethical.
But, we can't ignore Lyme and our head,facial nerves. As far as tori----- try not to worry about them. But the impacted wisdom tooth? That might be a problem but I don't know. Sometimes they're left alone but if it's 'pushing' your other molars------ then maybe a case for removing it. I can't see the x-ray so just take my opinion as 'just my opinion'.
I saw hundreds of these during my long career as a dental hygienist. Usually they were on the roof of the mouth (palate), some tiny some large.
They are usually left alone unless they start irritating the tongue/gums or if the person might need partial or full dentures.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torus_mandibularis
Your torus is small and it might grow but it might not.
Usually the 'jaw bone infections' are TMJ problems------- but it could be Lyme exacerbating it. OR it could mean that Bb has settled there.
TMJ became the darling of many unscrupulous dentists many years ago and some real damage was done for those that treated jaw pain as TMJ. Sometimes a simple grinding down (painless) of molars corrected it. I've saw that happen so many times, by a dentist who was ethical.
But, we can't ignore Lyme and our head,facial nerves. As far as tori----- try not to worry about them. But the impacted wisdom tooth? That might be a problem but I don't know. Sometimes they're left alone but if it's 'pushing' your other molars------ then maybe a case for removing it. I can't see the x-ray so just take my opinion as 'just my opinion'.
I found Lyme literate dentist by going for the ones that advertise a more integrated medical/dental approach. Also look for integrated medical doctors before driving 7 hours. There are some that really know lyme.
Ah, yes, San Antonio. Great place ... except when you've got Lyme, huh.
I think I might have posted a suggestion to search online for something like
Texas Lyme disease
I just did that again, and there were quite a few leads and posts. The docs in TX have to fly under the radar and may be invisible until you hook into the underground network.
Did you have any luck with doing that?
I think I might have posted a suggestion to search online for something like
Texas Lyme disease
I just did that again, and there were quite a few leads and posts. The docs in TX have to fly under the radar and may be invisible until you hook into the underground network.
Did you have any luck with doing that?
One of my main problems is that I don't have a LLMD yet! I keep waiting for a doctor in my area to take me seriously but I guess I'm just going to have to suck it up and make the 7 hour drive to the closest LLMD.
... and PS, you might just need a Lyme-literate dentist rather than an oral surgeon, since maybe surgery is not necessary.
The search I did was:
lyme disease jaw problems
and there were quite a few hits. If the above article doesn't give you enough information, run that search and you'll find more.
Take care, hope it gets better! (You might call your Lyme doc and ask for the name of a Lyme-literate DENTIST. Your doc may well know of one nearby.)
lyme disease jaw problems
and there were quite a few hits. If the above article doesn't give you enough information, run that search and you'll find more.
Take care, hope it gets better! (You might call your Lyme doc and ask for the name of a Lyme-literate DENTIST. Your doc may well know of one nearby.)
This is a letter posted a year ago on a site focussed on TMJ, temporomandibular joint disease. I will PM you the link if it's blocked here (I can never tell what will happen to links):
http://www.tmj.org/site/blogs/tmj-disorders/2012-05-17-0
------------------------------------------------------------
We received the following patient comment from Gillian in response to the article in our April TMJ News Bites, “Avoid a TMD Misdiagnosis, Watch Out for Lyme Disease”.
I was SO happy to see that your latest newsletter included information about Lyme disease and jaw symptoms.
I have been on antibiotics for nearly 11 months since I was diagnosed with late disseminated Lyme disease. If you remember, I had had a filling done, after which I developed severe jaw pain, a locked jaw and neck and shoulder pain. Several months later, I developed swollen joints in my fingers, toes and severe foot pain. This was accompanied by chronic migraine headaches, muscle pain and severe fatigue. I was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease by my cardiologist, but by then I had already had it in my body for perhaps 10 years or more.
To cut a long story short, I am seeing amazing success with antibiotic treatment! My jaw pain has been reduced by almost 70% and it keeps getting better. I am able to eat most foods now and I can open my mouth again to three fingers! My doctor has assured me that with continued treatment ALL of my pain in my body will go away! However, this will be a long process to recovery, possibly up to three years of treatment, but recovery is possible.
What concerns me is the number of people who are living their lives with undiagnosed Lyme disease as I was who have no idea that their lives can be completely different. Doctors are not educated about tick-borne disease, and I have had to become an expert, educating my doctors. Doctors do not realize that Lyme disease can be transmitted into the body in just a few hours, not after 36 hours, and that this is a disease of active infection and periods of dormancy that can go on and off for years in the body before being diagnosed. I was having up to 18 migraine headaches a month, and not a single doctor ever mentioned Lyme disease to me. I saw 3 different neurologists for my migraines and not one of them mentioned to me that they could have been caused by an infectious disease. After antibiotic therapy, my headaches have been reduced dramatically, to about 3 per month, and I know that with continued treatment they will go away.
My Lyme disease doctor sees many patients with jaw pain, and one of his patients had scheduled surgery before seeing him. He was able to save her from unnecessary surgery and needless possible complications. Many people get bitten by ticks and are not aware of it because they are so tiny, and they may not develop a rash or flu like symptoms. Most doctors think that if you don't have symptoms immediately after a tick bite, you don't have the disease. This is not true, and so Lyme disease continues to be under diagnosed and missed in so many people. Plus, testing is incredibly inaccurate.
I feel so blessed to be one of the few people who finally found the real cause to my jaw pain. My oral surgeon could not understand why my speech was affected and why my pain kept on spreading. He never brought up the possibility of Lyme disease. After I was diagnosed, I wrote him a letter, but never heard back from him. My dentist told me that I needed braces to cure my pain and that it was all due to a bad bite. Fortunately, when I finally saw an orthodontist, he was educated about Lyme disease and told me that braces would not solve the problem. He told me I needed to find a Lyme literate doctor.
Thank you for all the hard work that you are doing to bring awareness to this country. If you think I could be helpful to your community based on my experience, please let me know. If there is anyone who finds themselves in a similar experience to me, I would be happy to help them not only find the help they need, but the support and encouragement for their journey.
Sincerely
Gillian
----------------------------------------------------------------
So, it sounds like it can indeed be Lyme-related. Is it truly an emergency to have the oral surgery? You might call your Lyme doc if you have one and ask for a referral to an oral surgeon who understands Lyme.
http://www.tmj.org/site/blogs/tmj-disorders/2012-05-17-0
------------------------------------------------------------
We received the following patient comment from Gillian in response to the article in our April TMJ News Bites, “Avoid a TMD Misdiagnosis, Watch Out for Lyme Disease”.
I was SO happy to see that your latest newsletter included information about Lyme disease and jaw symptoms.
I have been on antibiotics for nearly 11 months since I was diagnosed with late disseminated Lyme disease. If you remember, I had had a filling done, after which I developed severe jaw pain, a locked jaw and neck and shoulder pain. Several months later, I developed swollen joints in my fingers, toes and severe foot pain. This was accompanied by chronic migraine headaches, muscle pain and severe fatigue. I was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease by my cardiologist, but by then I had already had it in my body for perhaps 10 years or more.
To cut a long story short, I am seeing amazing success with antibiotic treatment! My jaw pain has been reduced by almost 70% and it keeps getting better. I am able to eat most foods now and I can open my mouth again to three fingers! My doctor has assured me that with continued treatment ALL of my pain in my body will go away! However, this will be a long process to recovery, possibly up to three years of treatment, but recovery is possible.
What concerns me is the number of people who are living their lives with undiagnosed Lyme disease as I was who have no idea that their lives can be completely different. Doctors are not educated about tick-borne disease, and I have had to become an expert, educating my doctors. Doctors do not realize that Lyme disease can be transmitted into the body in just a few hours, not after 36 hours, and that this is a disease of active infection and periods of dormancy that can go on and off for years in the body before being diagnosed. I was having up to 18 migraine headaches a month, and not a single doctor ever mentioned Lyme disease to me. I saw 3 different neurologists for my migraines and not one of them mentioned to me that they could have been caused by an infectious disease. After antibiotic therapy, my headaches have been reduced dramatically, to about 3 per month, and I know that with continued treatment they will go away.
My Lyme disease doctor sees many patients with jaw pain, and one of his patients had scheduled surgery before seeing him. He was able to save her from unnecessary surgery and needless possible complications. Many people get bitten by ticks and are not aware of it because they are so tiny, and they may not develop a rash or flu like symptoms. Most doctors think that if you don't have symptoms immediately after a tick bite, you don't have the disease. This is not true, and so Lyme disease continues to be under diagnosed and missed in so many people. Plus, testing is incredibly inaccurate.
I feel so blessed to be one of the few people who finally found the real cause to my jaw pain. My oral surgeon could not understand why my speech was affected and why my pain kept on spreading. He never brought up the possibility of Lyme disease. After I was diagnosed, I wrote him a letter, but never heard back from him. My dentist told me that I needed braces to cure my pain and that it was all due to a bad bite. Fortunately, when I finally saw an orthodontist, he was educated about Lyme disease and told me that braces would not solve the problem. He told me I needed to find a Lyme literate doctor.
Thank you for all the hard work that you are doing to bring awareness to this country. If you think I could be helpful to your community based on my experience, please let me know. If there is anyone who finds themselves in a similar experience to me, I would be happy to help them not only find the help they need, but the support and encouragement for their journey.
Sincerely
Gillian
----------------------------------------------------------------
So, it sounds like it can indeed be Lyme-related. Is it truly an emergency to have the oral surgery? You might call your Lyme doc if you have one and ask for a referral to an oral surgeon who understands Lyme.
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