Teeth grinding is another issue frequently experienced by those of us with FM. For this reason, I had my dentist make me a mouth guard, which I'm embarrassed to say I don't wear every night. Grinding wears down tooth enamel, can cause teeth to break, and exacerbates the pain of TMJ.
For people who suffer from fibromyalgia, performing even the simplest tasks can produce agonizing pain. Facial and jaw pain could result from something as common as chewing, yawning, or talking. Experiencing this pain on a daily basis, multiple times per day, may lead fibromyalgia sufferers to brace their jaw muscles.
Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) causes jaw pain, and people with fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS) tend to struggle with TMJ more than those without these conditions.
Cervical pain, and even facial pain, especially in terms of masticatory fatigue, are extremely common in FS. Comorbidities are also extremely common, even in the field of orofacial pain, as up to 80% of patients with FM also suffer from headaches or temporomandibular disorders [6].
Jaw and facial pain
It's possible for fibromyalgia to be linked to pain in the muscles of the jaw and face (temporomandibular joint disorder) or to myofascial (skeletal muscle) pain in one part of the body. Such occurrences could be considered forms of regional or localized or incomplete fibromyalgia.
FM patients may present with numerous oral complaints, such as xerostomia, glossodynia, and dysgeusia. Xerostomia, known as dry mouth, is a subjective sensation of dryness in the mouth, which often accompanies salivary gland hypofunction. The incidence of xerostomia with FM varies from 7% to 71% [39,44].
Fibromyalgia has many symptoms that tend to vary from person to person. The main symptom is widespread pain. There may be periods when your symptoms get better or worse, depending on factors such as: your stress levels.
Unfortunately, fibromyalgia is still a somewhat controversial diagnosis, because it is not yet fully understood and its symptoms can overlap with many other conditions.
Fibromyalgia can be associated with ocular symptoms (foreign body sensation, irritation) and visual disturbances (blurred vision), coexisting with dry eye syndrome and reduced corneal sensitivity. Cases of scleritis, including the necrotizing form, accompanying fibromyalgia have been reported.
According to research administered by the National Institutes of Health, fibromyalgia patients have a high incidence of TMJ disorder and exhibit classic TMJ symptoms such as clicking or popping sounds during mouth movement, along with facial pain and muscle pain in the head and neck.
Fibromyalgia tends to run in families, so genetic factors are likely to contribute to the disorder, but little is known for sure about the specific genes involved. Researchers believe that environmental (nongenetic) factors also play a role in a person's risk of developing the disorder.
Possible Causes
Temporomandibular joint disorder often causes jaw pain. Other common causes include: Abscessed tooth: An abscessed tooth is a pocket of pus around a tooth that's caused by a bacterial infection. An abscessed tooth may cause jaw pain.
Dental cavities or abscesses
Untreated cavities may become larger, extending into the deeper structures of the tooth and possibly into the tooth's pulp or nerve. This can cause pain that may radiate to other teeth or up the jaw. In some cases, a dental cavity may result in a dental abscess.
According to the American College of Rheumatology, temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD/TMJ) frequently occurs with fibromyalgia. Bruxism (teeth grinding) is associated with TMD and can interfere with restorative sleep, a primary symptom of fibromyalgia, and many fibromyalgia patients also complain of having a dry mouth.
Financial help can make a huge difference when you've been forced to stop working due to a disability like fibromyalgia. Financial help for fibromyalgia comes in two main forms in Australia. Disability Support Pensions and TPD insurance claims from your super policy can each give you assistance.
“They don't tell you about the emotions you will have to deal with every single day, the grief for the person you used to be, the guilt you'll feel every time you let someone down and cancel plans, the fear of the future and the feeling of being a burden to your family.
The drugs amitriptyline, duloxetine, milnacipran and pregabalin can relieve fibromyalgia pain in some people. They may cause side effects such as a dry mouth or nausea. Normal painkillers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen (paracetamol) aren't recommended for the treatment of fibromyalgia.
Nature of the pain: Words commonly used to describe fibromyalgia pain include aching, dull, numbing, burning, tingling, pins-and-needles, throbbing, pounding, shooting, sharp, stabbing, blinding, knife-like, needle-like, and others.
Results: There were four parent stages of FM identified and labeled: 1) regional FM with classic symptoms; 2) generalized FM with increasing widespread pain and some additional symptoms; 3) FM with advanced and associated conditions, increasing widespread pain, increased sleep disturbances, and chemical sensitivity; ...
Fibromyalgia (fi·bro·my·al·gi·a) is a condition that causes pain all over the body, also called widespread pain. Fibromyalgia also causes sleep problems, fatigue, and emotional and mental distress.
Foot pain is a common complaint among people with fibromyalgia. In fact, studies show that patients with the condition tend to have more podiatric problems than the average person. When fibromyalgia foot, ankle, or toe pain occurs frequently, affects balance, or reduces your mobility, it's time to see a podiatrist.
In addition, fibromyalgia patients without a history of periodontitis were reported to have a greater risk of developing periodontitis (HR, 1.43).