Can stress induced clenching of the teeth and strained jaw muscles cause swollen glands in the neck?

My life became quite stressful a year ago when my newborn daughter suffered a stroke. She is fine now but I have been struggling with some painful and scary symptoms. When she was about 4 months old I had a dental filling put in. The dentist used a horrible dental dam contraption on a metal frame that really wrenched my mouth open. From that point on I have had face pain and noticed a swollen gland in my neck. I was very tense from the problems with my daughter and I notice even now that I hold my jaw tensley and sometimes clench my teeth. I believe that the stupid dental thing in my mouth injured the muscles/tendons in the tmj area and exacerbated any tension I already had in that area. Now I have alot of the typical teeth clenching/tmj symptoms such as occassional ear pain, head and neck pain and tightness down that side of my head, neck, and back, AND I still have swollen glands in my neck on that side. Has anyone else experienced swollen neck glands with TMJ and clenching?

Can stress induced clenching of the teeth and strained jaw muscles cause swollen glands in the neck?
You know what really sucks about that, is that you don't know whether to go to a dentist or a doctor. I had pain in that area for two years and spent thousands of dollars.





Honestly, I think, a combo of your sinuses, ear infection and perhaps your bite. Go to a new dentist and get them to check your bite. Then go get some ear drops. Better yet, get some antibiotics if you can persuade your doctor. He'll say, I can't see any evidence of an ear infection. No, but beg him anyways. At least get the ear drops from him. Get some sinus spray from him too. Get a sinus X-ray, although they are not accurate. Sinuses can play a real havoc on your face and your jaw I think.





Suck on a candy to relax your jaw and produce saliva. It'll keep your teeth from hurting too maybe.
Reply:I had stress in my life a few years back,and clenched my teeth in my sleep until they cracked.As a result,I have had 7 root canals,7 fake teeth and an enormous bill to go with it all.When the stress went away,so did the clenching.Yoga,meditation,relaxing baths,and any kind of exercise are all stress busters.Unfortunately,there are alot of really crummy dentists out there.Call 1-800 DENTIST,and look for one in your area.They are all screened,and I have heard good things about the company.Best of luck.My prayers for your beloved daughter.
Reply:The rubber dam they used should have in no way caused you any problems. All it does is isolate the tooth they were working on so that saliva did not compromise the filling they were placing. You are probably having all these problems with clinching/grinding due to the stress in your life, not from the rubber dam!! Consult a dentist about getting you a night guard to wear. It will help a lot with the symptoms you are experiencing. Good luck!
Reply:Stress in your life will cause you to clench and grind your teeth. You should go and have a night guard made at the dentist's to help prevent permanent damage to your teeth, by wearing them down, and possibly major complications with you TMJ. Good Luck!
Reply:Clenching your teeth and grinding your jaw can cause headaches, I know that.





I'm a clencher and grinder, and my dentist made me a mouthguard. The mouthguard is a piece of silicon that fits over my upper teeth while I sleep. I noticed after my dentist made me one that they sell kits at the pharmacy to mold your own for about $20. It's worth trying.
Reply:Please do some yoga to reduce the stress
Reply:yes it can and no i have not
Reply:Yeah you surly seem to be having some TMJ issues, and the only answer for you is to see a TMJ specialist. They'll take special X-rays and give you a treatment plan that will work for you individual case. You'll also need a custom nightguard that you may even have to wear some days, especially in stressful situations. A good doctor will also give you some special exercises to do in order to keep the pain in your jaw to very little or none at all. The first 2 to 3 months you may have to visit the specialist every 1 to 2 weeks to have your applicance adjusted. I think you should look into this as soon as possible. This doesn't go away by itself. Good Luck!