Ouch!! Hi Jane, yes I've had this a few times, very painful.
It is inflamation in the jaw, caused by the R.A.
Mine usually appears completely out of the blue and offsets my whole jaw, soft mushy foods for a few days I'm afraid.
There are a couple of threads on here about this problem before suggesting some helpful tips.
I usually find it goes off again after a few days, but a real pain when it appears.
Hope you feel better soon. Zena xx

Hi Jane
Sorry to hear you are suffering with your jaw. I have also experienced this a few times and know how painful it is as the pain travels up the side of your face.
It seems to go after a few days but in the meantime stick to liquids and soft food that don't require you to open your mouth too far.
Hope you are soon getting some relief.
Best Wishes
Sue

Hi Jane

I have had this flare up of R.A in my jaw several times, it can be really painful, I now have joint damage in the jaw which causes grating and clicking when I eat.

An ice pack on my face used to help to reduce the inflammation, other than that more anti-inflammatories. I have also heard of people having a steroid injection into the jaw, if it becomes too unbearable. Eating soft foods, sucking ice cubes all help.

Hope you get some relief soon

Love
Rebecca

Hi Jane - good to hear that you're getting a bit better now. I've had jaw pain too - and it's really upsetting. It could be that your meds need tweaking if you're sore all over. Can you ring the nurse helpline?

When I have flare ups it's usually helped by resting more - I find that when I'm well I tend to overdo it and then I get more pain and have to make a conscious effort to relax. I do lots of jaw wiggling, because sometimes it can get stiff, especially if I've been busy and have been clenching my teeth together (usually without noticing that I'm doing that)!!

At the moment my hands are very sore and my jaw hurts too, plus I can't straighten my elbows - nothing horrendous, but annoying and tiring - I think my meds need tweaking! I agreed to reduce my HDX at my last nurse appointment a few months back, but gradually I'm finding that stiffness and pain are creeping back so I think I'll have to go back to 2 tablets a day. Hearing your comments has reminded me that I've been meaning to ring for days now, so I really must!

Thanks and hope you feel even better soon - Sylvia xx

Hi. I have had problems with TMJ for years now and what you are describing sounds very like it. I started with the pains and then my jaw would swell up. I went to a dentist who sent me to see a maxillo facial specialist who measured me for the mouth guard which I had to sleep in and now I only have occasional problems with it. When I do get problems I just use the mouth guard again.The guard is supposed to gradually bring your jaw back into line. In the mean time you will be better eating mushy food as others have said. Hope you get sorted soon I know just how painful it can be. Franbie