Shooting pains in jaw when eating and drinking alcohol

kypdurron5 · Newbie Joined: 10 Jan 2008 Posts: 1

Just wanted to say I experience this as well (actually, right now >). It's a really sharp pain that comes on slowly, but at its height it really hurts. Also, I've noticed increased saliva production, and it only happens when I drink alcohol (which is almost never). I do have some TMJ issues; sometimes my jaw clicks and gets tired if I'm talking a lot, but it's not severe and almost never hurts (sans alcohol). One problem with most TMJ patients is that they are restricted in the amount they can open their jaws, but in my case my jaw actually dislocates slightly when I open it fully. Anyway, it wouldn't surprise me if the two conditions are related. Also, I have no known allergies.

It would be nice to put a name to the problem...and maybe even find some helpful suggestions to avoid it (aside from not drinking alcohol- I'd rather not resort to illicit drugs to cope with my life Wink

)

Guest · Guest

It is so ironic reading all of these. I drank half a beer before eating dinner and I am having the most annoying pain right behind my jaw. Like someone else mentioned... is why I am researching this. Iv had it for many years as well. Im 21 now. If I don't move my jaw the pain is minimal but if I try to drink anything or even talk it starts to hurt. There has got to be an explaination for this! It really hurts. Sad

Guest · Guest

Yet another person with the exact same problem without a diagnosis or solution.

I will say this ... for me, there are only certain combos which set it on ... I have not researched it enough ... but pasta/heavy carbs and wine or beer are deadly.

The pain is MUCH worse when trying to open my mouth ... keeping it closed keeps pain at bay. I have found the clenching my jaw hurries the pain away ... and I overcome the symptoms faster (I wonder if that is psychosomatic?).

In any case, if there are so many of us with this affliction, there MUST be a medical answer to this.

Guest · Guest

Usually happens after a beer, but not everytime. Just had a salad with sour veggies like onions and italian dressing and the pain suddenly occurred and hurts right now. It is a shooting pain at the jaw hinge but shoots up to the top of my head like a cold shiver up your spine. strange

Guest · Guest

Wow,....someone out there has to help all of us out. Last night a wonderful evening out with friends was ruined by this.....
Mine only occurs if alcohol is involved...but not all the time. There is no way of telling when it's coming. It is unbelieveably painful.
I sure hope some one has an answer some time for us./

Gettingoldersucks45 · Newbie Joined: 29 Jan 2008 Posts: 8

Could be that you have a slight allergy to alcohol. Thus causing some swelling. The swelling in the tube in front of your ear puts pressure on a nerve by the jaw joint causing pain. If you have a little TMJ, you know where your jaw clicks, then the alcohol allergy on top of that, that would cause a lot of swelling a pressure on those sensitive nerves by your jaw.
Just taking a guess. Wow, lots of people out there can relate to you!

Guest · Guest

wow - I've had this problem for so long now - probably about 20 years. At the start I wasn't old enough to drink, but I did notice it sometimes with certain food/drink combinations - never was able to figure out a real pattern. Definitely noticed it with alcohol in later years.

I never would have thought I'd find all these people with the same symptoms that are so specific, you know - everyone here is saying just about the same thing.

Ok, here's one I wonder if anyone else has experienced. Sometimes when the pain is really bad it makes one of my eyes close by itself - it feels like the nerve that's going haywire is all connected and makes my eye shut. I haven't seen that mentioned in this thread, so I could be alone on at least that part of it...

**firefly** · Newbie Joined: 27 Feb 2008 Posts: 1

Jeeez.. this is something I have THOUGHT about but never really vocalized. I didn't realize it was so difficult to diagnose until I tried to find out some info today.

For me it's a lot like heartburn of the jaw. I can get it with alcohol, although sometimes if I pop something into my mouth suddenly, a snack of some sort, it can immediately put that area into some kind of spasm...like a tightening in that area. Usually, it goes as quickly as it comes, but once in awhile it will linger, which is very uncomfortable. No amount of flexing my jaw or massaging the area seems to have any impact...I have to just wait it out.

I do think it is related to saliva production now that I have read this thread. I hope the previous poster who is becoming an oral surgeon will follow up with some information.
In the meantime I have Googled the phrase, (in quotes) "salivary gland pain" and I'm working through 319,000 hits, with some interesting results.

good luck!

Guest · Guest

I actually have issues that are even more compounded. Winecoolers and some wines (Sangria) and any mixed drinks with Pepsi cause me to have pain going down my neck, in my jaw and into my shoulderblades to the point where sometimes it is unbearable. I would love to get an answer for this, but no one has ever heard of it.

TangoAlphaMike · Newbie Joined: 21 Mar 2008 Posts: 1

My ten year old son just had this problem for the first time. We were at a Chinese food place. The shrimp, the sweet and sour sauce, the fried rice? We can't figure it out. He's had all these foods before. So strange.

He described his pain just like all of you. Only he also said that it felt like someone had his jaw in a vice. His eyes were watering and his throat hurt.

I was wondering if we were going to ditch the place and run to emergency. However, It went away quickly. Poor little guy.

Shooting pains in jaw when eating and drinking alcohol

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