I have had headaches and neck pain for the last 6-10 years or so, for which no cause could be found. These would wax and wane. I thought it was just stress and learned to live with it. Well, nearly six months into my quit, things have been worsening. My jaws started making popping and grating noises, the headaches and neck pain intensified,I developed insomnia and ear noises, and my bite suddenly changed. I was getting strange itching and aching in some teeth that I thought needed crowns. I saw a new dentist the other day and was diagnosed with Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ/TMD). He told me that I had been clenching and grinding my teeth all night. I had no clue I had been doing that. Since I quit smoking, I have relied on chewing gum to give my mouth something to do, and to cope with the stress I guess. Gum chewing is the worst thing anyone with TMJ can do. Guess what makes us clench, grind and want to chew? [color=Red]STRESS![/color] I thought I had planned for it. Well, I guess I didn't do that well enough. Now I have to end my addiction to chewing gum (just the plain kind)! I can't chew on anything, not even a cinnamon stick. What I am trying to say here is this. Chewing gum, especially for long periods of time, can really stress the jaws. If you had mild TMJ, waiting to be symptomatic, a quit relying on chewing gum can trigger it to become active. It may be better for your dental health to use the nicotine lozenges rather than the gum, especially if you will be using NRT for a long time. Try to use sugar free mints rather than gum to avoid getting into the gum habit. This could save you some agonizing pain not to mention expense for a disorder that insurance usually won't pay to treat.
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B] 9/16/2005
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 168
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,027
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1108.8
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 16 [B]Hrs:[/B] 21 [B]Mins:[/B] 22 [B]Seconds:[/B] 41
