Interesting one this one...
The symptoms seem classic for AS affected TMJ... when I was really suffereing with this couldn't swallow tablets or food very easily... used to choke several times a week with stuff getting stuck. It was suggested that I was grinding my teeth and should eat more apples!
I had a camera shoved up one of my nostrils (by an ENT specialist) to have a look down my throat (opium based numbing spray was quite cool
) and then had a barium swallow x-ray / scan to ensure that all the rest of the process was OK... not so pleasant!
The conclusions, well, nothing was identified as being wrong with neck, jaw, gullett etc.... and they never really managed to say conclusively that it was AS related however, it was at the time when I was having a major flare in my neck as well so looking back on it I'm 99% sure it was related.
So,
Restricted mouth opening = Yes
Pain eating and talking = Yes
Pain Yawning = Yes
Headaches (especially caused by muscle tension at the base of skull) = Yes
Difficulty swallowing = Yep
Whilst I am naturally unqualified medically, I think its unlikely to be teeth grinding although stress can play a major part in a) causing that and b) exacerbating it!
Cheers
Jo
