Discussion: TMJ

I work at a doctor's office and recently I've been experiencing odd pains in my ear.  Thinking I had an ear infection, I asked our doctor for some antibiotics.  But when he looked in my ear, there was no infection, no sign of irritation whatsoever.  At that point, he started checking other things and very quickly determined that I was experiencing symptoms of Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ).  I have a little knowledge of what TMJ is about, but I didn't know it could affect other things such as your ears, your equilibrium, the muscles in your face, the nerves responsible for facial movement, and in my case, your bite.  I have flair-ups that leave the upper left part of my bite feeling numb, making it difficult to chew and talk, besides just being really painful and annoying.  I have been trying to treat it myself, but I'm curious to hear your experience with TMJ.  Share with us your thoughts, stories and your suggestions.  I'm interested to hear how other people get through with TMJ!