Has anyone had terrible TMJ/ Jaw Pain from undiagnosed Celiac?

[Wheatwacked]

14 minutes ago, Nedast said:

fortified milk, which I finally managed to find with a gluten free label.

Grassfed whole milk.  Convention dairy milk has 5:1 omega 6:3. Organic is 3:1 and grassfed is 1:1.  Commercial dairies use Palmitic Acid (C:16 fatty acid) supplement to increase milkfat and volume. Fermented pickles (no vinegar) and other fermented foods increases lactobacillus which excretes lactases to repair lactose intolerance.  Reduced fat milk in the US has to have synthetic vitamin A to replace the vitamin A removed with the fat. I avoid supplemental A, betacaratine, E and folic acid because they have all been linked to increased cancer.

Glad you mentioned Iodine.  As a kid pre 1970 iodine was used as dough conditioner, so a glass of milk has 100 mcg and each slice of bread had about 100 mcg.  Two sandwiched and a glass of milk has 600 mcg. The Wolff-Chaikoff Effect: Crying Wolf?  By the way the dose used on those poor rats was 40 times the upper limit of a human. Figuring the difference in size thats a sizeable overdose. Curiously the MRSA epidemic in hospitals started around the same time they stopped using iodine in hospitals for cleaning.  Prescriptions of Thyroxine for hypothyroidism has doubled since 1970.

Since starting 650 mcg a day of Liquid Iodine my body is healing faster.  I have a sebaceous cyst since 2014 that has not healed, open sore.  In the 3 months since starting the Liquid Iodine it has healed more than in the 10 years since starting gluten free.  I refused surgery because I knew it was from ingrown hairs (I extracted a 1 mm ball of hair)  Everyone said cancer but I kept it as a bellweather for my nutrition.  I was right, just a shame it took 10 years to get over all the fearmongering.  UC Berkeley was known for DOD research and iodine was being stockpiled as a treatment for nuclear contamination.  I would not be surprised if the increased iodine helped heal your TMJ. Iodine is the immune systems hit man for aging and defective cells.  The Safe tolerable limit in the US is 1000 mcg a day, in Japan it is 3000 mcg.   Breast cancer in Japan eating traditional diet is half that of the US.  Make one wonder.

[Wheatwacked]

There 3 dots to the upper right, but I think you can't edit until you have posted 10 times or so. 

Yeah, big difference between nmol/L and ng/ml. 200 nmol/L = 80 ng/ml.

Vitamin D Is Not as Toxic as Was Once Thought   The UK government forced to rest of the world to limit vitamin D supplement after an infant formula with massive overdose cause an epidemic of infant deaths in the 1950s.

Quote

 

Surge of information on benefits of vitamin D  

• A lifeguard study that found vitamin D levels in the 70 ng/mL range up to 100 ng/mL (nature’s level) were associated with no adverse effects;
• Data in patients with breast cancer showing a reduction in the incidence of new cancer with postulated 0 point at 80 ng/mL;
• Colon cancer data showing a reduction in the incidence of new cancer (linear) with postulated 0 point at 75 ng/mL;
• More than 200 polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor requiring higher D levels to attain same desired outcomes;

 

 

There 3 dots to the upper right, but I think you can't edit until you have posted 10 times or so. 

Yeah, big difference between nmol/L and ng/ml. 200 nmol/L = 80 ng/ml.

Vitamin D Is Not as Toxic as Was Once Thought   The UK government forced to rest of the world to limit vitamin D supplement after an infant formula with massive overdose cause an epidemic of infant deaths in the 1950s.

Quote

 

Surge of information on benefits of vitamin D  

• A lifeguard study that found vitamin D levels in the 70 ng/mL range up to 100 ng/mL (nature’s level) were associated with no adverse effects;
• Data in patients with breast cancer showing a reduction in the incidence of new cancer with postulated 0 point at 80 ng/mL;
• Colon cancer data showing a reduction in the incidence of new cancer (linear) with postulated 0 point at 75 ng/mL;
• More than 200 polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor requiring higher D levels to attain same desired outcomes;

 

 

There 3 dots to the upper right, but I think you can't edit until you have posted 10 times or so. 

Yeah, big difference between nmol/L and ng/ml. 200 nmol/L = 80 ng/ml.

Vitamin D Is Not as Toxic as Was Once Thought   The UK government forced to rest of the world to limit vitamin D supplement after an infant formula with massive overdose cause an epidemic of infant deaths in the 1950s.

Quote

 

Surge of information on benefits of vitamin D  

• A lifeguard study that found vitamin D levels in the 70 ng/mL range up to 100 ng/mL (nature’s level) were associated with no adverse effects;
• Data in patients with breast cancer showing a reduction in the incidence of new cancer with postulated 0 point at 80 ng/mL;
• Colon cancer data showing a reduction in the incidence of new cancer (linear) with postulated 0 point at 75 ng/mL;
• More than 200 polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor requiring higher D levels to attain same desired outcomes;

 

 

There 3 dots to the upper right, but I think you can't edit until you have posted 10 times or so. 

Yeah, big difference between nmol/L and ng/ml. 200 nmol/L = 80 ng/ml.

Vitamin D Is Not as Toxic as Was Once Thought   The UK government forced to rest of the world to limit vitamin D supplement after an infant formula with massive overdose cause an epidemic of infant deaths in the 1950s.

 

Quote

 

Surge of information on benefits of vitamin D  

• A lifeguard study that found vitamin D levels in the 70 ng/mL range up to 100 ng/mL (nature’s level) were associated with no adverse effects;
• Data in patients with breast cancer showing a reduction in the incidence of new cancer with postulated 0 point at 80 ng/mL;
• Colon cancer data showing a reduction in the incidence of new cancer (linear) with postulated 0 point at 75 ng/mL;
• More than 200 polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor requiring higher D levels to attain same desired outcomes;

 

 

There 3 dots to the upper right, but I think you can't edit until you have posted 10 times or so. 

Yeah, big difference between nmol/L and ng/ml. 200 nmol/L = 80 ng/ml.

Vitamin D Is Not as Toxic as Was Once Thought   The UK government forced to rest of the world to limit vitamin D supplement after an infant formula with massive overdose cause an epidemic of infant deaths in the 1950s.

 

Quote

 

Surge of information on benefits of vitamin D  

• A lifeguard study that found vitamin D levels in the 70 ng/mL range up to 100 ng/mL (nature’s level) were associated with no adverse effects;
• Data in patients with breast cancer showing a reduction in the incidence of new cancer with postulated 0 point at 80 ng/mL;
• Colon cancer data showing a reduction in the incidence of new cancer (linear) with postulated 0 point at 75 ng/mL;
• More than 200 polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor requiring higher D levels to attain same desired outcomes;

 

 

[Scott Adams]

On 3/29/2024 at 9:04 PM, Nedast said:

@Scott Adams She may not have any damage to the joint tissue, or only slight damage. In any case, if it healed or was minimal enough not to cause permanent symptoms, she is lucky. Joints don't tend to heal well, especially with more than very minor damage. When the cartilage is gone, it's gone. My tempromandibular joint won't be recovering from this, that is for sure. I have a similar experience to OP, in wondering what my life would have been like if I had found out the cause of my suffering much sooner. Joint damage isn't the only *potential* oral symptom that I have. The dental enamel on my two front teeth never completely formed, so they have been crowned since I was about 7 years old. Since everything that has ever been wrong with me physically and mentally seems to me to be connected to this one issue, I researched "dental enamel" with "celiac disease," and found out that improperly formed dental enamel on emerging adult teeth is a very telltale sign of celiac disease in childhood. It is such a telltale sign, in fact, that the EU has medical policy in place that attempts to ensure that children with dental enamel defects are referred by their dendist to a doctor, to be screened for celiac disease. This association and the resultant policy has been known and in place in the EU since the 90s. It is now the 2020s, and America still does not have anything like this. Dentists here are completely unaware of oral signs of celiac disease. If our medical organizations had followed the EU, I could have been spared 10-15 years of suffering and the diminshed life quality and expenses that are still to come.

We've done some articles on this topic in the past, and it's too bad dentists here seem fairly clueless about this aspect of celiac disease:

 

 

 

 

[Nedast]

@Wheatwacked iodine, I keep that shiiii on me. It helped my recovery definitely, and boosted my mood during the process. I make sure to supplement with it always now, especially being in the goiter belt. I remember reading about this, it is a shame they stopped using this amazing nutrient in so many areas of life and replaced it with poisons instead. But no, my TMJ didn’t heal. There is nothing left to heal lol. I began having pain and spasming in the TMJ  in 2010. In 2013, there was a small amount of damage to the joint. Other symptoms of celiac disease emerged between 2013-2018. In mid 2019, I figured it out and self-diagnosed. By 2021, I felt good as new. In 2023, I learned I have no tissue or cartilage left in my TMJ. So, sometime between 2013 and 2023, the joints were completely destroyed except for the bone. Likely, this complete destruction occurred before I went gluten free, in 2019, and before beginning iodine supplementation, or any supplementation. Trying to heal my TMJ without any tissue left in it, would be like trying to defib someone who had their heart ripped out. It is not an endeavor that can succeed.

@Scott Adams good, good, I had a feeling this site might be in the know. I was actually thinking about perhaps revealing my celiac issue to my dentist, even if not formally diagnosed, as a way to bring up this topic. Tcurrent dentist who works on my TMJ also replaced my crowns when he stabilized my joint, so he knows about my missing enamel. I can connect the dots for him, and perhaps provide these links. Dentists in this field are highly involved in their profession and share information, and the one I see currently is familiar with autoimmunity and its impact on the TMJ. Sharing this with him could result in some good.

[Milarynn]

Hello. I recently had an endo/colonoscopy and my GI Dr found lymphocytes in my stomach and small intestine. My TTG Ab, IgA was <2 (normal), GLIADIN (DEAMINATED) IGA at 5 (negative), and IgA at 237 (normal). However, a Lipase test revealed my levels were through the roof at 201, 3x above normal. My GI doctor ordered a dna test to confirm Celiac Disease. An A1C test was also done and I am pre-diabetic. When I got home from work today, I started to feel sever cramping in my jaw muscles. I started to have jaw muscle cramps in the the last year. Not to mention, even with good oral hygiene, I have rapidly developed periodontal disease. I did have a small amount of gluten, thinking it wouldn’t harm much but I was sadly mistaken. DNA results should be back in 2 weeks. 

[trents]

Milaryrnn, your post is confusing.

First, your celiac disease antibody testing is negative. By any chance had you already been on a gluten free diet before the blood draw for these tests was done? That would result in negative antibody testing even if you had celiac disease. Or, had you previously been diagnosed with celiac disease and had the antibody testing done to check for compliance with the gluten free diet?

Second, DNA testing cannot be used to confirm celiac disease. 40% of the general population has the genetic potential to develop active celiac disease but only about 1% of the population actually develops active celiac disease. It takes both the genetic potential and some triggering biological stress event in order to develop active celiac disease. Otherwise, the genes remain inactive.

High lipase levels would indicate some problem with your pancreas. 

[knitty kitty]

@Milarynn, 

Welcome to the forum!  

Many undiagnosed, untreated Celiac Disease patients have vitamin and mineral deficiencies.  Be sure to have your Vitamin D level checked.  Vitamin D helps prevent bone loss, including loss from the jaw and teeth.  

Magnesium and calcium are both important to bone health as well.  Magnesium helps keep the calcium from leaving your bones.  Magnesium helps make life sustaining enzymes with Thiamine Vitamin B1.  Low Magnesium and/or low Thiamine results in muscle cramping.  

Thiamine deficiency is found in Pre-diabetes and Diabetes.  Poor absorption of the eight water soluble B vitamins and Vitamin C are found in Celiac Disease.  Insufficient Vitamin C can cause poor oral health, resulting in poor gum health such as receding and bleeding gums.  Vitamin C is needed to fight bacteria that cause plaque which causes cavities.  Vitamin C helps rebuild tooth enamel.  

I've had jaw muscle cramping, TMJ problems, tooth loss and gum problems.  Do talk to your dentist about having Celiac Disease.  Practice good oral hygiene.  I'm also Diabetic and take Benfotiamine (a form of Thiamine) that helps regulate blood glucose and heal the intestines.

Do keep us posted on your test results and your progress!

[bobadigilatis]

Also suffer badly with gluten and TMJD, cutting out gluten has been a game changer, seems to be micro amounts, much less than 20ppm. 

Anyone else have issues with other food stuffs?

Soy (tofu) and/or milk maybe causing TMJD flare-ups, any suggestions or ideas?

---

I'm beginning to think it maybe crops that are grown or cured with glyphosphate.

Oats, wheat, barley, soy, lentils, peas, chickpeas, rice, and buckwheat, almonds, apples, cherries, apricots, grapes, avocados, spinach, and pistachios. 

 

[Iam]

Yes.  I have had the tmj condition for 40 years. My only help was strictly following celiac and also eliminating soy.  Numerous dental visits and several professionally made bite plates  did very little to help with symptoms

[knitty kitty]

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can make TMJ worse.  Vitamins like B12 , Thiamine B1, and Pyridoxine B6 help relieve pain.  Half of the patients in one study were deficient in these three vitamins in one study below.

Malabsorption of vitamins and minerals is common in celiac disease.  It's important to eat healthy nutrient dense diets like the Autoimmune Protocol Diet, a Paleo diet that has similarities to the Mediterranean diet mentioned in one of the studies.  

Is there a link between diet and painful temporomandibular disorders? A cross-sectional study

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12442269/

 

Nutritional Strategies for Chronic Craniofacial Pain and Temporomandibular Disorders: Current Clinical and Preclinical Insights

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11397166/

 

Serum nutrient deficiencies in the patient with complex temporomandibular joint problems

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2446412/

 

[Wheatwacked]

My TMJ ended when I lost a middle lower molar.  I had an amalgam filling from youth (1960s) that failed and the tooth broke.  I had what was left pulled and did not bother to replace it.  My bite shifted and the TMJ went away.  I just had to be careful eating M&M Peanuts because they would get stuck in the hole.

[Wheatwacked]

Quote

 

Milk production increased in wheat-fed cows

Cows receiving wheat grain produced more milk than those fed corn, both in alfalfa hay-based diets  Milk production increased in wheat-fed cows

 

If you were wondering why milk protein bothers you with Celiac Disease.  Commercial dairies supplement the cow feed with wheat, which becomes incorporated in the milk protein.

• Milk omega 6 to omega 3 ratio:
  • Commercial Dairies: 5:1
  • Organic Milk: 3:1
  • Grass fed milk: 1:1

[Scott Adams]

Wheat in cow feed would not equal gluten in the milk, @Wheatwacked, please back up extraordinary claims like this with some scientific backing, as I've never heard that cow's milk could contain gluten due to what the cow eats.

[trents]

Wheatwacked, what exactly did you intend when you stated that wheat is incorporated into the milk of cows fed wheat? Obviously, the gluten would be broken down by digestion and is too large a molecule anyway to cross the intestinal membrane and get into the bloodstream of the cow. What is it from the wheat that you are saying becomes incorporated into the milk protein?

[knitty kitty]

Segments of the protein Casein are the same as segments of the protein strands of gluten, the 33-mer segment.  

The cow's body builds that Casein protein.  It doesn't come from wheat.  

Casein can trigger the same reaction as being exposed to gluten in some people.  

This is not a dairy allergy (IGE mediated response).  It is not lactose intolerance.  

Edited November 24, 2025 by knitty kitty
Clarification

[Wheatwacked]

Some backup to my statement about gluten and milk.

Some background.  When my son was born in 1976 he was colicky from the beginning.  When he transitioned to formula it got really bad.  That's when we found the only pediactric gastroenterologist (in a population of 6 million that dealt with Celiac Disease (and he only had 14 patients with celiac disease), who dianosed by biopsy and started him on Nutramegen.  Recovery was quick.

• The portion of gluten that passes through to breastmilk is called gliadin. It is the component of gluten that causes celiac disease or gluten intolerance. What are the Effects of Gluten in Breastmilk?

• Gliaden, a component of gluten which is typically responsible for the intestinal reaction of gluten, DOES pass through breast milk.  This is because gliaden (as one of many food proteins) passes through the lining of your small intestine into your blood. Can gluten transmit through breast milk?

•  

Edited November 26, 2025 by Wheatwacked

[Scott Adams]

I'd be very cautious about accepting these claims without robust evidence. The hypothesis requires a chain of biologically unlikely events:

• Gluten/gliadin survives the cow's rumen and entire digestive system intact.
• It is then absorbed whole into the cow's bloodstream.
• It bypasses the cow's immune system and liver.
• It is then secreted, still intact and immunogenic, into the milk.

The cow's digestive system is designed to break down proteins, not transfer them whole into milk. This is not a recognized pathway in veterinary science. The provided backup shifts from cow's milk to human breastmilk, which is a classic bait-and-switch. While the transfer of food proteins in human breastmilk is a valid area of study, it doesn't validate the initial claim about commercial dairy.

The use of a Dr. Osborne video is a major red flag. His entire platform is based on the idea that all grains are toxic, a view that far exceeds the established science on Celiac Disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and a YouTube video from a known ideological source is not that evidence.

 

[trents]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply and links, Wheatwacked. Definitely some food for thought. However, I would point out that your linked articles refer to gliadin in human breast milk, not cow's milk. And although it might seem reasonable to conclude it would work the same way in cows, that is not necessarily the case. Studies seem to indicate otherwise. Studies also indicate the amount of gliadin in human breast milk is miniscule and unlikely to cause reactions: 

https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/gluten-peptides-in-human-breast-milk-implications-for-cows-milk/

I would also point out that Dr. Peter Osborne's doctorate is in chiropractic medicine, though he also has studied and, I believe, holds some sort of certifications in nutritional science. To put it plainly, he is considered by many qualified medical and nutritional professionals to be on the fringe of quackery. But he has a dedicated and rabid following, nonetheless.

[DebJ14]

On 11/26/2025 at 11:25 AM, Scott Adams said:

I'd be very cautious about accepting these claims without robust evidence. The hypothesis requires a chain of biologically unlikely events:

• Gluten/gliadin survives the cow's rumen and entire digestive system intact.
• It is then absorbed whole into the cow's bloodstream.
• It bypasses the cow's immune system and liver.
• It is then secreted, still intact and immunogenic, into the milk.

The cow's digestive system is designed to break down proteins, not transfer them whole into milk. This is not a recognized pathway in veterinary science. The provided backup shifts from cow's milk to human breastmilk, which is a classic bait-and-switch. While the transfer of food proteins in human breastmilk is a valid area of study, it doesn't validate the initial claim about commercial dairy.

The use of a Dr. Osborne video is a major red flag. His entire platform is based on the idea that all grains are toxic, a view that far exceeds the established science on Celiac Disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and a YouTube video from a known ideological source is not that evidence.

 

Say what you will about Peter Osborne, but he gave me back my life.  Back in 2007 he was not promoting grain free, but came to that conclusion a few years later.  While I did OK on gluten free, I really saw the greatest recovery when I went grain free.  I notice a huge difference if I eat a gluten free food that contains any sort of grain. I ache all over, have digestive issues and my rash comes roaring back.  I think it is probably, because grains are sprayed with Glyphosate in the drying process before being shipped.  Thanks, but I will stick to my organic, grain free diet and continue to feel well at 73.  Not missing out on nutrients as I follow a strict supplement plan based on testing.