I have Zoe Ball’s jaw condition – here are the 5 signs you’re at risk

For two years, a woman with the same excruciating ailment as Zoe Ball was left with a “locked jaw” and on a blended diet.

For almost two years, Lauren Bolton, 30, was limited to eating soups and smoothies due to jaw problems that began when she was fifteen years old.

Later on, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) was identified as her condition.

The joint that joins your lower jaw to your skull in front of each ear is called the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ for short.

A collection of illnesses known as TMJ disorders (TMDs) impact both the TMJ and the muscles that govern jaw movement.

They can induce migraines, limited jaw mobility or locking, dizziness, and visual issues. It is estimated that over 10% of British people suffer from them.

Because Lauren’s jaw joint is too severely broken, others have given 95,000 to have it replaced during surgery.

After undergoing two expensive surgeries to remove the inflammatory tissue, Lauren was able to resume her job and resume her diet.

Radio 2 DJ Zoe Ball, 54, disclosed yesterday that she has TMJ and that she clenches her jaw and gets headaches most of the time.

After six years in charge of her breakfast show, Zoe revealed she was leaving.

Lauren, from Helmshore, Lancashire, who works in business development, stated: “I think it is amazing Zoe is sharing [what she’s going through].”

“To have a public figure raise awareness of it and the sacrifices required.

She had to step away from her position. That must have been a difficult choice.

When Lauren first began experiencing jaw pain at the age of 15, it was initially written off as the result of her teeth grinding and anxiety about impending tests.

Lauren received medications and a series of jaw exercises, but her suffering only became worse.

According to her, “My jaw was locked.”

At the age of 25, Lauren eventually received a scan that showed her disk was displaced.

Doctors attempted Botox and “washing out” the joint space, but Lauren’s condition worsened to the point where she was placed on an ablended diet.

She was also forced to quit her work as a therapist.

“I thought it was going to be a temporary thing,” she added.

“I was following a mixed diet for slightly under two years.

“I shed some pounds. At my lowest, I weighed five and a half stones.

“I told the physicians that I couldn’t eat. I’m subsisting on soups and other foods.

“Drink Maccie’s milkshakes every day,” they advised.

“I was so upset.”

Pain relief

In 2023, Lauren eventually received the diagnosis of temporomandibular joint disorder after she made the decision to go private in order to obtain an explanation.

According to her, “The diagnosis was a relief.”

However, the procedure, which involved replacing the TMJ jaw joint, cost 95,000.

An anonymous donor provided the remaining funds after Lauren and her parents, Denise, 56, and Paul, 53, organized a fundraiser and raised $65,000.

However, since a new jaw joint is only expected to last 10 to 15 years, her surgeon advised that she first undergo various surgeries to address her pain.

In May of 2024, Lauren had surgery to realign the misaligned discs and burn out all the inflammatory tissue.

Lauren’s pain subsided after five months.

“I started to live my life again,” she remarked. I’m consuming food.

Agony has returned

However, Lauren began to realize that her pain was getting worse once more, so she had surgery in November to inject platelet-rich plasma into the joint.

Lauren will now consider having a jaw joint replacement surgery in the new year because she is still experiencing pain.

However, she is no longer following a mixed diet, and she was able to celebrate her 30th birthday with an Italian dinner.

“I had seafood pasta,” Lauren added.

Recently, we had a ‘fakemas’. My Christmas dinner, which I was unable to enjoy last year, is already finished.

“This is not only my tale; temporomandibular joint diseases have terrible long-term effects and are poorly understood and treated.

“It is heartbreaking to think so many other people are living the way I have been forced to.”

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