I have been a bit sore these past few days on the right side of my face. I used to get a lot of ear infections when I was a child, and I was worried this was the beginning of one. I couldn't really decide if the pain was in my ear or in my teeth, so I thought I would go to the doctor first to rule that out, then make a dentist's appointment.

Dr. Kriegler said my ears and my teeth both appear to be healthy. He suggested that I have an inflammation in my temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, which is the joint between my jaw and my skull.

I asked him, "What causes something like this?". Dr. Kriegler replied, "Chewing a lot of gum. Even a really thick, heavy piece of steak could do it". Then he paused, and cautiously said, "Lots of talking?".

Hmmmm ... probably the steak and gum chewing for sure!!!