A minimally-invasive solution to months of jaw pain – Bevleen’s story

From a twinge to a stuck jaw

For almost two years, 40-year-old Bevleen was managing a jaw problem where she couldn’t close her mouth fully. “If I opened my mouth wide, like a really big yawn before bed, I’d feel a twinge and my jaw would get stuck,” Bevleen recalls. “I could close my mouth, but my teeth wouldn’t bite together properly.”

Most of the time this would just correct itself, so Bevleen decided to carry on as best she could without seeking treatment. “The first time it happened, it corrected after a day,” she says. “And then it happened again six months later, and corrected after about a week.” But a few months later, Bevleen’s jaw got stuck again, and this time it just wouldn’t resettle. “I gave it two weeks, and nothing happened,” remembers Bevleen. And unlike the previous times, Bevleen’s jaw was very painful and was disrupting her quality of life. “I couldn’t sleep at night, and it was difficult to eat. I could feel the pain all the time.”

Finding the right expert

Recognising that her jaw needed treatment, Bevleen decided to see a relative who’s a dentist for an assessment. She was advised to do some jaw exercises to see if those would help get her jaw back into position, but these didn’t help. At this point, Bevleen was in constant pain and struggling to eat solid foods. As Bevleen was covered under her husband’s workplace private health insurance, she decided to seek out an expert to help with her jaw problem. Bevleen’s relative recommended that she see Mr Ross Elledge, a consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeon at The Harborne Hospital. 

After hearing this recommendation and doing her research, Bevleen booked her first appointment with Mr Elledge for November 2024. “When I saw Mr Elledge, he took the time to listen to my concerns,” says Bevleen. “He was really patient, open and transparent. He made me feel at ease.” Recognising that Bevleen had tried non-surgical treatments for her jaw, Mr Elledge suggested that surgery would help resolve her problems. To confirm the approach to take, Bevleen had an OPG X-ray of her jaw, followed by an MRI. After these scans, Bevleen had an appointment with Mr Elledge to discuss the next steps.

A surgical solution

The scans showed that a disc in Bevleen’s jaw had become displaced. To improve the function of the joint and reduce the pain, Mr Elledge suggested that Bevleen have a temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthroscopy. This is a keyhole surgery that uses 2mm incisions, one near the ear and the other near the cheek, to insert instruments into the jaw joint to improve the mobility of the joint, take tissue samples, divide adhesions and remove inflamed tissue. An expert in TMJ arthroscopy, Mr Elledge is one of the only consultants in the West Midlands region to offer this procedure, and the only one to do so in the independent sector.

After her imaging appointments, Bevleen booked in her surgery at The Harborne Hospital for February 2025 to fit around her work commitments. “Mr Elledge made himself available, which made everything so easy,” she says. As she arrived at The Harborne Hospital for her surgery, Bevleen felt in safe hands. “From when I arrived until I left, I had someone with me,” she says. “I felt cared for every step of the way.”

Bevleen felt a little nervous going into surgery, but the reassurance of the team helped put her at ease. “I don’t like needles, so I was a bit anxious,” she says. “But the care and the kindness from the staff made such a difference.” 

During the procedure, Mr Elledge was able to washout Bevleen’s jaw joint, divide the adhesions and remove inflamed tissue to allow her to close her mouth fully again. Bevleen’s surgery was a day case, so didn’t require an overnight stay, but she could rest until she was happy to leave. “I didn’t feel rushed,” Bevleen says, “and I could stay until I felt ready to go home.” During this time, Mr Elledge visited Bevleen to check up on her and make sure she was recovering well. Once she felt comfortable to leave, Bevleen left The Harborne Hospital and returned home. She was given pain relief for the few days after her surgery, but the post-surgery pain soon faded.

“Like the issue never occurred”

After returning home, Mr Elledge continued to check in on her recovery to ensure everything was going smoothly and answer any questions Bevleen may have had. “He called me several times after the surgery to see if I was okay,” she recalls. A week after her surgery, Bevleen returned to The Harborne Hospital to have her sutures removed, and thanks to the tiny incisions used in the surgery, her scars are barely noticeable. “When I came around after the surgery, I couldn’t even tell that anything had happened to my face,” Bevleen says. Six weeks on from the surgery, Bevleen had a follow-up appointment with Mr Elledge to check on how her jaw was recovering. 

And now, thanks to the surgery, Bevleen is back to living a pain-free life. “It’s improved my quality of life so much,” Bevleen says. “I’ve gone from not being able to sleep and taking painkillers for three or four months to now being pain-free. It’s like the issue never occurred in the first place.” She’ll be seeing Mr Elledge one last time later this year, and Bevleen’s happy to now be sleeping without pain again and eating how she likes.