Metal Mouth Message Board

I've had my braces since April and never had any jaw pain before or after. However, since the molar bands were fitted three weeks ago I'm really struggling to chew. At first I just blamed it on getting used to the bands, but now that stage has passed and chewing is getting harder. I can manage a few mouthfuls, then my lower jaw starts aching and I get a kind of shooting pain running up towards my ear. Does that sound normal or do you think this could be some kind of TMJ problem? I have an open bite and lip incompetence so chewing has always been annoying but now it's beyond a joke. I think Ive taken more paracetamol this month than in the whole rest of my life!