I know there are many types of TMJ but was wondering what helps you with yours apart from trying not to stress too much about it?:) A TMJ specialist I saw will have me wearing splints for the night plus she showed me a jaw excercise I should do daily. I'm waiting for the splints to be made but was wondering how can they work when my bite has shifted since acquiring TMJ? Both of my jaw discs slipped out of their place, but whereas on one side it's better (there's only this clicking sound when I eat) on the other side the disc is "locked" as the doctor calls it. My jaw deviates to one side as a result of it, but it's really the misalignment in my teeth that's bothering me the most -the pain is not so bad now as it used to be. Do you do any type of excercise? If so, does it help? Does the splint help you? Or have you tried anything else, maybe a chiropractor? I don't want to go for a surgery but can't really see how the disc can slip back into its original position when it's locked. Thanks for your tips! Have a nice day everyone:)
Hey, I have a splint and the first minute they put it in my mouth I knew that was what I needed. The splint will change your jaw over time, ussually the one side will be higher then the other. So at first it’ll hurt and be awkward but its worth it. I did get chiropractic and accupuncture done. It really helped and yes he recommended a jaw exercise where I hold my jaw as far open as I can for 15 seconds, then longer, then longer etc. Sometimes I do them but ussually I forget to. Every so often the dentist will adjust the splint but before they do that they ussually take pics of ur bite and show u the difference and trust me there will be a difference. My splint surprisingly helped me sleep better, except I drool like no bodies business and have to flip my pillow often. Lol I know the splint will hurt some at first but it pays off and you will have less jaw pain after a few months. I look forward to hearing about how much u like or dislike ur splint. Don’t give up on it. Sometimes I have dreams that I’m eatting taffy and its stuck to my bottom teeth and I rub my tongue raw trying to remove the taffy in my dream. Then I wake up and remember I have a splint that attaches to my bottom teeth. May I ask how much your splint cost? I think mine was $500 roughly but I was quoted $750. But my dentist is all about helping people than getting paid. Anyways let me know when u get ur splint. Thanks, Janet
Thank you, Janet, for your reply. I hope the splint will work for me as well as it did for you. I don't expect to pay anywhere near you paid for yours, but then again in the Czech Republic a lot of dental work is covered by health insurance, so I'll probably just participate on the cost by paying something between CZK 1,000-1,500 (USD 50-75). I guess you get better quality treatment for your money though (regular adjustments etc.). I don't mind pain as long as I know it's for a good reason and things will improve! I'm considering accupuncture as well, not really for my TMJ but rather for my teeth aches following multiple root end surgeries... I'm glad to hear that you got relief from it as well as the chiro. I should get the splint at the end of June, so will let you know then how it all goes! Thanks again and take care.
My condyles were not seated and I was bone on bone when I found a Bioesthetic dentist who treated me with a MAGO that I was required to wear for about a year. The splint is placed, and then the pressure is relieved and the joints begin to be able to move back into place. While this is happening, my bite would shift (more frequently in the beginning), and then I would get the pain signal that would tell me it was time for a splint adjustment. For several months it required appointments closer together. A phone call to the dentist, and a ten minute visit with him and he would check to see where the pressure was coming from (left side or right), then make an adjustment to the splint! Eventually the joints were positioned and the bite stopped changing and my pain was ZERO.
Sunshine, I'm very happy that the MAGO worked for you! I actually had to look up what MAGO stands for as I did not hear about it before; it seems that your doctor really took the time to give you the best possible treatment . Unfortunatelly, in the CR there are very few TMJ doctors (and no dentist I know of who would treat TMJ); you wait 2-6 months to see a doctor, then you get your 10-minute appointment and you're out with a prescription for one-fit-all splint and a promise from your doctor to see you again in 3 months to see how you're doing with your splint. So I'm a bit concerned if it couldn't potentially cause more damage. I'll just have to trust my doctor that she knows what she's doing; surely she would have opted for a different treatment was there not much success with this method, or so I hope!
Yes, you have to work with them until it doesn't work, then hopefully a better treatment will present for you. That's how it worked for me.