Is there a cost efficient way to treat TMJ?

[rluey29]

I have recently developed this condition. I've been under a great deal of stress this past few months and have noticed that I've been clenching my teeth throughout the day and never even noticed until this TMJ started.

Now I have pain in both hinges of my jaw that is like a dull ache for most of the day. It would be enough to make you crazy if you knew you had to live with it forever. I have also had my jaw to lock momentarily a few times when I opened it to take a big bite of burger or other large item. And I have the clicking in my jaw sometimes too. I have no experience with it so I need advice from people who do have it.

What do i do for this. I have no health or dental insurance so everything would have to be out of pocket. I heard it's around $300 to have the mouth piece made by a dentist, right? Will it work if I invest in it?

I'm breastfeeding so I always shy away from Advil, Aleve, etc. I only take Tylenol and only when I'm really in pain. Is there anything else that those of you with this condition do? Does it eventually correct itself or am I doomed to have it forever? What should I avoid doing while trying to make it better?

Please any advice would be appreciated.

 

[LisaLuvsDisney]

I have TMJ also and i had a plate that the dentist made. It worked pretty well. My puppy recently got mine and broke it so I got one from Walmart in the sports dept. and it doesn't work well at all.

I would like to hear others experience as well because the dentist ones are so expensive.

 

[merekc]

If you get massages or visit a chiropracter mention it to them. They may be able to help.

 

[dyna]

My DD 30 yrs old has fought with TMJ since she was about 15 yrs old mouth locking open is not fun nor is it locking closed. She never complained about the pain yet I know she had to have some pain she just isn't one to complain.

Anyway a couple months ago she yawned which can lock her mouth open only this time jaw popped an NO MORE problems with the TMJ since.

 

[First-timer]

i have the 300 dollar one that my dentist made for me........ it is very thick and uncomfortable to sleep with..... for some reason i collect alot of spit in my mouth when i wear it..... it must help because when i do wear it after a while i have lots of scrapes and teeth marks all over the top of it.... sorry i wasnt much help

 

[Princess April]

I currently use one I purchased from CVS. I do have dental and health insurance but I am either too busy, too lazy or too cheap to go to the dentist to have one made (lol ) I have found that it works well. I felt relief and I am pleased with it. It is pricey (some can range in the $45 + range) but to relieve the pain it's $$$ well spent. If you "CVS" see if you can work a deal with a coupon (they have them in the paper sometimes for like, $5.00 off) and ECB, that way it's not too painful on your pocket book. Good Luck!

 

[2disneyboys]

I actually lived w/ severe TMJ for over 5 years before I ended up having to have surgery on both jaws to repair the damage. It was horrible (The pain of TMJ, not the surgery) One of the first steps is the mouth guard. if you can't afford to get the dr to make one, try just buying one in the dr store as a started. point is to not be able to grind or clench your teeth. Don't open very wide or put a lot of pressure on your jaws. take small bites (even cut apples etc into chunks) don't rest your chin on your hand (puts pressure on the joints). you don't want to have pressure on your teeth while your jaw is extended as this aggrevates the tendon swelling. you get the locking and clicking when the tmj tendon is irritated and swells up which prevents the smooth movement of the jaw. the dr. also gave me muscle relaxers to help with this. I don't know how much detail the dr has been into with you yet? my dentist actually told me that she has been a dentist for over 20 years and while a lot of people suffer from TMJ, I'm the only one she knew who had it bad enough to need the surgery. I was blessed to have both dental and health insurance and was being treated for the full 5 years before the dr finally said, that's it, no other options, time for the surgery. Good luck. I know how terrible it hurts. also how scary it is when your jaw locks and your not expecting it. If your condition is not to severe yet, then try the guard either a cheaper one from a drug store or the one from the Dr. That helped me for quite a while (once I got used to it. Good Luck

 

[2disneyboys]

If you get massages or visit a chiropracter mention it to them. They may be able to help.

This one one of the other treatments the dr tried on me & it was such a relief it felt SOOO good for them to relax those joints.

 

[Smile4Me]

I'd lived with TMJ forever, when I was in high school i had a dentist try to tell me I needed to have surgery to have part of my jaw removed and my upper jaw moved back to get rid of my overbite Instead the orthodontist made a retainer (like an invislign) that fit over the bottom of my teeth to correct my bite and relieve the stress in my jaw joint....I literally grinded my way through two of those suckers. In college I had a dentist make me just as small little bite plate that fits over the front of my teeth on my bottom row...amazing little thing. I'm on my second as I lost one in a sleep walking episode...a mistake I hope not to make again as it was $350 (insurance covers it).

Not that any of that helps you but I wanted to share....In the Toothpaste aisle at Wal-Mart they do have mouthguards you can boil and mold yourself. My sister uses one and it works good for her. I hope you can find some kind of relief because I know that it isn't pain easy to live with!

 

[2disneyboys]

sorry... just realised I spent all my breath telling you my story and not really giving any suggestions. TMJ can be lifelong or short term. basically, as long as the tendon is inflamed, you'll have pain. If it gets real bad, the tendon actually "bunches" up at one end of the joint and there is no way to fix it but surgery at that time (two forms of surgery, laprosopci (sp) just pull and stich the tendon back into place, and orthascopic (sp) cut open and rework the joint, tendon etc) I had the cut open version on my r jaw and lapro on the l jaw)
Anyway, the point is you want to do what you can to NOT inflame it.

-muscle relaxers /anti imflamtory's are good for this to an extent.
-alternate hot/cold compresses on the jaw
-use guard (dr or cheaper one from drugstore dr one will most likly be best but you can try a cheaper one as a starting point, that may be all you need.
-don't take big bites of food (picture biting into an apple... your joints get a lot of pressure on them while fully extended.. not good conditions for TMJ cut up stuff and take smaller bites
-don't rest your chin on your hand, arms nothing. you don't want anymore pressue on your chin/jaw then necessary
-massages (seems obscene, but if you can't go somewhere, have dh or someone close to you massage it. put finger in your mouth and rest tip of finger in back against your gums where jaw joins on the inside of your mouth. close lips around finger and teeth as much as you can. use finger inside the mouth to massage the area and other handoutside the mouth to massage the outside of the joint. yea, it's obscene looking.. imagine having to do that with a STRANGERs finger.
-if the clicking gets more constant, or you start getting a cracking sound or gritty sound or feel, you need to just see a dr about it. you could at that point be doing actual damage to the joint (thus the major surgery on my r side)
I hope this is helpful, and I apoligize for all the spelling errors.

 

[iggbees]

i have had tmj for a number of years now. i once had a dr. tell me that maybe it was a cold that was causing my pain and prescribed me antibiotic (yeah, didn't take that)?? i get most of the pain in my neck area, not the jaw, but that pain has gotten so much worse. i've also noticed the clicking has become very constant. i keep debating whether to get physical therapy on it. the physical therapist that i saw for a back problem told me that if the tmj didn't get any better to come in and see her about it. i keep putting it off because it's a 2x a week appt for like 10 weeks. they sure helped my back there though, so i know i'm being stupid not going.

 

[rluey29]

Okay so let me try to understand this. TMJ is a swelling of the tendon which can be temporary as long as I take action to reduce the swelling.

I always rest my hands/fists on my chin, even while sleeping so i bet that had a lot to do with it. So if the swelling goes down, then I can resume normal activities/ eating?

I haven't even seen a dr of any kind to have this diagnosed, but I KNOW it is TMJ. How do I know if the swelling has completely gone away? Will it just quit hurting?

Am I more susceptible to getting it again now that I've had it once?

And it will need surgery if the tendon bunches up. How do I know if this has happened?

 

[taymaesmom]

I too have TMJ and I too bought the cheaper mouth guard from walmart. The one I get is not expensive, around $20. The guard is blue and you cut it down to fit your mouth and then boil it and put it in to mold to your teeth. They work great and worth every penny. I have used them for years and they typically last about 6 months before having to replace them. I was surprised to learn that they are actually comfortable to sleep in and I rarely even notice it at all anymore.

 

[2disneyboys]

I'm not a Dr. ... what I've posted is strictly from experience! and mine was also (according to my dr) an extreme case -- most peoples don't need to result in surgery. (Tendon's swelling) Yes, that is the "layman's" way of describing the problem..

Looking back, I've actually had TMJ since I was a child... mom felt so bad when she found out all those times of telling me to chew quietly and quit chomping was not my fault! LOL! Anyway, the less pressure on the jaw (thus the need for a night brace to help prevent clenching/grinding of the teeth) the better.. dr. took me through several phases, from a night brace, to grinding my teeth even on all sides, to removing all 4 impacted wisdom teeth, to Phys Theraphy/massages/drug therapy, cortizone (sp) shots in the Jaw..(OMG I almost died over that one) to finally surgery. all that time , it was getting worse and worse. I hate the answers "you'll know" but that is sort of how it is when it gets bad. You walk around constantly hurting, constantly locking, clicking and you get a gritty feeling to your joint. sounds wierd to describe it, but in even describing it I can distinctly recall how it felt.. just don't know how to EXPLAIN how it felt. Keep in mind, mine was pretty severe. the dr told me that 90% of people respond to one of the other treatements, and while it may not "cure" it, it makes it liveable.. sort of like a toothache... allows it to go away and then just flare up on occasion. according to my dr. your jaw is a lot more prone to being knocked out of alighment then most people think, and that is why the majority of TMJ is developed after an injury of some sort. Long story short... do what you can to keep it from being inflamed, and then if it appears to get worse see a dr. and the dr told me once you have flare ups, you are more likly to have problems in the future (like people w/ knee injuries.. seem to constantly have trouble) so even once it calms down and clears up, be careful with putting pressure on your jaw with your hands, or taking big bites of medium to hard surface items. (apples, really anything you have to chomp on. ) on the other hand, I had the surgery 4 years ago and have not had a problem with either jaw since. -- although, I am still careful with my jaw... I don't want to have TMJ again!!!!

 

[shortbun]

I'm a grinder and a clencher so I've suffered from TMJ for years. So has my sister. We get massage, ice for swelling at times and do yoga for relaxation. Massage is not cheap but any massage therapist worth their salt will show you how to self massage after they work on you. I spend several minutes a day with my head dropped back and my jaw hanging loose to keep it relaxed. This takes some practice to accomlish complete relaxation. Also-do not chew gum, don't crunch ice, don't chew caramels...ya know the stuff that really gets your jaw. At one point, my TMJ was so bad I was on valium...not pretty, lol. Valium totally made me out of it and I'll skip that treatment next time but it did work.

 

[Kay1]

I finally found a dentist who is also a MD and happens to have TMJ himself - his wife does, too. He's done a lot of research and decided the device that fits over the lower teeth does the best job. He made me one and it worked wonders. I think it was a bit more than $300 but you can always discuss the financial part and see what the dentist can work out.

 

[AprilLizbeth]

Whoops! Double post!

 

[AprilLizbeth]

I also have had TMJ since i was a young child. Sometimes the pain was so bad, I was sent home from school in tears. In middle school I had 4 adult inscisors removed and braces put on, followed by a retainer. The last major step was of course having my wisdom teeth out as a teenager. This took care of the TMJ for a long time. However, once in college, and particularly nursing school (under a lot of stress), my symptoms returned. I was tired of major dental procedures and have since maintained with warm-moist heat ( cold seems to make mine worse), NSAIDS (which I know you said you cant take at the moment), doing my own neck and facial massage when it acts up, and IcyHot or Tiger Balm. Hope you can find what works for you and good luck!

 

[PatsMom]

I suffer from TMJ and have since I was a child. It is actually what resulted in my VA disability classification - the military made it much worse through mis-treatment/lack of treatment.

I clench and grind. I've gone through any number of nightguards although the current one seems to be working pretty good. The CVS over the counter kind were worthless to me.

I've done about 3 years in braces as an adult to correct the misalignment of my teeth. That was followed by major surgery to move my lower jaw forward and my upper jaw back. Not fun at all! Things did get better after that. I am no longer in constant pain, only once in a while. But I still grind - it is now a stress reaction and a habit according to the doctors.

What I find helps with the pain is pretty much what others have already said. Avoid chewy foods. Avoid anything that requires you to open your mouth wide. Take anti-inflammatory medications when needed (although since your nursing you may have to make do with Tylenol for now). Warm packs applied to the jaw.

My dental insurance never paid anything toward my TMJ treatment. At the time of my surgery (which cost in the $20,000 range between surgeon, hospital, ICU, in-patient for four days, etc) my Blue Cross coverage paid about 80% after deductibles. But I still have a lot of money and pain invested in my jaw!

Good luck to you. If you can find a dentist that specializes in TMJ (might be a maxillofacial surgeon instead of a regular family dentist) a visit might be a good investment.

 

[WDWBarb]

I have TMJ and can totally relate to your situation. I spent a lot of time and money trying to find out what was wrong with me. I even went to an atypical fascial pain clinic and they couldn't find any way to treat me besides pain medications and muscle relaxants (and I couldn't live my life in that drug-induced haze).

This all really came to a head when the Internet was young. I did a little research on how to treat this pain and read a lot about chiropractic. It was my last resort... but it worked like a miracle. Within a week I was pain free.

The body is so perfectly aligned that any variations in how you sit (ESPECIALLY AT THE COMPUTER) can cause neck and/or jaw pain. I can tell you that today, even now, I have to struggle to sit upright at the computer. If I don't, I start to hurt.

If I lie on my back on my bed with my head hanging over the edge for about 10-15 minutes, I can usually get the pain to subside. But I have to do this when it first comes on .. if I wait, the only thing that helps is Ibuprophen.

Hang in there... but do see a doctor.