?'s for anyone with TMJ

[piglet too]

Well, I was offically diagnosed with having TMJ yesterday, been dealing with it for over year now. The doctor wants me to go back to my dentist now and get a mouth brace thing made. The problem is I do not have dental insurance, and do not have the $385 it will cost to have it made. My question is if there is something I can buy at the store that might work good enough until I either have dental or can afford to pay for it?

 

[Dan Murphy]

Not sure, Kirsten, but I would tend to think not. Any way to pay dentist over time, like $30 or so a month for a year? Most medical practitioners will do that. Anything here? http://www.tmj.org/ Maybe look for a forum to ask your question there. My best.

 

[stinkerbelle]

I had one of those things made - I belive. Basically it kept me from grinding my teeth at night. It was an upper mouth piece that was thicker in the front so that my back teeth never touch - err go, no grinding.

hated wearing that thing...and I rarely did. Once I had my impacted wisdom teeth removed my TMJ basically went away...I get some popping every once in a while...but it's NOWHERE near as bad as it was in highschool.

I'm not sure what your brace is going to look like...headgear or a piece like mine was. If it's a piece - maybe trying getting one of those athletic mouth pieces...might help curb your grinding a bit? (it won't be the same - your back teeth may still touch - but it's something 'different' in your mouth that your jaw may compensate for...make sense?)

 

[Sleepy]

Originally posted by stinkerbelle
I had one of those things made - I belive. Basically it kept me from grinding my teeth at night. It was an upper mouth piece that was thicker in the front so that my back teeth never touch - err go, no grinding. hated wearing that thing...and I rarely did.

You got that right! I had a hard one.....was not bad...snapped right onto my top teeth, but it caused me to drool a river at night as I could not get a seal with my tongue on the roof of my mouth. .....strange way I sleep I guess. Then I had a soft one made. I explained all I needed was something to cover my teeth as the hard one did, but only soft and not as bulky. They brought out this invisalign looking thing and I said yep, just like that...that's what I want. Well, what I got was this contraption that covered half of the roof of my mouth and the entire gumline on the outside of my teeth. It was awful! Even boxers have something nicer than this thing. It only *cuped* my teeth and created a pool for my drool. Entirely gross. I tried cutting it to shape, but it just isn;t working. it makes me gag.

Try going to Wal-Mart. They have a home kit on the toothpaste aisle.

 

[piglet too]

Originally posted by Dan Murphy
Not sure, Kirsten, but I would tend to think not. Any way to pay dentist over time, like $30 or so a month for a year? Most medical practitioners will do that.

Unfortunatly Dan, that is not an option for this. They need the money upfront since thay have to send it off to a lab to be made. They are realy good about billing us to, as we all just had our teeth cleaned, not a small bill without the insurance!

 

[piglet too]

Also, whatever I have to get made, I am supposed to wear ALL the time for the fisrt week. If it is going to make me drool, yuck!!

 

[Disney Ella]

I had a friend who found some sort of hockey mouth guard thing at a sporting goods store that she said worked. She got it after the expensive one she bought from the dentist broke.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Originally posted by piglet too
....If it is going to make me drool, yuck!!

Just carry a burger around, tell people you are anticipating that first bite.

 

[piglet too]

Originally posted by Dan Murphy
Just carry a burger around, tell people you are anticipating that first bite.

Thanks Dan, I really needed that laugh right now!

 

[WeirdEyes]

I bought the "Doctor's Night Guard" at Wal-Mart for around $20. I then had my dentist make a mouthpiece for me that my insurance paid for....$150. The one the dentist made is a little better, but not much. Try the Night Guard and see if it helps first. My SIL is a dental hygenist/assistant and she told me they are basically the same thing. Good luck!

BTW, I hate wearing the mouthpiece so I don't wear it. I found that if I don't eat anything really chewy...like Riesens and chew gum, it doesn't hurt nearly as much.

 

[crz4mm2]

Kirsten,
Do you chew gum?
I have suffered with TMJ for years. I had the appliance you are referring to. Wore it every night. I had to wear it full time at first too. After a few years, I stopped wearing it. When I was getting ready to sit for Midwife boards, I had a terrible relapse and couldn't even close my mouth all the way. It would periodically do that and then something would shift or release or whatever and it would be better for a while. Always seemed worse when I had a great deal of stress going on.
Took DD to the orthodontist for her braces and I asked him about it. I was chewing gum at the time, which I did constantly. He told me to stop chewing gum. I ultimately had braces applied myself and now wear retainers at night. I am like a new woman! I rarely have any problems at all now. Thank heavens.
I can sympathize with the cost, but you will be forever grateful that you did it. I can't recommend it enough. and if you chew gum, Stop. forever.
Best of luck to you.
Cathy

 

[gshoemate]

I had one of those plates made, but the dentist screwed it up and it was to big so it kept falling out. Then she made another and it was to tight to fit over my teeth. So I finally just went to Wal-Mart and bought a mouth gard in the sporting goods department. Worked just fine and it was much softer. I have also seen the ones in the toothpast aisle, never tried it though, but for around $20.00, it's alot cheaper then going to get one from the dentist.

 

[piglet too]

Originally posted by crz4mm2
Kirsten,
Do you chew gum?
I have suffered with TMJ for years. I had the appliance you are referring to. Wore it every night. I had to wear it full time at first too. After a few years, I stopped wearing it. When I was getting ready to sit for Midwife boards, I had a terrible relapse and couldn't even close my mouth all the way. It would periodically do that and then something would shift or release or whatever and it would be better for a while. Always seemed worse when I had a great deal of stress going on.
Took DD to the orthodontist for her braces and I asked him about it. I was chewing gum at the time, which I did constantly. He told me to stop chewing gum. I ultimately had braces applied myself and now wear retainers at night. I am like a new woman! I rarely have any problems at all now. Thank heavens.
I can sympathize with the cost, but you will be forever grateful that you did it. I can't recommend it enough. and if you chew gum, Stop. forever.
Best of luck to you.
Cathy

Nope, no gum for me. I even avoid anything that is real chewy as it realy agravates the popping and the pain gets real bad. Thanks for thinking about that though, I really appreciate it!

As for the mouth piece, I am going to call my insurance and see if they can cover any of it. In the meantime, I wil go to the store tonight and try whatever they have, it should be better than nothing.

 

[Beauty]

Oh my goodness can I relate. My jaw pops constantly with my TMJ. My DH goes crazy when I pop them, but I can't help it.

Now, a year or so ago it was so bad that I couldn't open my mouth all the way. When you open your mouth you are supposed to be able to get your first three fingers between your top and bottom teeth (Go ahead, try it....LOL) Well I could only get one and a half. I had two wisdom teeth removed and it solved that problem completly.

Sometimes mine bothers me and I have been meaning to get a mouth piece from Wal-Mart just to try but then it won't bother me as bad and I won't think about it until it flares up again.

Good lucK! I think I would try Wal-mart first for a month or so and then if it doesn't help at all go with the Dentist.

 

[stinkerbelle]

ahh...the 3 finger test...

i was eating a bagel once...a dry one, just putting it in my mouth and biting/pulling.

I couldn't even fit my PINKY between my teeth...my ortho had to knock me out just to open my mouth...it was horrible...

 

[Feralpeg]

I have TMJ. It started after I had dental work done and it through my jaw out of alignment. I felt like I had to pop my jaw all the time. I got shooting pains down through my chin. I had earaches and headaches. I went to a specialist who wanted to realign my jaw by using a special brace and then recapping all my teeth. He wanted $5000.00 to do it and said it would take about a year. I didn't do it. Instead, I went to my regular dentist and had them cap the remainder of my back teeth. They just happened to be on the opposite side of the teeth previously capped that started the problem. Since I did this, it has almost cleared up.

I think you need to figure out what has caused the TMJ in the first place. If it is tension and you are grinding your teeth, you need to figure out how to stop. That could mean a mouthguard or relaxation techniques. If it was dental work, see if your dentist can figure out how to realign things.

Good luck! I know it is miserable.

 

[luvdzny]

I had TMJ for years before I finally had surgery for it 2 years ago. I don't know if an appliance made for sports will work or not. I think it depends on the position of your teeth/jaw. I have a splint that I have to wear at night, it was made so that my jaw is held in a certain position at night, if I used one from the store it would not work. I had the surgery to reattach the tendon in my jaw and it was great, no more pain. I need to have another surgery to change the postion of my jaw, but I can't afford it. The first surgery was $19,800.00 and insurance only paid for $1000.00 of it. $18,800 would have paid for lots of Disney trips, but at least I am pain free now.

 

[Poohnatic]

I was going to suggest the Drs Night Guard. They also have them at CVS.

If it hadn't taken so long to do my dental work, I probably would be visiting U Maryland's TMJ clinic before heading south. I hope that U Florida has one.

No gum here, no pens/pencils in the mouth, only toasted bagels (too chewy otherwise), and no tall sandwiches. I also have to watch having frozen drinks--I start popping like crazy. All my drinks are 'no ice'!

Suzanne

 

[Jasminesmommy]

Since you are from Chicago go to the University of IL school of dentistry and see if they can do it cheaper.

 

[crazelion]

I got a football mouth piece for my TMJ and it works. I only spent 2.00 dollars at Sports Store.