Tmj

[Sinderelli]

Does anyone have experience with TMJ? I wound up in the ER Friday night after yawning!! My jaw locked open. This has happened before, but after a couple of hours my jaw slides back into place Painful, but manageable.

This time, after about 3-4 hours I could not take the pain. DH took me to the ER, where they explained the dr. would sedate me and maneuver my jaw back into place. I was at the point where I was in so much pain I didn't care what they did . My jaw had been locked open for almost 5 hours by this point. So, the nurse puts an IV in and prepares to give me a pain killer when- surprise!- my jaw slides back into place. Next time I will NOT wait that long!

The doctor referred me to an oral surgeon, whch brings me to the point of this thread- what treatments are available for TMJ and has anyone here had them? I already have the $500 mouthpiece from my dentist that did not do anything. I'm thinking they are going to suggest more extreme measures?? I'm scared!

 

[PigletsPal2]

I have TMJ and used both a daytime and nighttime appliance for awhile, and it worked for about a year after I quit wearing them - jaw gradually slipped back into misalignment and I just cope the best I can now. I don't think mine was as drastic as yours, but painful nonetheless. The appliances had to be re-adjusted once a month, which was a pain as I lived in Indonesia and my dentist was in Singapore! Racked up lots of frequent flier miles, though! My stupid insurance company wouldn't pay for the appliances (I think it was about $1,000 - 15 years ago!), but they would pay for more expensive, more invasive surgery! Go figure. I didn't have the surgery.

Queen Colleen

 

[golfgal]

I used to but had the opposite problem, it would take me a good 1/2 hour or more every morning before I could open my mouth. I did the nightguard thing and that made it worse. It went away on its own about 10 years ago-no idea why.

My sister just got braces because her bite has gotten so bad because her teeth have shifted all over the place. Since TMJ is a medical condition not dental it is covered under her health insurance so her braces are paid for under that.

 

[Sinderelli]

I used to but had the opposite problem, it would take me a good 1/2 hour or more every morning before I could open my mouth. I did the nightguard thing and that made it worse. It went away on its own about 10 years ago-no idea why.

My sister just got braces because her bite has gotten so bad because her teeth have shifted all over the place. Since TMJ is a medical condition not dental it is covered under her health insurance so her braces are paid for under that.

Good to know about the health insurance coverage! I paid out of pocket for the nightguard.

My jaw started "cracking" when I was about 11 years old. It wasn't painful- it was great for grossing people out I did have an MRI when I was younger, where I was mistakenly told that my face was still growing and I would outgrow the condition. Needless to say, that was an incorrect diagnosis!

I am now 35, and my jaw still cracks every time I open my mouth. It cracks on the lft side but gets stuck open on the right side. Braces I could handle, although I would not be too excited about them at my age- but surgery no thanks!

 

[CathrynRose]

You scared me!!!

I have TMJ - but nothing I've ever even bothered seeing a DR/Dentist about. I just deal (with headaches, popping, and occasional paaaaain when I'm in a particularly grindy time in my life - i.e. when my mom died)

How scary for you!!

 

[Briarmom]

I had braces at the age of 27-29. It is *not* entirely gone, but I am not in the pain I was in before. I spent years trying to find out how to fix the problem. My retainer is a bit larger than most and I wear that at night to help out on pain. My insurance did not pay for it.

I've never had my jaw get stuck open, but I am scared of it. Sometimes yawning hurts so very badly.

Good luck!

 

[golfgal]

Good to know about the health insurance coverage! I paid out of pocket for the nightguard.

My jaw started "cracking" when I was about 11 years old. It wasn't painful- it was great for grossing people out I did have an MRI when I was younger, where I was mistakenly told that my face was still growing and I would outgrow the condition. Needless to say, that was an incorrect diagnosis!

I am now 35, and my jaw still cracks every time I open my mouth. It cracks on the lft side but gets stuck open on the right side. Braces I could handle, although I would not be too excited about them at my age- but surgery no thanks!

She got the clear brackets so you can't tell she has them from a distance. I don't blame you about the surgery.

 

[AKL_Megs]

Oh, that is my WORST fear!

I have a pretty mild case of TMJ... mostly in the morning when I first wake up, and when eating.

Sometimes I yawn and it cracks so loudly that I SWEAR something broke! Other times, it is just painful to yawn all together.

Forget about chewing "tough" things like steak.

 

[momof1princess]

i've had TMJ for about 15 years, although my jaw has never locked. i had a "splint" made by an orthodontist about 13-14 years ago, and it does really help. i couldn't live without it-it was the best $250 i ever spent. if yours isn't helping, please consider seeing an orthodontist about it. if it was made by a dentist, it may not be the proper appliance.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Uggh, that's terrible to hear. I had to stop chewing gum about 15 years ago because of it. Since then it doesn't bother me any more. I hope things improve for you.

 

[mykidsand_i]

yup- tmj here too. Boy, it's horrible to hear about people's jaws stuck open! I've not had that problem yet (thankfully!!!)...but mine has gotten worse in the last year. I've been to a dentist and ortho- the ortho told me to get the surgery...or mine will get much worse (more painful, less opening of my mouth, more cracking). Every time I yawn, my jaw hurts. It cracks and hurts!!! and oh my, a trip to the dentist for me and keeping my mouth open that long is a KILLER on my jaw!!!

I'm not too excited about the idea of surgery for it, has anyone had it before? Did it cure it COMPLETELY? I have put it off for about 6 months- I'm wanting to see another ortho to get a 2nd opinion!

I've tried those mouth guard things too, but none of them have worked. Do they work for most people?

 

[PatsMom]

yup- tmj here too. Boy, it's horrible to hear about people's jaws stuck open! I've not had that problem yet (thankfully!!!)...but mine has gotten worse in the last year. I've been to a dentist and ortho- the ortho told me to get the surgery...or mine will get much worse (more painful, less opening of my mouth, more cracking). Every time I yawn, my jaw hurts. It cracks and hurts!!! and oh my, a trip to the dentist for me and keeping my mouth open that long is a KILLER on my jaw!!!

I'm not too excited about the idea of surgery for it, has anyone had it before? Did it cure it COMPLETELY? I have put it off for about 6 months- I'm wanting to see another ortho to get a 2nd opinion!

I've tried those mouth guard things too, but none of them have worked. Do they work for most people?

My jaw never got stuck open. But I did years and years of treatment for TMJ. I have always ground my teeth in my sleep - stress and bite related. As a teen, it was strongly urged that my parents get braces for me but it wasn't an option - someone in the house would have had to give up eating to pay for it. And my parents also divorced around that time which made money even tighter.

After a few years in the Air Force, I began treatment with splints and aspirin therapy. The dentist at my last base in Nebraska wanted to do braces but the requirements for the military to provide orthodontia to active duty were very complicated and he couldn't get it approved (mostly because I did not have at least two years left on my enlistment at that point). After getting out of the AF, I went to work for a utility with excellent medical insurance. It would pay absolutely nothing for orthodontia or splints. My dental plan covered only orthodontia - and a very small allowance for that. So I paid the rest out of pocket. Two years later, my bite was darn near perfect and I was still in major pain and my jaw was still snapping and popping and sticking. So my surgical wire was put into my braces and into the hospital I go for surgery.

The surgery was general anesthesia. I woke up in intensive care with a tube down my nose, pressure bandages around my head, oxygen being blown in my face and fortunately a very liberal dose of prescribed morphine! The next day I was moved to a regular room and I went home two days later. Because your jaw is wired shut, getting enough calories becomes a challenge. Even more than that, if you cannot open your mouth, it is difficult to get enough oxygen. Climbing a flight of stairs will exhaust you. The swelling and bruising was very bad. But I had pain medication and drank a lot of Carnation Instant Breakfast! You learn to talk pretty well - I had some trouble on the phone but in person you could understand me pretty well.

So after all of that, I still have TMJ. I have tons of hardware left behind in my jaw. I did have to have one minor gum surgery when a wire popped loose and started poking out of the gum. I still have some pain and grinding but as long as I wear my night splint, it is manageable. The headaches are much better. All in all, the surgery was worth it. Fortunately the same medical insurance that didn't cover the preliminary treatment did pay for the surgery.

If your doctor says you need the surgery, it is worth looking into.

 

[lucas]

Have you contacted the LSU School of Dentistry in NOLA? I know there are specialists there that deal with TMJ. Ask for the Faculty Private Practice area to make an appointment. That is the area where the professors who teach the students have their private practice located within the Dental School.

 

[peyjax]

So does the surgery really work?? I read up on it and everything I read said don't do it.??

I have had tmj for a couple of years now. It is brutal and the pain is debilitating. I have gone to chiros, dentist, doctors and specialists. The best thing that worked for me was taking aleve every night before bed. It works really well, however when I get super stressed nothing really helps. My MD seems to think it might actually be something called Trigeminal Nueralgia. He put me on new a new med last month but they do not work and I went back to Aleve. That is funny you posted this as I am in pain today and am on here to keep my mind off of it. I am not really a sickly person but this thing knocks me off my feat!

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

I have TMJ that occassionally acts up but not as bad as it use to be. When I was younger I would grind my teeth in my sleep bad and my jaw would lock up when I yawned. Before doing the surgery they ended up filing my teeth and getting a retainer to see if that worked and it worked a lot better. My jaw has not locked up since filing my teeth (knock on wood).

 

[PatsMom]

So does the surgery really work?? I read up on it and everything I read said don't do it.??

I have had tmj for a couple of years now. It is brutal and the pain is debilitating. I have gone to chiros, dentist, doctors and specialists. The best thing that worked for me was taking aleve every night before bed. It works really well, however when I get super stressed nothing really helps. My MD seems to think it might actually be something called Trigeminal Nueralgia. He put me on new a new med last month but they do not work and I went back to Aleve. That is funny you posted this as I am in pain today and am on here to keep my mind off of it. I am not really a sickly person but this thing knocks me off my feat!

The surgery helped, I wouldn't say it was a cure. I still grind my teeth in my sleep so I wear a guard to prevent that and to protect my teeth. I no longer have the clicking, popping and jaw getting stuck problems. But it is not something I woudl recommend until all the less invasive procedures have been tried. I was out of work for three weeks, jaw wired shut for 6. And in some major pain at the beginning. And hungry! There is only so much instant breakfast you can drink. And broth type soups. And milk shakes. Sucks to go out to dinner and everyone is having a great meal and you have a milk shake!

 

[MM27]

I have TMJ but it hasn't been bad in a long time. I had a nightguard, but I am a huge grinder and I actually bit off a piece of the plastic when I was asleep and swallowed it. My dentist didn't believe that I was able to bite through it.

When the pain starts or I notice a lot of clicking in my jaw when I'm eating, I get to the chiropractor. He uses this tool that looks like a metal pop gun. It goes right next to your face and they sort of pop your jaw back in line. It's heaven