Does anybody else here have TMJ? If so, what forms of treatment have you undergone?

Question

I have seen dentist after dentist who don't really want to help me since they said it's not covered under dental insuraance. I even a therapist who gave me useless exercises. My pain is unbearable at times and I cannot do anything but lie down in bed. I am pregnant so I cannot take anti-swelling pain medication...is there any kind of specialist physician you can recommend for me to find? and some home remedies that can knock away the pain fast?

Answer 1

TMJ has many causes, i.e. jaw can be misaligned, etc. However, stress is a major cause of TMJ. People often clench their teeth in their sleep, which causes muscles to tighten and ache.

I had TMJ years ago and obtained a costly "night guard" appliance which I wore during daytime and during sleep. It was a waste of money, because when I had some dental work done, the night guard didn't fit my teeth after that so I threw it away. Later I learned from another dentist that they could've heated it up and re-molded my teeth with it. So much for knowledge in retrospect.

I became a massage therapist in later years, and learned many techniques for massaging specific areas of the body to treat TMJ. You could massage the outside of your jaw, around your ears, etc. - check massage websites which may have diagrams to show you which muscles to work on.

Additionally, become conscious of not clenching your teeth during waking hours. If you tuck your tounge's tip in front of your lower teeth, it keeps you from clenching your jaw.

Avoid drinking caffeine completely - it increases physical tension in your muscles. Practice relaxation techniques by listening to soothing music and relaxation tapes. Stretch, unwind, get rid of muscular tension.

Since you are pregnant, it is essential you inform your physician about this condition which is aggravating you to the point of being in pain. He may have other ideas such as ice packs on your jaw, etc.

Additionally, with your physician's approval, there are accupressure points you could stimulate to assist your TMJ condition in resolving.

good luck!

Answer 2

I dont have dental insurance either but I went to an orthodontist who said 90% of TMJ is caused by clenching your jaws esp. when you are sleeping or when you aren't paying attention during the day. It is stress related. I paid $300 to have this retainer thing made that prevents you from clenching your teeth. I am unfortunatly in the 10% that is not a teeth clencher and mine is structural. Therefor the only way to deal with it would be to break my jaw and have it reset and wired shut... I am afraid it will come to that at some point due to the pain. Have you had xrays? Do you know if this is a stress or structure problem? IF it is stress you can fix it for around $300 and a lot of orthodontists take payments.

Answer 3

I have it and I find that getting a mouthguard is helpful (you can find them at CVS/Walgreens/Brooks etc.) -- it's supposed to help while you sleep. Also, my dentist told me to cut down on chewing gum or anything really hard on the side that it hurts the most on.

It's more about a lifestyle change unless you want to do the surgery option.

Answer 4

Heck yes, lots of highway building jobs for Mexican laborers! It would also be nice to get rid of our ugly dollars and have pretty ones like the Canadians and Mexicans do... Noticed that beeech, Katherine Harris, is all for it with her bill in support of it. When will Floridians kick her out of office? This is one of the issues that only Ron Paul keeps bringing up...We know McCain hired one of Mexican ex-president Fox's promoters of the NAU...Dr Juan Fernandez for his "Director of Hispanic Outreach" so we know where McCain stands. Arizonan Republicans seem to be the only people paying attention to this issue. (They are pissed.) I think this would be a good issue for Obama to use to distance himself from McCain...

Answer 5

I use cold paks and a mouth piece. I would follow up with your primary doctor. Good luck....I'm sorry I hate this condition also, it cases me to have bad headaches.