nothing significant, but hope nothing get worse tho

OK. My jaw condition has improved since one year ago and my ears feels much better too because of that.

good, take good care of them, you should be better soon

You too. Thanks for all the advices.

Hi there,

As I read your story, I'm remembering so many similarities from other people that have tmj due to an accident. The same thing happened to me and I've been through all the pains and feelings you've been through. it's so tough, and so unfair.

One thing that helped me at the beginning was that my doctor explained how to help "heal" the pains. She said that if you had a broken leg, you'd put a cast on it. You can't put a cast on your face, and your jaw is so delicate with its movement, and so easily disrupted, so it takes a long long long time to "heal" (I say "heal" because I've been told over and over that TMJ or TMD-the disorder-isn't really curable. you just have to find the best way to tolerate it.)

From all that I've read about tmj, everyone's is slightly different. mine is bad because i have a skinny neck and bad posture and a slightly curved back. So I've been told that my jaw joint was my "Achilles heel". I've learned that neck and back and shoulder exercises help, and I don't sleep on my back anymore, I always sleep on my side with my jaw evenly supported.

This took me two years to figure out; before that was so painful and frustrating.Ii remember at one point that I couldn't talk or sing for 5 minutes without having horible, horrible pains. it was saddening and depressing to think that I couldn't sing while driving anymore or have a normal conversation with my friends or family.

I used an appliance for over a year and then stopped using it. it seemed to help to a certain point.

So, maybe take your time, be gentle with your jaw (don't overwork it) and find out what will help you feel better.
Also, my doctor told me this: remember that your joint is made up of muscles, tendons and bone. since maybe your tendons or bones are damaged, you only have your muscles for supporting your joint. if you work your jaw a lot, your muscles will tire and then they'll ache and that'll hurt your tmj more.

Also, there's a lot of different splints and appliances out there now. I think the one I used was outdated. I also had to wear it 24/7 for over 6 months, it hurt my jaw muscles and was also embarrassing to wear, but it helped my pain subside some.

I've been to Thailand, it's my favorite place in the world. Sooooo beautiful!

thx you, i heard your pain. i still think a lot more lucky than a lot of ppl who more pain there me. I was thinking that the only way out of this is surgery, but a lot of ppl find surgery not a long term answer.

i feel a lot better than before when i am already back home in thai.

hope everything go well and keep me posted
youwon

Have any of you try neromusculer dentist? I was thinking of trying this one in edmonton that does TENS. I had a problem with my jaw comming out of joint,(Didn't experience the clicking or popping) but recently last month it totally came out of joint due to me yawning where I could not:
Talk
swallow
I was drooling
Could not close my mouth,
I some how relaxed it and got it back in myself.

After this my teeth never seemed to fit together properly until a really good doctor put his fist under my chin and told me to bite as hard as I could and he lifted up. After that my teeth felt like they where lined.

I am Just wondering if neuromuscler dentistry works, since my muscles in my jaw are very tight to the point where I can not eat solid foods (On a liquid diet) and my lower jaw feels like it wants to deviate to the left (My right one is what dislocated)My lower jaw deviates to the left when I chew which feels very painful almost like my left side want's to dislocate as well.

Well for all that is suffering please view the above site and let me know what you think. I was trying to find something that wasn't surgery and something that could make it where my jaw could heal.

I think it is so easy for all of us to want to get better right away, but from what I have read this is a very complicated joint, that is used constantly, so imagine breaking your arm and moving it all the time it's going to take even longer to heal, I hope time cures all wounds:

What I have been doing: Tips to releave the pain.

1.) I take a bath and lay down and put my tmj joints into the warm bath, in hopes to relax the muscles. This seems to provide temporary relief from tense muscles.
2.) Been taking advil only at night, this doesn't really seem to help much of the tension I usually take it more so I can just fall asleep. I try not to take medications that make it where I can't feel it so I don't injure it any further.
3.) I use a wet cloth and put ice in the cloth and put it on the tmj joints (Both of them) to relieve tension.
4.) When I have the urge to yawn I put my fist underneath my jaw to prevent my mouth from opening, so I don't dislocate the joint again, and in hope that it allows this to heal.
5.) I have tried to cut my talking back (For me this one is really tough since I love to talk) reason is I keep thinking if I allow this bone to heal maybe it will.
6.) I sleep with my tounge on the roof of my mouth and lips closed. during the day I try to keep my mouth slightly relaxed and lips apart (NO Clenching!)
7.) I do tounge exercises where I stick my tounge out to lick my lips, to attempt to relax this area as well.

I am finding that wetted cloths are good verses dry (example hotwater bottle) it seems like it helps if it's wet.

If anyone has any good tips on what helps and what doesn't please let me know.

There is so many nerve involved with tmj/tmd that it can affect various things.

for me it has been:

Neck and Shoulder and back pain. Dizziness, jaw pain where the joints meet. Can't open my jaw very wide, I get tounge spasms and spasms in my left and right temp joints. I also get bottom jaw spasms where the jaw will deivate without me wanting it to, to the left.

I also experienced severe throat (esophigal) spams that where more painful then the neck, shoulder, back and jaw pain. I was using cyclobenzaprine (Muscle relaxant) after I quit taking this and took tramacet (Pain killer) and decided to quit taking this stuff all together. Then all of a sudden the throat spams where gone. I am figuring it was a allergic reaction. Nevertheless, it could of been from a pinched nerve but I am glad I stopped taking those muscle relaxants. I think Advil can do the same thing as those could.

for others other various nerves can be affected:
1. Eye sight problems.
2. Dizziness
3. Ringing of the ear. (Tinnitus)
4. Headache
5. Ear Symptoms

The list goes on but I guess if you think of the human body it is pretty complicated and everyone is different when it comes to which nerves they pinched and which ones they didn't.

I think we can all agree that there absolutely needs to be more research with tmj/tmd and even a foundation in honor of all of us that are going through so much pain and are powerless to stop it. Seems there is a controversy of weather tmj or tmd is dental or doctor related and that's why we can't get insurance to cover this. I think all of us suffers need to end this by talking to our governments, and making it where we can get accurate research and diagnoisis and even decent insurance to cover this! If we don't, no one else will, because they don't feel the pain WE do! Even our families don't understand unless they are going through it. no one can feel your pain but you.

yes, tmj dislocation is more than just a dislocation. it causes depression and loneliness. after dislocating mine and not being able to relocate it again, my self esteem dropped from 1000-0. seriously. i keep myself isolated cause i dont want them to see.

Update:I went to the neromusculer dentist in Edmonton,Alberta Canada
They gave me a K7 CT scan(Which is different from a regular CT scan it is more detailed and can be rotated to show any angle of the bone)and found out that my disc's had been flipped foward. (Between your jaw bone and socket there is a disc that prevents the two bones from rubbing allowing your jaw to chew smoothly without any pain.) Both my left and right discs are not in there, therefore I have bone rubbing on bone. This was not caught with the CT scan that was done at the Hospital.

The neromuscler dentist put me on TENS since I could hardly open my mouth (This happened over time since the muscles got so tense for about a month and two weeks it took for the muscles to get so tense to the point where I couldn't open it enough sometimes to even get an advil in there, and a toothbrush was out of the question.

They put me on this machine called TENS (Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) They put these sticky pads that have a metal piece on the shoulders and areas of the right and left jaw and back of neck, and hook up the TENS to it, at first it feels like little pricks, (which are not pain full) this pricking feeling goes away for about 5 minutes when your muscles get use to it, then it's almost like a twitching motion. (Not painful at all) kind of like a muscle spasm feeling. It confuses the muscle to instead of tighten it reprograms the muscles to relax.

I was on TENS for approximently 3-4 hours. After the TENS I could open my mouth about 1/2 an inch this was a big improvement!

Before I went to Sana Cosmetic Dental I was on a liquid diet.

Also if you have to be on a liquid diet you have to take a good protene shake I took "Six Star muscle Fuel Professional strength whey Protein" Anabolic protien formula in Vanilla since I could mix this with various things in a blender and it comes in a powder form but I switched to Quick Mass in Vanilla since in my opinon WAYY better and gives 1010 calories!! (This is good for me since I am a 130lbs woman. You can use as much as you want if you are a guy 2.I could not chew any food,I couldn't even stand the feeling of mash potatoes since it felt very intense to my joints.

Since the TENS I am able to eat soft foods such as mash potatoes and gravy, egg yolks, but please note my discs are still not back into position so my jaw is grinding bone on bone, if your symptoms are less then mine in my opinon (I am not a doctor) you may see better results with TENS.

I was given TENS unit to take home and I have to do this for about 3 to 4 hours a day for about 10 days to try to get my jaw to relax so my discs will flip back and go into their natural position. After this an appliance will be put into my bottom teeth to make it where my jaw cannot shift and my discs can heal. (Which will prevent bone grinding on bone)Apparently my discs can heal them selfs when put back into position!

It may take up to approx 3 years for my jaw to get into the optimum position since b/c of the discs being pushed forward and out of place, my lower jaw went back about 4mm. So this is definatley a disorder that is not exactally a quick fix. But don't fret, I DO feel a lot better after TENS then before it. And, so far I would recommend to see a Neromuscler Dentist.

The difference Between a Neromuscler Dentist and a Regular Dentist.

Neromuscler Dentist
1. They know about TMJ/ TMD
2. Sana Cosmetic Dential (Is very understanding of my pain!) Although I cannot speak for other Neromuscler Dentist these people get this pain!
3. They deal with not only teeth but muscles as well.
4. They don't use braces which will allow your teeth to shift later on in life they look at the BIG picture and what the future will be and ensure that your teeth won't shift by using appliances.
5. They have the necessary equipment to test your TMJ/TMD, at Sana Cosmetic Dential they tested my Muscles to see how tight they where before and after TENS. And other equipment that picks up this fine bone TMJ, and any defects. They even check to see how lined your neck and spine are with your head!

Regular Dentist.
1. They don't have the knowledge for the TMJ/TMD bone.
2. They don't have the equipment to test you.
3. They use braces which will eventually shift after removed, which may create more problems (Once again i am not a doctor)

Nevertheless, I don't want to get everyone excited, for me this is going to be a lengthy process. I am going to post how I feel and how things are going through this process to see if there is any improvement this way you ALL have an idea on what is a best choice for you! I just don't want anyone to go through the pain that I have. And if I can post information or what I have went through and it helps someone that at least all of what I have went through and all of this pain is not for nothing.

Symptoms

1. My left and right jaw is still tight, ( But not like it was at all) (I figure this will take awhile to loosen since It took about 1 month and 2 weeks to get this tight)
2. My shoulders still feel sore but once I get my discs back into the proper position this should go away.
3. My tounge spasms have subsided I am not getting these as much
4. Bottom jaw spasms have subsided I get these only once in awhile
5. Still being careful trying not to chew to not damage the bone any further.
6. Open my mouth very slowly after TENS maybe a couple times when I think of it (NOT TO THE POINT OF PAIN) to the point where I FEEL Comfortable. once again no point rushing this as it is going to take awhile.
7. Think I am clenching teeth at night-So tonight I am going to sleep with my tounge on the roof of my mouth close to the upper teeth, when I tried this I can't clench my teeth so hope this helps.

Once again, for anyone going through this, your symptoms could be different, if you have any ideas or things that you have been doing please post, since It would be nice to have extra ideas that may work.

KEEP A DIARY OF WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH.
Oh yeah and another thing I kept a diary of my:

1. Symptoms
2. Previous Accidents
3. Any childhood habits Example: Thumb sucking
4. Daily history of how I felt.
5. Questions, worries etc.

Reason this is imporant is you would be suprised what you forget, and this way if you ever go to a specialist they can copy it and this way they can review this information any time they want. And you won't forget to tell them a certain thing at the appointment.

Hope this helps.