I noticed a lot of people on this board have been having trouble with TMJ and I was once in equally bad shape. I wanted to share my experiences with medical cannabis for the treatment of TMJ.
I was diagnosed about 8 months ago and initially received a splint from my dentist. While the splint initially provided some relief, my nighttime grinding was so severe that the dentist couldn't keep up with the damage I was doing to the splint on a nightly basis. The daily headaches continued and the symptoms expanded and worsened. One day I woke up with double vision in my right eye that lasted for several days. My jaw and teeth were in so much pain that I had a hard time focusing on work or leisure.
Finally out of desperation, I obtained a recommendation for medical marijuana (I live in CA, luckily) a few weeks ago. I take a few puffs about an hour before bedtime, and I regain the ability to control my jaw muscles. I tell them to relax and they do. My mind clears of the worries and stresses of the day and I am filled with the sense that everything is going to be okay. I fall asleep almost instantly and when I wake up, my jaw is relaxed and loose.
Two weeks later, my teeth don't hurt and I no longer have a headache all day every day. I've stopped taking advil and aspirin (4-6 of each per day) and thus the nausea and acid reflux have abated. I don't even need my night guard any more! I am more productive at work and more engaged in personal and leisure activities.
I would like to end this account by reminding you that it is merely an anecdote -- one man's experience with medical cannabis for the treatment of TMJ. It would be wonderful to see a controlled longitundinal study done on TMJ treatment with cannabis, but thanks to our ridiculous federal drug policies, which consider marijuana more dangerous than cocaine or morphine, that is not currently feasible. If you are lucky enough to live in a medical marijuana state, I suggest talking it over with your doctor.