Which symptoms of TMJ do you have?

There are many treatments for TMJ, the best to consider first are conservative, reversible and non-invasive treatments.
With TMJ, what works for some won't work for others. There are many people who have been helped by massage, accupuncture, hot/cold packs, physio, splints, TENS, pain management medications, or a combination of the above.

Most treatment options will depend on the symptoms.

Hi Melanie,

Thank you. What is TENS? Do you suggest purchasing the packs at a pharmacy or to visit a doctor first? Is physio the same as physical therapy?

Thanks again,

Sean

Hi Sean,

TENS = Transcutaneous Electronic Nerve Stimulator. It's a little machine where you attach the pads to areas where you muscles are tight, and it gentle works on them for you. That's not the best explanation, but I've currently drawn a blank.
I think you can purchase wheat packs in some supermarkets, and I believe physiotherapy and physical therapy are pretty much the same thing.

What symptoms do you have?

Melanie.

Hi,

Thanks. Would I need to go to a dr. for TENS and can I get the machine myself? I have face pain, jaw clicking (sometimes loudly), neck and shoulder pain, minor difficulty swallowing, and recently some dizziness/lightheadness. Sometimes the area around my ears hurts too. Thankfully it's not constant but enough to be bothersome. Like, I was at the dentist's office and it was hard to keep my right jaw (the right tends to be worse) open. Sometimes it hurts a bit when I chew.

You can get a TENS unit yourself, but they tend to cost upwards from $100 (AUD anyway). It sounds muscle related, so I'd definitely visit a PT, and also massage your face, neck and shoulders while in the shower, every little bit helps.
Try PT first, they he/she can tell you whether it's worth investing in a TENS unit, as I got mine through my PT and he got me a discount.
It's also worth visiting your doctor, he may refer you on to someone who can help you, as well as ruling out any other possibilities.

To answer one of your earlier questions: No, you won't choke as long as you are using a proper dental splint. I wear one at night, and there's no chance of its slipping back. Getting a proper splint is the best thing I ever did, and I don't have any TMJ problems anymore. Search on the Internet to find a splint that can work for you.

Also, why were you sent to an oral *surgeon*?! That is a drastic measure -- one you want to avoid.

Seeing an oral surgeon doesn't necessarily mean surgery. The good oral surgeons will do everything possible to avoid surgery. However, there are others out there who will push surgery and will have no interest in you if you don't want it.

Hello there,

About a year ago, I was referred to an oral surgeon too. Withing minutes, he told me that I would need surgery to relocate the disks... No need to say I was not really excited about that. My mom didn't like the guy much because he was really pushing for the surgery so we made an appointment with another surgeon in the city. This one was much nicer but still said that I would eventually need surgery.

We asked him about natural treatments such as massages and chiropractic care and he said these treatments sometimes have great results. We could see he didn't really want to believe in it though... after all he's a surgeon, not a chiropractor. So anyways, we investigated chiropractic care for tmj. I saw 3 chiropractors who didn't have a clue about what they were doing and actually made things worse!

After spending hours on the internet, I read in a forum (maybe here?) about the tmj help program, an ebook with exercises and massages for tmj. Although skeptical, I did purchase the ebook and saw great improvements within days. After about 2 months of practicing the exercises, my tmj was gone!

I still have to do the exercises everyday even though it doesn't hurt anymore. If I don't do the exercises for a few days, I can feel the pain coming back. But hey, I'll take 10 minutes of exercises a day anytime if that can keep me away from that terrible pain I felt for years.

That's it, that's my story

nonofollow, any way you could possibly describe these exercises? All of the sudden my TMJ has gotten really bad and it's making it difficult to do lots of things. I'd love to get it back in order.