I've noticed that my TMJ pain is much worse in the winter and just painful the rest of the year. I think it is because when I in the cold I start to shiver and yikes, that really hurts!

My symptoms have progressed over the years, from not being able to chew gum to now, 10 years later, living on a liquid diet with the occasional pudding (and pain afterwards), constant pain, and on strong pain meds.

TMJ seems to run in my family, and most people who get it do better after a few years. I'm one of the unlucky ones that just gets worse and worse.

Have you been to any tmj specialist? did they try to fix the problem ?
I'm wondering if this problem can be fixed or if it fails.

Yes, I DO have this problem. I've had tmj since about 5 years, on a scale of 1-10, i'm always in pain, but during some months, it seems every day is an unbearable 10 and then other months i'll go down to 6/7 or even 5.

never without pain, but the severity of the problem seems to cycle a bit. On top of that i am slowly, getting progressively worse though.

so that the bottom part of the cycle is a lot worse than it was last year, or the year before that.

For around 5 years i convinced myself i 'didn't really have a problem' because when I was on the good part of my cycle it was mainly swollen/numb and didn't 'hurt that much'

(it did, just in comparison)

yeah, i've been deluding myself for aorund 5 years, almost always in pain, because somtimes i'm in less pain than other months.

I agree, you should see a specialist. I have had tmj pain for years now, and when I finally got really bad, they recommended surgery. It has progressed to the point where I am on bedrest and have not worked in 4 months. I am currently awaiting surgery. Trust me, you don't want to get to the point where I am. The wait is long and unbearable if it gets too bad. You have to see tons of different doctors to get their opinions on whether or not you need surgery and will have to try different treatment options before knowing if you need surgery. It's been a year long process for me to finally get in to see the surgeon. Now I am taking pain meds around the clock and cannot work/drive. I am not sure if your case will need surgery in the future, but you certainly should seek medical treatment to make sure that it does not progress. I do not wish this illness on any one. Since you cannot "see" the pain, sometimes I feel as if the doctors don't take you as seriously. See a specialist and get an MRI to see how it looks. Mine gets worse each day. It used to flare up and then go back down, but not anymore. I cannot take it anymore. I cannot wait to have my surgery. I am counting the days. I have tried every other procedure and medication out there with no results. Be on the safe side and see a doctor before it progresses. Good luck and take care.

I hope you both get better. I hate it when people are suffering.
I went out and bought Magnesium at a health natural food store. They looked up TMJ treatment and suggested I start with Magnesium to help my muscles. They have given me other suggestions as well but I thought Id try Magnesium for now.
I also read on line several articles where it states that we are deficient in this, therefore we tend to have tmj and fibromyolgia. have you tried magnesium?

coldfire, you are asking if other people have tried TMJ therapy. I was on the same track that you were on, headed towards a lifetime of pain and possible surgery, and then I started trying various therapists. Most of them tried combinations of splinting, massage, electrical stim, etc. Finally I found a guy who had been very well-trained, and he created a daytime splint and a nighttime splint (called a "Bionator"), and those did the trick. Now I'm completely pain-free.

It took a few months to get this point, but it was worth the effort. Now I don't even have to wear anything during the day, but still wear the nighttime splint to prevent nighttime bruxing and further damage to the enamel of my molars, as well as the TMJ's. Don't wait any longer to get some sort of nighttime splint to prevent the damage, otherwise you could end up in surgery, and that's a whole new bag of hurt. Splinting isn't cheap, but it's a lot more expensive to continue causing damage (unintentionally, of course). Make the investments as soon as possible, because the alternatives will be much worse. I do realize that TMJ therapy can be really expensive (mine cost thousands of dollars), but search online for cheaper sources of quality splints.

Best of luck to you!

manager58084708----

would you say that with these splints, the problem has been cured or taken under control? do you think there will ever be a time when you will be perfect as you once were?

did they also bring your jaw forward? that's what i hear people say with these splints your jaw is brought forward which makes me wonder how natural it is for the patient to be in this new position? doens't it create more problems? how do you feel when you're wearing the splint vs when you take it off?

thanks in advance