californiaguy1,
It's not important that anyone believes you. I swear that nobody believes me!!! Not my doctor, not my wife... (parents?... ugh), but ultimately they do believe I am experiencing something. Whether they think it's "in my head" or a true physical problem, sometimes our doctors and loved ones will feel just as (if not more so) helpless as we do.

What is important is that you help yourself and seek answers and remedies for your particular situation. Take the time to log down your symptoms daily and keep a journal. Make every effort to understand when the severity of your symptoms worsens or is relieved. Share this with a doctor/specialist and don't take "oh, it's stress... it's in your head.." etc... for an answer. Yes, stress does play a part, but there can be physical problems that can be addressed in order to make dealing with all the other stuff easier. I am no doctor and I am simply speaking from the last two years of suffering. If I would have taken my initial doc's advice I would have been taking meds and killing my kidneys for the next 50 years.

Not sure about your braces.. Wish I was more experienced to tell you something useful... There are others in your situation on this forum. You may want to read a few of their posts and see what might best apply to you.

Hang in there and don't give up looking. You will eventually find something that will help. Remember, that it may take some time for something to work or for you to discover...

Later
Carl

Thanks for the response, well at least I think if I can get the braces off I can get back to being fairly normal and get a job so I won't have to rely on my parents anymore. I had to wear a splint full time for a few months which made it impossible to talk so I wasn't able to work, this is one of the most frustrating problems since it directly involves your ability to interact with others. I guess I can take something away from this if I ever get over it which is to have more sympathy for others than I probably would have ever had before and hopefully do something positive to help other people.

I have also had to wear a splint during the day... I interact with others and excuse my speech and even made fun of it during meetings when appropriate... It's how you deal with it that matters. If others notice that you are sensitive to it or that you are self-conscious of it, they will key in on it too. If you act like it doesn't exist, so will they.

Removing the braces might be an option... there are some people here that have had them with no relief...

Part of why I started posting on this forum was to get my "story" out here with the symptoms detailed so others searching might find it. I have posted my issues here: http://ehealthforum.com/health/topic105021 .html - and I am feeling good at the moment though it may change... The fact is that if it does change I can keep posting what new issue may come up and repost when I find a solution. Hopefully it will help others and at the same time help myself. I certainly hope you do the same.

Good luck with your parents...

Carl

I called the orthodontist's office today and found out that he is away for a week and they were actually kind of rude about the whole thing and made some comment about how there's always pain with braces. At this point I was really unhappy about the whole thing and I feel like the pain has been getting worse everyday, it was to the point where I think the pain had just about surpassed the pain I had before I ever even started wearing the splint so I just got a thumbtack and removed the rubber bands that held the brace wire in place and took the wire out.

I'm already feeling a lot better, it had been feeling as if my right upper cheek bone / joint was about to pop out of place from the pressure of the braces and now I'm feeling somewhat normal again. I'm going to go to another orthodontist and just have them remove the metal pieces glued to my teeth and make me a retainer to keep my bite the way it is. In the short time I had the braces on my bite actually seems to have stabilized, what really annoys me is that this orthodontist wasn't taking into consideration my TMJ and seemed to be treating this as just a cosmetic procedure, telling me I would ned the braces for a year. The only reason I got the braces was to fix my bite just enough to where the TMJ symptoms won't re-occur. I already have a fully developed adult jaw and from what I have read it is much harder to move teeth as an adult than a kid because the jaw has hardened, I guess this guy didn't take that into consideration, he never once mentioned to me that the braces could cause pain and the way he put it was like I had no choice but to get them if I wanted to fix the problem permanently.

Well I'm definitely starting to understand how some of the people on this board feel with frustration about having to go to doctor after doctor but at least I seem to be progressing in the right direction, I hope everyone else on here can get the help they need, I'm lucky to have caught this at a fairly young age so I can hopefully make a full recovery. Well I've vented enough, sorry to anyone who had to read this.. lol

Good for you! Well, kindof. I would have been too nervous (I was at one time). Braces definitely should always first and foremost be thought of as a means to correct and balance a bite, NOT for looks. Looks, secondary but not if it's going to throw the bite balance off. If you feel like your bite is stable now, having the braces removed and getting retainers might be a good idea. I truly hope and pray that this will work out for the best.

God bless...
Carol

And don't worry about what your parents think... it's okay. I spent a lot on a couple visits to a specialist that my wife was REAL apprehensive about. The therapy didn't really work and my wife was upset to say the least. The fact is that it wasn't working and didn't work. Stopping the pain so I could be with my family (and not just lay in bed all day), go to work and feel normal is/was my only goal.

Don't feel obligated to your parents. You didn't MAKE them pay for your braces did you? If you still feel guilty just offer to make payments when you go back to work.

Again, good luck.