Hi Mandee

I've been grinding my jaw for ten years -- went to a dentist once who half-heartedly suggested a gum-guard to me; Because of this 'perhaps maybe you should get a gum-guard' approach I was turned off and never went back to see him. Now I wish I had not been so 'half-hearted' myself and gone to see him that long time ago to get a gum-guard!
It's not good to just let things slide. Do something while you can, perhaps it will get better on its own, perhaps not, I wouldn't leave it to chance.
But, your decision

sorry, I always do things too quickly .... I have so much pain at times, including head, facial, neck, shoulder and back pain because of grinding my jaw, it's really worth nipping it in the bud before it gets a chance to get worse. I get dizzy even. It's no good. I should have done something about it ten years ago already.

Hi Mandee,
TMJ just means temporomandibular joint. So, anything that involves the joint in anyway can be called TMJ, or actually, TMJD or TMD (D is for dysfunction). You do sound like you have the basic symptoms with the clicking and occasional pain. The locking is not good and really none of this should be left as it is.

Your bite balance, or how your teeth come together evenly, is very important for stability of just about your whole head and body, believe it or not. It's actually quite amazing. We don't have to have straight teeth but we do need to have that "balance."

If I were you, I would see a TMJ dentist. The solution may be quite simple. Braces are a possibility but if you are thinking of getting them, I would recommend that you see someone who practices Functional Joint Orthotics. What they will do is make a splint to get the bite balanced first. This usually takes less than 6 months. After that, braces (or whatever the next step would have been decided on between you and the doc).

I pray that you find the help you need. I have found in my case (and many others) that the most difficult part of TMJ can be to find a good TMJ specialist, so that is my hope and prayer for you.

God bless...
Carol