TiffanyAnn
01-20-2003, 10:41 PM
I have been reading the posts on this webpage for a few days ever since my friend sent me the link. I have been suffering with TMJ for about 23 years now and I have tried repeatedly to get help but to no avail. I have spent countless amounts of money in my quest for help but have been unable to find any and at this point I am extremely frustrated and in alot of pain. I have been reading that many of you are in the same boat I find myself in. I am at the end of my rope in searching for help. Does anyone have any suggestions for me to try.
Thanks,
Tiffany
Thanks,
Tiffany
Sponsor
plymouth
01-20-2003, 11:38 PM
Try St. John Method Neuromuscular Therapy if you can find a practitioner in your area. There are none near me so I've only had two treatments when I was traveling. The first corrected the rotation and inflare/outflare of my temporal bones and immediately stopped the jumping and popping of my jaw for which dentists and chiropractors had said nothing could be done. The second treated the internal and external tmj muscles greatly reducing the tension and pain. I had more ease of movement opening and closing my jaw. I am looking forward to my next treatment in about six weeks.
~p :)
P. S. edited to add that I also learned some self-treatment that gets me through when trigger points in the muscles will flare up.
[This message has been edited by plymouth (edited 01-20-2003).]
~p :)
P. S. edited to add that I also learned some self-treatment that gets me through when trigger points in the muscles will flare up.
[This message has been edited by plymouth (edited 01-20-2003).]
TiffanyAnn
01-20-2003, 11:47 PM
Hey, thanks alot for the information. I will certainly check and see if this is available in my area. I tell you it is so frustrating trying to find the help we so badly need.
Thanks,
Tiffany
Thanks,
Tiffany
Cymy Sue
01-21-2003, 08:09 AM
Hi Tiffany and Welcome,
There are many of us here on the "Long Term TMJD Boat".
Also, all of us have tried different treatments, therapies, and some of us went the surgery route.
You did not elaborate on your situation in regard to what you have tried, so I'll give you a brief summary of my last 25 years.
Orthodontics & splints 77-92
2 Sagittal splits 1988
2 Arthoplastic surgeries 92-97
Several other surgeries to try & correct damage by previous surgeries.
I was told 10 years ago after an arthroplasty that I did not need splint therapy anymore and was told this again 2 months ago, by my former surgeon, he said splint therapy "WOULD NOT HELP ME." He and his Associate, a few months prior, had told me that I was not a candidate for any more surgeries. I am in too much of a mess from the ones I've already had. Both told me my only option was to stay medicated. I was dumped in "Pain Management" 5 years ago. This is not a long term option, as far as I'm concerned. (By the way, these are not just your average Oral-Surgeons. They are the heads of their departments at the largest Univ-Medical Center Complex in my state. One of them is mentioned on several web-sites regarding his research on TMJD. I assume I was one of his experimental subjects.)I listened to this Surgeon for 10 years. Big Mistake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, I have had to come up with more options on my own. This board has helped tremendously.
Splint therapy can help, even with all kinds of irreversible damage. Marlene's posts lead me back to my Dentist, and I have been in a splint for 4 weeks and seeing improvement in headaches, talking better, wider opening, and some of the nerve pain is a little better. I've had no increase in pain or other symtoms.
I also have been going to a Theraputic Massage Therapist, who is trained to work with TMJD patients, for about 3 years. I get incredible relief from her techniques.
I have been on medication for about a year,(low dose pain killer & klonopin) and am about to start tapering off due to the help I've gotten from the splint.
(I have a permanent membership with the "Pain Center", thanks to my former surgeon, but I stay on it a while and then stay off, for as long as I can.)I am very fortunate in respect to medication, I don't like it, I don't get addicted, and can come off pretty quickly.
I did intend to be brief with this, but find that it's hard to give you encouragement with non-invasive and
alternative treatments, without telling you what a mess I am.
I thought for a long time, there was nothing else that could help. I now know that there are other options for some of us.
I hope this helps,
Cymy Sue
[This message has been edited by Cymy Sue (edited 01-21-2003).]
[This message has been edited by Cymy Sue (edited 01-21-2003).]
There are many of us here on the "Long Term TMJD Boat".
Also, all of us have tried different treatments, therapies, and some of us went the surgery route.
You did not elaborate on your situation in regard to what you have tried, so I'll give you a brief summary of my last 25 years.
Orthodontics & splints 77-92
2 Sagittal splits 1988
2 Arthoplastic surgeries 92-97
Several other surgeries to try & correct damage by previous surgeries.
I was told 10 years ago after an arthroplasty that I did not need splint therapy anymore and was told this again 2 months ago, by my former surgeon, he said splint therapy "WOULD NOT HELP ME." He and his Associate, a few months prior, had told me that I was not a candidate for any more surgeries. I am in too much of a mess from the ones I've already had. Both told me my only option was to stay medicated. I was dumped in "Pain Management" 5 years ago. This is not a long term option, as far as I'm concerned. (By the way, these are not just your average Oral-Surgeons. They are the heads of their departments at the largest Univ-Medical Center Complex in my state. One of them is mentioned on several web-sites regarding his research on TMJD. I assume I was one of his experimental subjects.)I listened to this Surgeon for 10 years. Big Mistake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, I have had to come up with more options on my own. This board has helped tremendously.
Splint therapy can help, even with all kinds of irreversible damage. Marlene's posts lead me back to my Dentist, and I have been in a splint for 4 weeks and seeing improvement in headaches, talking better, wider opening, and some of the nerve pain is a little better. I've had no increase in pain or other symtoms.
I also have been going to a Theraputic Massage Therapist, who is trained to work with TMJD patients, for about 3 years. I get incredible relief from her techniques.
I have been on medication for about a year,(low dose pain killer & klonopin) and am about to start tapering off due to the help I've gotten from the splint.
(I have a permanent membership with the "Pain Center", thanks to my former surgeon, but I stay on it a while and then stay off, for as long as I can.)I am very fortunate in respect to medication, I don't like it, I don't get addicted, and can come off pretty quickly.
I did intend to be brief with this, but find that it's hard to give you encouragement with non-invasive and
alternative treatments, without telling you what a mess I am.
I thought for a long time, there was nothing else that could help. I now know that there are other options for some of us.
I hope this helps,
Cymy Sue
[This message has been edited by Cymy Sue (edited 01-21-2003).]
[This message has been edited by Cymy Sue (edited 01-21-2003).]
crystalll
01-21-2003, 11:51 AM
Plymouth,
What does St. John Method Neuromuscular Therapy entail? I've started seeing a chiropracter who specializes in Soft Tissue Release. It's a very aggressive form of trigger point therapy, where he presses on the trigger point while stretching the muscle. I'm quite optimistic about it. I was just wondering if this is similar to the therapy you're referring to.
Thanks
Crystal
What does St. John Method Neuromuscular Therapy entail? I've started seeing a chiropracter who specializes in Soft Tissue Release. It's a very aggressive form of trigger point therapy, where he presses on the trigger point while stretching the muscle. I'm quite optimistic about it. I was just wondering if this is similar to the therapy you're referring to.
Thanks
Crystal
plymouth
01-21-2003, 05:12 PM
Paul St. John researched TMJ with German dentists and found that most TMJ is the result of postural distortions, usually beginning in the pelvis.
Most, not all. TMJ has many causes and this will not apply to everyone. Some TMJ results from birth defects or direct trauma to the joint.
Soft tissue release? This might be the Stuart Taws Method, which is wonderful effective work. But if there are postural distortions any muscle tension will be perpetuated. Treating the muscles first is to chase the symptoms and ignore the cause.
~p :)
Most, not all. TMJ has many causes and this will not apply to everyone. Some TMJ results from birth defects or direct trauma to the joint.
Soft tissue release? This might be the Stuart Taws Method, which is wonderful effective work. But if there are postural distortions any muscle tension will be perpetuated. Treating the muscles first is to chase the symptoms and ignore the cause.
~p :)
TiffanyAnn
01-21-2003, 11:12 PM
Hi Cymy Sue:
Thanks for replying to my post. It sounds like you have been through quite a bit yourself. What I have done is this. I have had braces twice, once when I was in high school and then again about 5 years ago. I believe my problem with the TMJ began due to the orthodonic work I had done when I was in high school. The problems began shortly after I had my braces removed. I contacted my orthodontist and he said the problem was I needed to have my wisdom teeth removed which I later found out was incorrect. I let thing go for awhile and the longer I let it go the worse my problem became. My jaw pops, clicks and catches on the left side only. Sometimes my jaws gets locked open and I can't close my mouth. Then about 2 years ago when I was in for a visit with my dentist he said he could help me with the TMJ problem. He wanted to make some splints that would cost a fortune but not actually correct anything and he wanted to send me to some friend of his who does surgery on TMJ. I told him I'm not interested in surgery. I have heard horror surgeries from people who have had surgery. I have a friend in New York who had treatment without surgery that was a success and I am looking for someone who is willing to attempt to correct my problem without resorting to surgery. I have another friend who sees the same dentist I do and he sent her for surgery last year. She has had an awful time and it cost her a fortune. So, my dentist made me a bite guard for wearing at night. I have been using that for a year and a half and have not got any relief from it. I spoke with a dentist who said he could help me so I made an appointment. When he saw me he said my case was too difficult and he could not help me so here I am looking for help again. I am thankful I never had surgery and I don't intend to have any surgery on it unless I cannot move my mouth at all. I have begun to stutter alot in the last 2 or 3 years which is most irritating and I have heard others say they have the same problem. So, any advice anyone can offer I am sure willing to try.
Thanks,
Tiffany
Thanks for replying to my post. It sounds like you have been through quite a bit yourself. What I have done is this. I have had braces twice, once when I was in high school and then again about 5 years ago. I believe my problem with the TMJ began due to the orthodonic work I had done when I was in high school. The problems began shortly after I had my braces removed. I contacted my orthodontist and he said the problem was I needed to have my wisdom teeth removed which I later found out was incorrect. I let thing go for awhile and the longer I let it go the worse my problem became. My jaw pops, clicks and catches on the left side only. Sometimes my jaws gets locked open and I can't close my mouth. Then about 2 years ago when I was in for a visit with my dentist he said he could help me with the TMJ problem. He wanted to make some splints that would cost a fortune but not actually correct anything and he wanted to send me to some friend of his who does surgery on TMJ. I told him I'm not interested in surgery. I have heard horror surgeries from people who have had surgery. I have a friend in New York who had treatment without surgery that was a success and I am looking for someone who is willing to attempt to correct my problem without resorting to surgery. I have another friend who sees the same dentist I do and he sent her for surgery last year. She has had an awful time and it cost her a fortune. So, my dentist made me a bite guard for wearing at night. I have been using that for a year and a half and have not got any relief from it. I spoke with a dentist who said he could help me so I made an appointment. When he saw me he said my case was too difficult and he could not help me so here I am looking for help again. I am thankful I never had surgery and I don't intend to have any surgery on it unless I cannot move my mouth at all. I have begun to stutter alot in the last 2 or 3 years which is most irritating and I have heard others say they have the same problem. So, any advice anyone can offer I am sure willing to try.
Thanks,
Tiffany
Cymy Sue
01-22-2003, 07:26 AM
Tiffany,
Have you seen anyone who is actually trained to treat TMJD with splint therapy. As I said, I was mislead for 10 years.
Some of Marlene's posts lead me back to my Dentist, who is trained in using Muscle Repositioning Splints.
Anterior or Posterior, according to your symtoms. He has also studied Equilibration extensively. Not by shaving your teeth down, but by using the splint to equalize your bite, while the muscles are relaxing into a more normal position. I was really skeptical about this helping after all of these years of progressive deterioration, but in 4 weeks, I have seen more improvement than I can believe.(These splints are not just bite guards. They are designed to correct muscle position. From everything I can read, if they are made correctly for your individual symtoms, they do not create additonal pain or discomfort. It took my Dentist a few months to research & consult with others, to decide what would be best for me. In my case, the thickness was the most important factor. Mine had to be as thin as possible and not break. He did a great job.)
Before, I got this splint, I could barely get a sentence out without stammering or stuttering. After about a week, I realized I was talking better that I have in years. I can open wider and more evenly. My right-sided deviation is not so noticeable.
I know this sounds almost impossible. Other than the members with implants, I am in about the worse "surgical mess" you can be in. I almost can not believe that this little thin piece of plastic has made such a difference, in such a short time.
I know from experience, what works for one, will not always work for someone else, but I truly believe that this type of splint therapy is a step in the right direction.
Good Luck,
Cymy Sue
Have you seen anyone who is actually trained to treat TMJD with splint therapy. As I said, I was mislead for 10 years.
Some of Marlene's posts lead me back to my Dentist, who is trained in using Muscle Repositioning Splints.
Anterior or Posterior, according to your symtoms. He has also studied Equilibration extensively. Not by shaving your teeth down, but by using the splint to equalize your bite, while the muscles are relaxing into a more normal position. I was really skeptical about this helping after all of these years of progressive deterioration, but in 4 weeks, I have seen more improvement than I can believe.(These splints are not just bite guards. They are designed to correct muscle position. From everything I can read, if they are made correctly for your individual symtoms, they do not create additonal pain or discomfort. It took my Dentist a few months to research & consult with others, to decide what would be best for me. In my case, the thickness was the most important factor. Mine had to be as thin as possible and not break. He did a great job.)
Before, I got this splint, I could barely get a sentence out without stammering or stuttering. After about a week, I realized I was talking better that I have in years. I can open wider and more evenly. My right-sided deviation is not so noticeable.
I know this sounds almost impossible. Other than the members with implants, I am in about the worse "surgical mess" you can be in. I almost can not believe that this little thin piece of plastic has made such a difference, in such a short time.
I know from experience, what works for one, will not always work for someone else, but I truly believe that this type of splint therapy is a step in the right direction.
Good Luck,
Cymy Sue
plymouth
01-22-2003, 01:06 PM
There is something missing from the discussions.
Does anyone else notice what it is?
It's right there in the name. TMJ. TemporoMandibularJoint.
Everyone talks about the joint. And the mandible.
But a joint is always the articulation of two bones.
What's the other bone? The temporal bone!
Why is it so completely ignored and neglected?
Does anyone else notice what it is?
It's right there in the name. TMJ. TemporoMandibularJoint.
Everyone talks about the joint. And the mandible.
But a joint is always the articulation of two bones.
What's the other bone? The temporal bone!
Why is it so completely ignored and neglected?
Merrida
01-22-2003, 05:50 PM
You know, I thought it was my imagination (mostly since none of my dentists could confirm this, nor could my chiropractor or my pcp) -- but since my jaw started to get worse the past few years, and the past 1-2 years especially, my SPEECH is totally screwed up. I slur, I stutter, I spit, I drool, I have a hard time enunciating...I feel like I cannot control my cheeks or my lips to form words, and my jaw does not cooperate and is not on the same "timing" with my thoughts. So I think of what I want to say and by the time I can enunciate it, there's a bit of a delay (make sense?) -- needless to say I dislike this impression, but there's little I can do to change it. It looks like it's taking me forever to formulate my thoughts, but it isn't! It's just taking that long to get OUT of my mouth.
I cannot understand this connection on an intellectual level, and especially not on an emotional level. I wasn't sure if this was related to my "dental woes" or my jaw and altered bite.
I did not know other people were having problems with things like stuttering too! I really thought it was just me.
[This message has been edited by Merrida (edited 01-22-2003).]
I cannot understand this connection on an intellectual level, and especially not on an emotional level. I wasn't sure if this was related to my "dental woes" or my jaw and altered bite.
I did not know other people were having problems with things like stuttering too! I really thought it was just me.
[This message has been edited by Merrida (edited 01-22-2003).]
TiffanyAnn
01-22-2003, 10:30 PM
Cymy Sue:
The only kind of splints I have ever had were just mouth guards, they did not reposition anything. I will begin calling the dentists in my area and asking them about this. It sounds promising and I could sure use the help right now. Thank you so much for this information. I can't believe that after all these years and all the research and talking I have done to dentists and orthodontists that I have never heard of this before but I intend to find out if any of the dentists in my area have heard of it. Thank you so much.
Tiffany
The only kind of splints I have ever had were just mouth guards, they did not reposition anything. I will begin calling the dentists in my area and asking them about this. It sounds promising and I could sure use the help right now. Thank you so much for this information. I can't believe that after all these years and all the research and talking I have done to dentists and orthodontists that I have never heard of this before but I intend to find out if any of the dentists in my area have heard of it. Thank you so much.
Tiffany
TiffanyAnn
01-22-2003, 10:33 PM
Hi Merrida:
You know, until I began reading the messages on this board, I like you, thought the stuttering and drooling and all was just me as well. I find the stuttering extremely embarassing and the spitting and the rest equally embarassing. It's hard to believe that a problem like TMJ could affect so many areas of our lives and it is just as hard to believe that in these many years that dentists have not educated themselves on TMJ. It does help knowing that others have the same problem because I truly thought it was just me and that I was losing my mind.
Tiffany
You know, until I began reading the messages on this board, I like you, thought the stuttering and drooling and all was just me as well. I find the stuttering extremely embarassing and the spitting and the rest equally embarassing. It's hard to believe that a problem like TMJ could affect so many areas of our lives and it is just as hard to believe that in these many years that dentists have not educated themselves on TMJ. It does help knowing that others have the same problem because I truly thought it was just me and that I was losing my mind.
Tiffany