Once again, I'm in tears over the pain of this TMJ. Sometimes I'd just like to rip my jaw completely off. I am tired of suffering with chronic headaches and all that goes with it. I am tired of insurances calling it "preventative." Just frankly, I'm tired of dealing with it. I've taken bottles upon bottles of OTC pain reliever. What do I need to do besides talk to my dentist. He wants money that I don't have to give me a splint and they don't do payment plans. What other options do I have?? I'm a 24 year old, single mother struggling to pay bills, so keep that in mind. Any advice would be great!!! Like I said, I just can't take the pain anymore!! It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't everyday. Thanks for listening.

tiredofhurtin
Aka Janice

I'd also like to add, that although many articles I've read claim that having your wisdom teeth removed have nothing to do with TMJ, that these symptoms did not appear until about 2 months after they were all removed. Which I find to be very odd. Along with the popping and the locking that I have, (which I've had for 6 years now), for the last 2 of those yars, I have added grinding. And it's not just a nighttime thing, it's all day long. I do it and don't realize I do it until my teeth are just flat out numb. I've read a few of the posts and realize that I share a lot of the same symptoms...the chronic headaches, the soreness in the eyesockets, the ear pain...etc. I'm glad I found a place to talk about these things. I really don't know anybody here that shares the same symptoms I do as far as the severity of it. As unfortunate as it is, I'm glad to know that I'm not alone. What's worse is that I'm afraid my son will develop it. Not that I believe it's hereditary, but that he's 3 years old and grinds his teeth constantly during the day, like I do.
Once again, thanks for listening.

Janice

I got a splint from an oral surgeon a couple years ago - oral surgery was included in my medical plan, not my dental plan. So it covered TMJ. Make sure you check into your medical insurance coverage vs. just your dental coverage. And then maybe you can see a different doctor...

Otherwise see a different doctor who might be willing to do a plan for you. Or worst case, get an advance on a credit card. Being in debt sucks, but being in constant pain is worse.

Hi - all my pain and misery began after my wisdom teeth were pulled, so believe me that can cause TMJ disorder.

Other people on this board have had symptoms begin after wisdom teeth removal also.

It's odd, my worst symptom is pain around behind my eyes. Seems like you experience that also?

I can't help you with payment, other than the docs I see here in Michigan fortunatly do have payment plans.

good luck,
mbr

[Substituted the cuss word with "misery". We are asking everyone to clean up the language a bit. Thanks for the cooperation - Well-come Moderator.]

[This message has been edited by Well-come (edited 03-26-2003).]

Hi Janice:
What kind of splint is your dentist wanting to make for you? The reason I ask is because my dentist made my splint and it was only $100.00. I know $100.00 isn't cheap, it's alot of money to me too but the first splint I had cost me $600.00 and was even worse than this one. Maybe you could put it on a credit card where you could make payments. I HATE to use my credit cards but I keep them only for emergencies and I consider dental treatment an emergency.

I wanted to make a quick comment on the wisdom teeth thing. My TMJ started before I had my wisdom teeth pulled. My problems began after getting braces as a teenager and my orthodontist said that the problem was that I needed my wisdom teeth pulled. I believe he said this only to push me off on someone else since by this time he had completed my orthodonic work and had all his money in his greedy little hands. So, I'm not sure of the relationship between wisdom teeth and TMJ. Just thought I'd add that bit of information.
Tiffany

Thanks for the comments. I haven't really checked out the prices with any of the other dentists here. I live in a small town, so I may do better going to the next biggest one and check out some dentists there. However, according to a post I read, that it isn't a dental problem if you don't have a problem with your bite, which I don't seem to recognize. I have a tad bit of an over bite, not really noticeable. So, I'm considering scheduling an appointment with my PCP and see what he suggests. For now, I'm using my mom's celebrex samples she's given me, which seems to help a little. I'll keep you guys updated on the outcomes...as soon as I have the time to set an appointment :-)

**Pain-free for the hour**

Janice

Oh, and as far as what type of splint..I'm not sure. All I know is that he told me that it's $450 for the fitting and $450 for the splint. But like I said, he doesn't take payments plans...you have to pay the half at the first visit and the other half when you go back in and get the splint.....

I've been reading a book called Taking Control of Your TMJ and it has a lot of information that I had never heard before and has some exercises and things you can do to help make yourself feel better.

You might want to check it out. I found it on Amazon.

This is my second bout of TMJ the first times was after having surgery to remove my tonsils and I was unable to eat solid food and in immense pain for months ... but I went to physical; therapy and got better ... and was fine for years. Until suddenly for no apparent reason it came back with a vengeance.

But my previous experience is that it can get better ... check out the book it talks about how to massage your jaw muscles yourself and other strategies for helping yourself ... sure is a lot cheaper than going to doctors who have no idea what we are going through.


[This message has been edited by tmjinflorida (edited 03-27-2003).]

I had my wisdom teeth removed almost three years ago, and my TMJ issues started maybe a year ago. Judging from the research I've done, the reason tooth extraction can lead to TMJD is that your bite changes, so you're putting different pressure on your jaw joint than before.

I was looking at some pictures of my teeth that my orthodontist did before I got my wisdom teeth out, and it's amazing how much my bite has changed since then (it's not nearly as "open" as before).

Hope that helps!

Jenn

Hi Tired,
We all know how you feel. I think all of us at some point have made a post similar to this one, that we're fed up with it all, and just want to find something that helps. In fact, I think I've posted several. ;)
Anyway, I just want to say that before you agree to any treatment, ask how much it costs. Sometimes doctors like to take advantage of us TMJD sufferers because we'll jump at anything that remotely offers relief. My new oral surgeon made me a splint that ended up costing 700 dollars. I'm a 21 year old, recently married, in debt, etc etc, and there is NO WAY I could afford that. I ended up borrowing the money from someone and now that I've had the splint since the 5th, I have shown NO improvement. Very frustrating.
It's a good thing to go to your PCP to talk with her about what is going on. At the least maybe she can manage your medications until you get on your feet with a good doc.
When your dentist tells you about this new splint, let us know what kind it is.
Hope you're feeling better. Keep posting, we understand.
.stacy.

Hi Jenn:
This is interesting information on the wisdom teeth angle of TMJ. It's entirely possible that removing wisdom teeth make TMJ start or aggravate those who already have TMJ.
Tiffany