flow24er
04-06-2004, 10:55 PM
Hi all,
I am feeling really down at the moment because I am just back from the oral surgeon's. I have developed an open bite over the passed two months and he says that it is probably due to anatomical changes in the TMJs, i.e. athritis. I am really fed up with this whole nightmare and I just want my life back. Does anyone else have an open bite that was not caused by a splint ? Mine just happened about 5 months after my TMJ started. I am worried that I have got athritis now in my TMJs.
Does anyone else have this and can it be cured ?
sorry for my moaning......
I am feeling really down at the moment because I am just back from the oral surgeon's. I have developed an open bite over the passed two months and he says that it is probably due to anatomical changes in the TMJs, i.e. athritis. I am really fed up with this whole nightmare and I just want my life back. Does anyone else have an open bite that was not caused by a splint ? Mine just happened about 5 months after my TMJ started. I am worried that I have got athritis now in my TMJs.
Does anyone else have this and can it be cured ?
sorry for my moaning......
Sponsor
tnjpainneverdie
04-07-2004, 12:44 AM
I'm sorry I can't help :confused: :confused:
I hope someone can help you though. :D
I hope someone can help you though. :D
socilbliss2002
04-07-2004, 08:49 AM
Flower hi,
I have spoken to you before, i developed an open bite after wearing a normal splint to relax my muscles.
I have to add, that the oral surgeon told me that it was impossible for me to develop an open bite from that particular splint. Which i found very strange, considering i didnt have an open bite till i wore the splint.
He then suggested bone degeneration or arthritis, and sent me for xrays, they all came back clear.
He then asked if he could ask his fellow peers what they had to say, he is the top surgeon in my city(not that, that means anything)So i waited a couple of months and went back to him to get the verdict, and all he could say was that, i was a rare case, and he had only come across 2 others in his life, that had developed an OPEN BITE for no apparent reason.I thought he was trying to give me the brush off. My tmj got progressively shocking after the open bite developed, as far as pain was concerned.
I have since then found data, backing up what i believed to have happened, about the splint causing the open bite, but at the sametime, I am not any clearer today on what exactly is happening.
How can you just develop a gap between your top and bottom teeth, and NOBODY CAN TELL YOU WHY,
i know what you are going through.
Have you been to physcial therapists etc, massage people, for releasing muscular tightness.
I have been to so many specialists, and found that the Osteopath has helped me hugely.
I have spoken to you before, i developed an open bite after wearing a normal splint to relax my muscles.
I have to add, that the oral surgeon told me that it was impossible for me to develop an open bite from that particular splint. Which i found very strange, considering i didnt have an open bite till i wore the splint.
He then suggested bone degeneration or arthritis, and sent me for xrays, they all came back clear.
He then asked if he could ask his fellow peers what they had to say, he is the top surgeon in my city(not that, that means anything)So i waited a couple of months and went back to him to get the verdict, and all he could say was that, i was a rare case, and he had only come across 2 others in his life, that had developed an OPEN BITE for no apparent reason.I thought he was trying to give me the brush off. My tmj got progressively shocking after the open bite developed, as far as pain was concerned.
I have since then found data, backing up what i believed to have happened, about the splint causing the open bite, but at the sametime, I am not any clearer today on what exactly is happening.
How can you just develop a gap between your top and bottom teeth, and NOBODY CAN TELL YOU WHY,
i know what you are going through.
Have you been to physcial therapists etc, massage people, for releasing muscular tightness.
I have been to so many specialists, and found that the Osteopath has helped me hugely.
flow24er
04-07-2004, 01:21 PM
Hi,
Yes I remember chatting to you before too. Are you having problems with your wisdoms ? If so did you get them out yet ? I am scheduled to have mine done soon.....I hope I am doing the right thing !! Anyway in the meantime I have developed this open bite......not wearing a splint or anything. My specialist says to go ahead and get the teeth out and then he will deal with the open bite. It is only about 1mm but I am worried that it gets worse and is athritis.
How are you doing ?
P.S. I am not in any pain from this but I have restricted opening and now this open bite.......what next eh !
Yes I remember chatting to you before too. Are you having problems with your wisdoms ? If so did you get them out yet ? I am scheduled to have mine done soon.....I hope I am doing the right thing !! Anyway in the meantime I have developed this open bite......not wearing a splint or anything. My specialist says to go ahead and get the teeth out and then he will deal with the open bite. It is only about 1mm but I am worried that it gets worse and is athritis.
How are you doing ?
P.S. I am not in any pain from this but I have restricted opening and now this open bite.......what next eh !
LimaBeetle03
04-07-2004, 02:54 PM
I'm so glad to hear that I'm not the only person in the world with this problem. I think that my time of having braces years back had something to do with this, but all my doctors say that isnt the case. I have an open bite, and I guess that's why I also have TMJ issues. My doctors want me to have corrective surgery, but I am completely terrified of this. If anyone has had surgery, I would love to hear from them. I obviously have to do something, this isn't something I can deal with for the rest of my life. It would be great to hear how everyone else deals with this problem. I have a spint, and take a suppliment for my joint, but that won't help forever.
socilbliss2002
04-07-2004, 07:09 PM
Howdy there,
No i havent had the wisdoms out yet.
I had braces years ago, and some say they feel that they could have contributed to my TMJ problem and open bite today, I feel it was the splint, others say they have no idea.Eveyone has their own opinion on it.
Ive been at a pain clinic for TMJ, and they said, that getting the pain under control is the first thing i have to do. Well thats bloody easier said then done.
Cause then I have the problem of .......Is the open bite the reason why the pain got so bad?and if so, then dont i have to have that corrected for the pain to subside?
The answer to this is unclear.
And I am hesitant to go through with any major repositioning work etc in my case, at the moment.
Cause then there is the argument, that lots of people like boxers or some people in car crashes have major blows to their jaws, and still dont develop a CHRONIC PAIN DISORDER WITHIN THE TMJ, so why is it some of us, end up with lifelong problems.It is predominatly a woman's condition.. TMJ.
All i can say in my case is,
last year, i was closing to killing myself from the pain, the muscles spasms were unrelenting, it had been going on for two years,I had just a clicking and popping in the left joint to start with, then that clicking stopped and i could hardly open the jaw,and there was intense pain only on the left, then i was given the upper splint, then a developed the open bite, then the pain went to beyond breaking point, and stayed that way for a year and a half, the bite has never corrected itself, but now the pain has definately gotten better,
compared to what it was.
In my case there are other life factors that i have to take into consideration, as far as pain goes, I dont know about the rest of you,
but this TMJ problem needs to be dealt with along with the rest of the body.
I am a heavy smoker for one, which is not good for any pain disorder,
I dont exercise at all.
I dont drink water.
I suffer from anxiety and depression...BEFORE i developed the TMJ problem
I live on junk food, hate vegetables.
I guess, I just want to say, that if you are completely healthy individual,
delve in and get the dental intervention done straight away.
But for others, if you have other problems that could be contributing to your TMJ, and you arent getting clear answers to whether your problem is muscular in origin or displacement, maybe have a look at other areas of your life aswell.
xxxxxxxxxxx
No i havent had the wisdoms out yet.
I had braces years ago, and some say they feel that they could have contributed to my TMJ problem and open bite today, I feel it was the splint, others say they have no idea.Eveyone has their own opinion on it.
Ive been at a pain clinic for TMJ, and they said, that getting the pain under control is the first thing i have to do. Well thats bloody easier said then done.
Cause then I have the problem of .......Is the open bite the reason why the pain got so bad?and if so, then dont i have to have that corrected for the pain to subside?
The answer to this is unclear.
And I am hesitant to go through with any major repositioning work etc in my case, at the moment.
Cause then there is the argument, that lots of people like boxers or some people in car crashes have major blows to their jaws, and still dont develop a CHRONIC PAIN DISORDER WITHIN THE TMJ, so why is it some of us, end up with lifelong problems.It is predominatly a woman's condition.. TMJ.
All i can say in my case is,
last year, i was closing to killing myself from the pain, the muscles spasms were unrelenting, it had been going on for two years,I had just a clicking and popping in the left joint to start with, then that clicking stopped and i could hardly open the jaw,and there was intense pain only on the left, then i was given the upper splint, then a developed the open bite, then the pain went to beyond breaking point, and stayed that way for a year and a half, the bite has never corrected itself, but now the pain has definately gotten better,
compared to what it was.
In my case there are other life factors that i have to take into consideration, as far as pain goes, I dont know about the rest of you,
but this TMJ problem needs to be dealt with along with the rest of the body.
I am a heavy smoker for one, which is not good for any pain disorder,
I dont exercise at all.
I dont drink water.
I suffer from anxiety and depression...BEFORE i developed the TMJ problem
I live on junk food, hate vegetables.
I guess, I just want to say, that if you are completely healthy individual,
delve in and get the dental intervention done straight away.
But for others, if you have other problems that could be contributing to your TMJ, and you arent getting clear answers to whether your problem is muscular in origin or displacement, maybe have a look at other areas of your life aswell.
xxxxxxxxxxx
feelines
04-14-2004, 10:02 PM
Hi, I'm new at posting and am concerned about the open bite comments, because when I started out I was overclosed and was told that I lost vertical dimension. The initial soft lower splints repositioned my jaw and opened up my bite so that I couldn't eat without coming back down on myself and hurting myself. Then I got a hard splint to wear 24/7 and eat with it as well. The the plan is to build up the lower teeth to match the splint once everything is stabilized, or else get an overdenture which would be less expensive than building up the teeth. I thought it was necessary to my recovery to open everything up, but your comments are confusing and worrying me. I called a different TMJ clinic out of the blue, and the guy there commented that it was reverse orthodontics caused by wearing the lower splint at night as if it was a bad thing. Can anyone shed more light on this and help me make some sense out of it? Thanks.
jrm4337122
04-15-2004, 09:09 AM
Hi all,
I am feeling really down at the moment because I am just back from the oral surgeon's. I have developed an open bite over the passed two months and he says that it is probably due to anatomical changes in the TMJs, i.e. athritis. I am really fed up with this whole nightmare and I just want my life back. Does anyone else have an open bite that was not caused by a splint ? Mine just happened about 5 months after my TMJ started. I am worried that I have got athritis now in my TMJs.
Does anyone else have this and can it be cured ?
sorry for my moaning......
:wave: yes i had a very nice open bite before i was put in bitesplints , an didn't know that it wasn't suppose to be like that till i started having tmj pain , seams i also had a very deep overbite , so after getting fitted for braces an getting my first quack orthodontist out of the way 13 months i found a doc in tenn that was great he fitted me with upper an lower bitesplints while still in braces an for 13 months worked with them an the braces an boy i'm doing great still in braces an now headgear also the openbite at the molors is just about gone all the way an so are the splints , it's been 40 months in orthodontic an bitesplite treatment but well worth the huge cost about ten thousand dollars thank goodness for insurance i was out about 4500 myself, you just have to find an doc that is well trained in tmj /orthodontics, joe
I am feeling really down at the moment because I am just back from the oral surgeon's. I have developed an open bite over the passed two months and he says that it is probably due to anatomical changes in the TMJs, i.e. athritis. I am really fed up with this whole nightmare and I just want my life back. Does anyone else have an open bite that was not caused by a splint ? Mine just happened about 5 months after my TMJ started. I am worried that I have got athritis now in my TMJs.
Does anyone else have this and can it be cured ?
sorry for my moaning......
:wave: yes i had a very nice open bite before i was put in bitesplints , an didn't know that it wasn't suppose to be like that till i started having tmj pain , seams i also had a very deep overbite , so after getting fitted for braces an getting my first quack orthodontist out of the way 13 months i found a doc in tenn that was great he fitted me with upper an lower bitesplints while still in braces an for 13 months worked with them an the braces an boy i'm doing great still in braces an now headgear also the openbite at the molors is just about gone all the way an so are the splints , it's been 40 months in orthodontic an bitesplite treatment but well worth the huge cost about ten thousand dollars thank goodness for insurance i was out about 4500 myself, you just have to find an doc that is well trained in tmj /orthodontics, joe
westin4
04-15-2004, 11:13 AM
Wow, I never realized what an "open" bite was til I just read the last post! THAT is my problem!! When I bite together my back teeth are so far apart that I can run my tongue under them! That is why I have these muscle spasms, dizziness that won;t quit and feeling empty headed! It is like a light went off. With the soft level splint I am just now in, my teeth are all touching evenly and as long as the splint is in I am pretty good, but even if I take it out for a minute to brush my teeth I cannot let my front teeth touch or I am back to square one that quick! Thanks for clearing that up for me......duh!
Karen
Karen
maryrnbsn
04-15-2004, 11:15 AM
I don't think I can cheer you up but I can relate to your problem. I started having TMJ problems approximately a year ago and besides the pain I noticed that my bite was off. It just felt like I had the wrong teeth all of a sudden. Crazy, but that was how it felt. I didn't realize that I was developing an open bite until I first saw my "TMJ Specialist" (not so sure just on the specialist part) about a month ago. I was fitted with a lower splint and was told to wear it all the time. Well, I found I couldn't wear it and talk so have just been wearing it at night. My pain seems to be better but the bite seems to be more open. When I look in the mirror I am surprised just how open the bite is now. I can't tell you how many millimeters it is but there is a gap. Did the splint cause this to get worse or was this an on-going process that just progressed? Hard to say at this point. I have an appointment today with the TMJ Doc so will quiz him on this. Meanwhile I am still seeking answers.
klmarshall
04-15-2004, 06:17 PM
Howdy All!
I am glad I am not alone, but then again, I wish that noone else would have to deal with the pain. I have a lopsided bite. It was caused by wearing a NTI splint. The dentist (#5 of 6) said it would be a miracle device. Instead it caused severe pain and doctor #6 said I need to never ever put it in my mouth again. I went from around 27mm to 18 in a few short weeks with excruciating pain and my bite has been way off ever since.
This problem has seriously made me question the competence of some of the medical community.
-Gabi
I am glad I am not alone, but then again, I wish that noone else would have to deal with the pain. I have a lopsided bite. It was caused by wearing a NTI splint. The dentist (#5 of 6) said it would be a miracle device. Instead it caused severe pain and doctor #6 said I need to never ever put it in my mouth again. I went from around 27mm to 18 in a few short weeks with excruciating pain and my bite has been way off ever since.
This problem has seriously made me question the competence of some of the medical community.
-Gabi
westin4
04-15-2004, 09:45 PM
Oh Gabi, I am so sorry that happened to you! How long did you wear the NTI before this happend to you? Are you getting a different splint now?
I too, developed an open bite for a reason not known. I had a splint for years and wore it with now problem. I did so well that for a whole year I didn't wear the splint at all and boom, open bite. I am now in full flare up and in agony. Now I am in a splint to "catch" the teeth that aren't touching. It is starting to help. I wish you luck!
Karen
I too, developed an open bite for a reason not known. I had a splint for years and wore it with now problem. I did so well that for a whole year I didn't wear the splint at all and boom, open bite. I am now in full flare up and in agony. Now I am in a splint to "catch" the teeth that aren't touching. It is starting to help. I wish you luck!
Karen
klmarshall
04-16-2004, 04:07 PM
Howdy Karen!
Well, I went to the first doctor who made me a $600 dollar splint then conveniently was unavailable for adjustments and I got fed up. I eventually saw his associate who fitted it to me and the pain decreased, but the office would not let me change to the associate so I went to a different office, where I was given the dreaded NTI device. An aside - when I retrieved my files from the first office, they had written that I had emotional problems - yeah, who wouldn't be upset that their doctor is incomptetent? Anyhow, I have found my tmj doctor who is wonderful. I have worn 2 flat splints, attempting to reduce the pressure points or something like that.
Advice for anyone with this problem is go to a university or place of research and check out the CV of the doctor you are interested in. The surgeon I have found is also a professor and came recommended by my tmj doctor as being conservative. I am hoping he will say arthroscopic will heal me (pop the condyle off my skull!). I will keep posting and hope that I can help others through my experience - Gabi
Well, I went to the first doctor who made me a $600 dollar splint then conveniently was unavailable for adjustments and I got fed up. I eventually saw his associate who fitted it to me and the pain decreased, but the office would not let me change to the associate so I went to a different office, where I was given the dreaded NTI device. An aside - when I retrieved my files from the first office, they had written that I had emotional problems - yeah, who wouldn't be upset that their doctor is incomptetent? Anyhow, I have found my tmj doctor who is wonderful. I have worn 2 flat splints, attempting to reduce the pressure points or something like that.
Advice for anyone with this problem is go to a university or place of research and check out the CV of the doctor you are interested in. The surgeon I have found is also a professor and came recommended by my tmj doctor as being conservative. I am hoping he will say arthroscopic will heal me (pop the condyle off my skull!). I will keep posting and hope that I can help others through my experience - Gabi
feelines
04-16-2004, 05:44 PM
Hi,
Sounds like a lot of people don't understand the open bite thing. As far as I know, mine is part of the process of repositioning my jaws so they can heal and then build up the teeth to hold them there once the lower splint proves itself to be stabilizing everything. My dentist has confused me with conflicting comments over time, though. After he gave me my first thin soft splint and I noticed that my back teeth weren't coming together the same anymore and commented on it, he got a little huffy and said, "well, I'm not trying to change your bite." Well, I was a good girl and wore the thicker splint 24/7 for three months before I could travel back to see him. I felt a lot better (lifted up) for a couple of months. But my bite became so open, that when I took the splint out to eat, I felt I was damaging my joints all over again by trying to get contact to chew, and it didn't take long at all to feel as things were falling--like the air going out of me. So I got the hard splint which was a lot tighter. It got me better on the right but worse on the left, and I have had to deal with difficult communications and problems in following up with the dentist and his staff. I feel that this part is not as important to them, maybe because there is less money in the adjustment followup process. He makes a lot of money on surgeries and reconstructing the bite in short period of time. He said he would build up all my lower teeth in one appointment ($1100 per tooth). That's big money. You'd think they would try to make me more comfortable; so I can figure out how to work and get the money for the buildup. I've given everything I have--half of last year's income.
Later!
Sounds like a lot of people don't understand the open bite thing. As far as I know, mine is part of the process of repositioning my jaws so they can heal and then build up the teeth to hold them there once the lower splint proves itself to be stabilizing everything. My dentist has confused me with conflicting comments over time, though. After he gave me my first thin soft splint and I noticed that my back teeth weren't coming together the same anymore and commented on it, he got a little huffy and said, "well, I'm not trying to change your bite." Well, I was a good girl and wore the thicker splint 24/7 for three months before I could travel back to see him. I felt a lot better (lifted up) for a couple of months. But my bite became so open, that when I took the splint out to eat, I felt I was damaging my joints all over again by trying to get contact to chew, and it didn't take long at all to feel as things were falling--like the air going out of me. So I got the hard splint which was a lot tighter. It got me better on the right but worse on the left, and I have had to deal with difficult communications and problems in following up with the dentist and his staff. I feel that this part is not as important to them, maybe because there is less money in the adjustment followup process. He makes a lot of money on surgeries and reconstructing the bite in short period of time. He said he would build up all my lower teeth in one appointment ($1100 per tooth). That's big money. You'd think they would try to make me more comfortable; so I can figure out how to work and get the money for the buildup. I've given everything I have--half of last year's income.
Later!
westin4
04-17-2004, 12:42 AM
UGH! That is so ridiculous! After you get the daggone splint it is useless without adjustments, some of these dentists blow me away with their stupidity! I wish you the best of luck and make sure you are not being taken advantge of. You are giving alot of your hard earned money and sounds like not getting much in return.
Karen
Karen