Anyone having any success in San Diego/So Cal area? [Archive]

fortoday

10-06-2004, 03:29 PM

I need to find a TMD specialist (or essentially anyone who can help - physcial therapist, dentist, etc) in the San Diego area. Has anyone had any luck on the road to alleviating their TMJD in this area? I'm frustrated because I hear so many horror stories, I just don't know where to turn. My TMJD is to the point where my jaw locks up sometimes at night and most recently, I'm getting echoing in my ear (same side that locks up.)
I'm in SD north county so I'm open to going up to OC or essentially anywhere in So Cal to start alleviating this problem.
Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks
Wendy

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sunshine123

10-06-2004, 03:53 PM

Hi fortoday: i'm also in SD north county, near Poway. I can recommend my current DDS/Ortho. I've been through splint therapy 4 times already (once with him) and am now in braces for phase 2. His name is Gregory Friedman in Scripps Ranch. Do you live anywhere near Poway?

fortoday

10-10-2004, 04:35 PM

Hi,
Thanks for your reply! I am over in Cardiff but I am willing to commute for a good therapist. Thanks so much for your recommendation. So everything is going well? Is your Tmj getting better?
Wendy

eternal21

10-11-2004, 01:59 PM

hi Im in SD too. La jOlla. Havent found anyone really yet. Just a personal Physical therapist but that didnt seem to help.Going to the PT now through Sharp which is ok..Have found a good massage clinic though. Cassidys just off of La Jolla village dr.

sunshine123

10-11-2004, 02:22 PM

Hi fortoday and eternal21: I wish I were 21 again. lol.

Anyway, I do like my DDS/Orthodondist. He's caring and seems to know what he's doing. I'm feeling better and it's so much easier to chew when I have more than one tooth on each side that touches. I wasn't excited about wearing braces again, but I wasn't about to have orthognathic surgery like one DDS suggested to me.

eternal, what type of massage therapy do you get?

eternal21

10-12-2004, 07:28 PM

well lets see,oh you just reminded me to call for an appoint. My personal Physical therapist did my back and neck VERY deep,cant say that was fun..and then did the VERY hard pressing down on the muscles inside your mouth. He thought I shloud be so much better after that,but perhaps would have if I had done it three times a week instead of one,but at 110.00 ouch... My new PT who specializes in TMJ does the very softer cheek muscles nothing that causes any pain,and now some exercises in the gym..then theres the two massage therapists I go to,although just found out today one had moved!! and my other is on vacation in her homeland of Sweden.She is very interested in my condition however and hopes to come back with some new info and techniques..oh and then theres my wonderful husband who does my neck. he gets a lot of massages so hes pretty good,and willing to go to the PT to learn what else to do..thats it!!

fortoday

10-16-2004, 05:06 PM

Sunshine and Eternal
FYI I go to a massage therapist in Leucadia. She has TMJ herself so is actively interested in it. She massages the muscles at the back of my jaw and all along my jaw line, plus my neck, cheeks, and up along my eyebrows. She's found tender muscles in my jaw that I didn't know were there.
Sunshine, I'm glad to hear you've found a good tmj therapist. I will check him out. I've also since heard of Dr Boyd here in Solana Beach. Heard anything about him?
Wendy

sunshine123

10-16-2004, 05:12 PM

Hi fortoday: Thanks for the info. It sounds like you've got a good massage therapist. I know that Dr. Boyd uses the NTI. I had something like that when I first saw a TMJ specialist. In my case, it didn't help, but some people find pain relief from it. If you see Dr. Friedman, tell him that Sue sent you. He'll know who you mean. Good luck and let me know how it goes.

fortoday

10-16-2004, 05:23 PM

Sunshine
Thanks for the response. I will mention your name.
I was just going to ask, exactly what is an NTI? I've seen it mentioned on this board before.
FYI My massage therapist's name is Gina Rittschof.
Wendy

sunshine123

10-16-2004, 08:54 PM

Hi Wendy: Thanks for giving me your therapist's name. An NTI is an appliance that's worn on the upper front teeth. It fits tightly and is supposed to prevent clenching. In my case, it didn't do that plus it opened up my bite.

fortoday

10-20-2004, 10:00 PM

Sunshine
Thanks for the info on the NTI device.
I wanted to ask you, out of curiosity, how bad was your tmj when you started with your therapist and how long have you been going (just to get an idea of how long treatment takes.) Although I've been to massage thereapists, acupuncurists and chiropractors, I still get paranoid when someone goes to work on my jaw area for fear they'll make it worse. Getting it worked on with an orthodontist will obviously be a lot more invasive and intimidating. That's why I'm curious about how bad your tmj was, and also, how careful your therapist is?
I'm still planning on going - working out insurance right now...
Wendy

sunshine123

10-21-2004, 12:36 AM

Hi fortoday: The Ortho I'm seeing now is the 4th DDS to treat my TMJ. The others had me wear a splint(s), but then didn't suggest anything permanant to fix my bite. The first guy didn't care, the 2nd one didn't know what to do with me b/c my bite was so bad, the 3rd one thought my bite would close up with his splint and stay that way, thus Dr. Friedman, the 4th one to treat me. I wore a lower splint from him for about 6 months til my headaches went away and then I got upper braces in July and lower ones shortly after that. I'll probably be wearing braces from 12-18 months. My bite has closed up nicely and it's great to be ablel to chew with more teeth touching. If I have a problem, I just call his office or email him and they have me come in. Everyone there is very nice too. I have an anterior open bite that was pretty bad, but he didn't hesitate to try and help me. He took transcranial x-rays in his office and told me I had a displaced disk. The other dentists I saw just told me my problem was muscular. I can tell that I have muscular issues too b/c when my muscles feel tight, I do jaw stretches and then feel better. It's easier to close my lips over my teeth now.

I hope I answered your questions. If not, ask away and I'll write more.

fortoday

10-21-2004, 09:02 PM

Hi Sunshine
Glad to hear you found someone that is actually working to correct the problem rather than just giving you some kind of "band-aid" type of thing because he doesn't know how to treat it. He sounds good. Thanks for sharing your experience and glad to hear your treatment is going in the right direction - it's very encouraging!
Wendy

eternal21

10-25-2004, 03:32 PM

Does anyone have insurance that covers any of this? I emailed Delta Dental but never heard back and it said on their web they dont cover it. Would be good to know someone down here that uses insurance..I have Health net and Delta..Thanks..

sunshine123

10-25-2004, 04:29 PM

We have Cigna PPO and they paid for splint therapy under medical. Some people pay for their treatment through flexible spending.

eternal21

10-27-2004, 02:34 PM

anyone know of someone doing that cranios...therapy??? In SD of course!!

fortoday

10-28-2004, 04:04 PM

Hi eternal
I've been to a kineseolgist chiropractor who specializes in craniosacral therapy. His name is Doug Hetrick and he's in Escondido. I'm really wary of chiropractors, but he is very gentle and has never hurt me - (unlike the only other chiropractor I've been to.) I'd recommend him
Wendy

feelines

10-28-2004, 09:49 PM

Sunshine123,

What did you mean when you wrote about some people paying for treatment by "flexible spending?"

Feelines

eternal21

11-02-2004, 01:27 PM

Wendy going to see Doug tomorrow. Hope to hear something new! Thanks.. Karen

Mosmom

11-02-2004, 02:42 PM

Feelines -
A flexible spending account it a plan set up by some employers (unfortunately not mine) where you set aside a certain amount of your pre-taxed salary in a special account. There are guidelines for the use of that money - for example medical care and childcare. The benefit of this plan is that it reduces your income by that amount, so you end up paying less income tax.

eternal21

11-04-2004, 01:08 PM

Fortoday,

went to see Doug yesterday.that was fun! He is great..Wasnt sure what to expect though. Thinking during the day I should have shaved my legs,just a little prickly,but I thought no he wont be touching down there! Im shaving my legs for next week! Very different,said that I am totally out of whack,The physical therapist isnt working at all so I will give this a go.

fortoday

11-06-2004, 01:21 AM

Karen
Glad you liked him. Yes, it is different. I had never been to anyone like that with the kineseolgy. His chiropractic adjustments are so easy too, he does them almost before you realize it because they're just part of the whole procedure. And yes, I thought he was very good, too, at spotting very specific alignment problems in my body.
Thanks for letting me know how it went!
Wendy

fortoday

11-06-2004, 01:33 AM

Sunshine 123
You said your splint therapy was covered under Cigna medical. I was just curious, what about your orthodontics? Does it fall under TMJ treatment (with your dental insurance)? Or because you already had splint therapy, does it fall under normal orthodontics.
Still on the quest for good coverage, or really, any coverage that will allow for TMJ treatment!
Wendy

sunshine123

11-06-2004, 03:04 AM

Doug sounds awesome. Do either of you have arthritis or bone spurs in your neck? I do and am afraid of seeing another chiropractor.

The Cigna plan we have doesn't cover orthrontics in people over 19. I'm not sure if they offer other plans that do. I took out a loan and am making month payments.

fortoday

11-06-2004, 08:43 PM

Sunshine
Thanks for your reply about insurance. I was just curious about what you had done with health/dental so I could get an idea. Still checking into insurance but I can foresee paying out of pocket for TMJ.

Ouch, bone spurs sound painful. I guess you could call the chiropractor Doug if you're interested and ask how or if he can treat you since you have those conditions. I am normally very wary of chiropractors but he is very gentle.
Good luck
Wendy

sunshine123

11-06-2004, 09:28 PM

Hi Wendy:

You're welcome. I hope you find some good insur. I know it's such a pain to research all the cos. I'll be so glad when my braces are paid off!!! I'll think about if I want to see Doug. Can you tell me how much he charges? Thanks. Sue

fortoday

11-11-2004, 12:03 AM

Can't remember right off hand how much chiro charges - I want to say $50 after the initial visit.
W

sudiebug

11-11-2004, 01:56 AM

hi, yes, i have dr olmos who's specially trained for tmj problems. from what i understand he's the only one in the area that actually has been teaching other dentist in his expertise. i pay out of pocket but he has helped me so much. i was in such pain and had the popping and some locking. he is off of el cajon blvd not far from the college area. i really only beilieve he is the one i would see:

Dr. Steven Olmos, La Mesa, California

good luck

[Please only identify dentists or doctors by state and city as defined in the board guidelines. Thanks - Well-come Moderator.]

sunshine123

11-11-2004, 01:58 AM

Dr. Olmos is the first TMJ specialist who treated me and I wouldn't recommend him to anyone. His splints opened up my bite and now I'm in braces.

fortoday

11-12-2004, 12:11 AM

I actually went to Dr Olmos a while back and had an initial exam. Although I found the exam very thorough and informative, I didn't continue with him because (beside the fact that I couldn't afford it at the time!) I felt that the treatment was sort of an indefinite "band-aid" type treatment that didn't really work to get rid of the TMJ, but just focused on treating the symptoms.

Sudiebug,
Since you are having luck with him, do they project some point where you will no longer need the splints and treatment will be at an end and your TMJ gone? Have they given you some kind of time frame?
I'm glad to hear you have found a treatment that is working for you. It's always encouraging.

papergoods

11-13-2004, 05:43 AM

Hi Wendy
I may have posted this before, but as my TMJ got worse my ears got to the point that I could not drive because of dizziness and pressure, I developed full blown mastoiditis (aka= inner ear disease) which is fluid in the ear. I went to see a massage therapist 2 x per week for like 7 months straight and she worked specificially on the muscles behind your ears and the jaw/ facial muscles that control your ET tubes that relieve the pressure in your ear. One night I finally got my ear to pop and I felt like I won the lottery, I still see Laura once a week to keep my neck, SCM mucles and ears in somewhat ease. Her name is Laura Sadler and she works under the name Massage Spirit. Defiently worth it.

fortoday

11-19-2004, 09:45 PM

Thanks for the info, papergoods! What area of town is your massage therapist in?

J-man

11-21-2004, 04:02 PM

Hi everyone,

I haven't yet read through all of the messages in this thread, so it's possible someone has already touched on this. I'm wondering though, has anyone here had treatment with Dr Steve Olmos? I believe he's in Sandiego. He seems to be a world class level dentist.

Thanks and God bless !
Jman

sunshine123

11-21-2004, 04:18 PM

J-man

11-21-2004, 04:39 PM

Hi Sunshine,

Thanks for your note. Just wondering about your treatment with Dr. Olmos, it sounds like your teeth did not fit well afterwards. How about your jaw joints & muscles, did they improve as a result of the treatment ?

Hey fortoday,

Thanks for your message as well. Just curious how much was the treatment they were talking about at Dr. Olmos' office ? Also could you eloborate a bit more about what you said about it seeming like it would be an indefinite treatment ?

Have a great day everyone !
Jman

sunshine123

11-21-2004, 04:52 PM

fortoday

11-26-2004, 06:36 PM

Hi Jman
I'll elaborate a bit more on my experience with Dr Olmos.

I went in for an initial exam. In the exam, they look at your overall posture and face structure, they measure the sound level of your jaw when you open and close your mouth, and they look at your overall body alignment. I was impressed with the exam and I thought it was very thorough.

When that's done, they look at what kind of treatment you need including physical therapy with projected costs. Unfortunately, I don't remember the exact amount, I just remember it was a bit much for me at the time, which gave me time to change my mind anyway. Sunshine, do you remember how much your treatment was going to cost all told?

The way it works is that you wear one type of splint during the day and another type of splint at night. The splints pull the lower jaw down and out so that it is pulled away from the jaw joint so that it will no longer irritate the jaw joint. If you fail to wear either of the splints for even a short period of time, say, like an hour or so, you undo days of wearing them.

The reason it seemed like an indefinite, "band-aid" or aspirin type treatment was that it seemed to not bring the TMJ to an end, but that your jaw simply would no longer be irritated if you wore the splints. I thought, while that would at least alleviate irritation, it wouldn’t necessarily be getting rid of the problem. This sounds good for feeling better, but I want to get rid of my TMJ. It just seemed to be, wear these splints constantly, and you will feel better because your jaw will be pulled away from the joint. Don’t wear these splints, and your jaw will be irritated. Since my jaw is irritated from the TMJ, I would really like to get rid of the TMJ, not just the result of the TMJ.

Hopefully, this made sense! Hard to explain in writing…
Good luck
Wendy

sunshine123

11-28-2004, 02:52 PM

Hi Wendy: Sorry it took me so long to respond. I had to find the paperwork. The cost was $3125 financed through Wells Fargo with monthly payments. Before that though, I had to pay $300+ for a few xrays and the consultation. He now does Orthodontics too. He never once told me how screwed up my bite was and didn't recommend anything besides an expensive Chiropractor he knew and also prolotherapy which I never tried b/c of the cost. I saw him in 2002, so I imagine that his charges have gone up by now.

Literati

11-28-2004, 11:22 PM

Hi Jman: I know that some people who were treated by Dr. Olmos were happy with him, but in my case, his splints caused an open bite. I'm now in braces to close up my bite. Thank God I'm doing pretty well. Before braces, only my last molar on either side touched. Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

Hi Sunshine,

Judging from a few of your posts, I think our situations are fairly similar. I have bilaterally displaced discs, osteophytes/bone spurs, a 3 mm anterior open bite (made worse by the NTI) and of course, the other TMJ symptoms.

I just have a few questions I was hoping you could answer...
1. Are they using elastic bands to close your bite? If so, does that aggravate your jaw?
2. When did your open bite appear?
3. Are you on braces AND splint therapy?

Thanks!

sunshine123

11-29-2004, 12:06 AM

Hi Literati: I'm sorry you're in the same boat as I am. I'll be getting elastics soon and am not looking forward to it. There's a website for adults with braces and several people with elastics got headaches from them and they don't even have TMJ. I'm not really sure when exactly I noticed my terrible bite, but it was definitely after Olmos's treatment. I'm in braces and have a clear soft splint to wear when I sleep, but I usually don't wear it. I'm seeing my Ortho on Thurs. I don't know yet what I'll be having done this week. Hope this helps. Keep me posted on what you're going to do. Good luck to you. Sue

eternal21

11-30-2004, 05:19 PM

Wendy oh Wendy!!!! Just a question..When you went to see Doug did it help you? How long did you go? are you still going? It seems to help the day after..Although today Im wondering if it was the vitamins as well..That testing is so strange. Ive never taken so many vitamins!I figured Id give it a go for awhile,evn though Im paying fo rit,and its not very convienient..

Literati

02-16-2005, 06:11 PM

Jman: The splints were very thick and they increased my headaches 10 fold. Also, Dr. Olmos never did any adjustments. He has an assistant who only adjusted mine a couple of times when I told him the splint didn't feel right. I found out with the next DDS that splints are supposed to be adjusted on a regular basis. I only had pain relief with the next DDS who adjusted my splint til it was very thin. The headaches finally went away at that point, but that DDS didn't do anything permanant to close my bite, so I found my current DDS/Ortho who had me wear a splint again and then put braces on this past summer. My bite is almost closed now and it's a lot easier to chew when there are more teeth touching.

Hi sunshine,

Can you provide the name of your current DDS/Ortho? Hopefully the moderator will allow this. I really need to see someone in regards to my TMJ & open bite...especially those who support non-surgical techniques.

Thank you again!

Literati

P.s. Whoops, nevermind, I just saw in your previous post that your current DDS/Ortho is Dr. Friedman. I'm so happy to hear that you're getting such positive results from him. Hopefully he takes Delta Dental...eek.

[Note: We permit the name of the doctor to be given along with the city/state/county/province and country. We just do not allow detailed contact information such as phone numbers, email addresses, websites, and mailing addresses etc. For clarification and details about this and other issues, please read the board guidelines by clicking "Posting Rules" above. Thanks - Well-come Moderator.]

euclid0407

06-15-2005, 03:23 PM

Sunshine,

I was diagnosed with TMJ at the La Mesa TMJ Therapy Centre. I saw a Dr. Smith who works with Dr. Olmos. Basically, things went according to the previous posts except the prices have risen ($3900+$375 for initial visit). I live in SW Arizona so was looking for someone closer to me. I found a Dr. Halligan who operates out of San Diego and El Centro. It turns out that he used to work with Dr. Olmos. At least from your previous posts, I know what to ask, eg. open bite, thin splint. I would appreciate any help or suggestions that you may have for me. I have an appointment tomorrow. Thanks!

papergoods

06-17-2005, 08:24 AM

Im up in Manhattan Beach. I see Dr. Rojas in Beverly Hills for splint therapy (neuromuscular)it got me out of some very bad TMJ places, the really bad dizzies, the ears that hurt constantly. I still have pain but not to the point I want to jump off a cliff. I also go a few times a month for trigger point massage therapy at Massage Spirit with therapist Laura Sadler in los angeles. For other pain magnagment I see a pain managment dr. at St. Josephs in Burbank.

sunshine123

06-17-2005, 06:41 PM

Hi euclid: I haven't been online lately, so I just saw your post this afternoon. How did your appointment go? When I saw Dr. Olmos, he was the only Dr. in the office. Yes, I did so much better with a thinner splint. What treatment plan did your Dr. come up with? Using a heatingpad on my face helped when I had any facial pain/headache. Also, Flexeril is a big help. Acupuncture was also helpful. I've been in braces for almost a year now and am doing well. My bite is almost all closed up. It sure makes chewing a lot easier. I now only get a headache occasionally. Let me know how you're doing. Sue