Hello Everyone. I will tell you this. I suffered with TMJ beginning of June 2003. Went to get a root canal done and all Hell broke loose a few days afterwards. the root canal is fine but i think I opened my mouth too long (over an hour and so it injured my chewing muscles or whatever it is) and I was in excruciating pain. I was suicidal too. But then something happened. I found someone who knew exactly how to cure TMJ. HE gave me the advice to rest. All you need is TONS of rest. Yes, read it again. TONS of rest. I had to quit my job since the pain was too much to even type a keyboard but it was well worth it. I rested in bed for almost 3 months just laying in bed FLAT listening to music (while my credit cards started to build up but i did not care as i got better day by day. Besides, money is worthless IF working for money makes your pain worst). Even when i lay in bed and not really able to fall asleep as the pain was really bad, i still struggled thru the endless nights of sleeplessness and pain. After about a month of sleepless nights, it happened. I was able to finally SLEEP. it was a great feeling as insomnia for several weeks drove me nuts. After 3 months, it started to get a bit better and I was able to go back to work again at a different job (could not go back to my data entry job as it used too much muscles and the neck was still a bit painful and i could not sit still for a long period of time). Its over a year now and it feel much better and can eat normally and pain is pretty much nonexistance.

And this is very important to remember , If you dont eat and try to chew a bit every day (even if it hurts, your muscles will not be able to slowly heal and expand itself (so that you are able to open your mouth without restrictions) and will die off and you will then have to have surgery.

So if you suffer from TMJ, do get as much rest as you can and laying flat in bed and when you are not resting in bed, try NOT to put your head in a forward position as that uses your jaw muscles and it makes it harder to heal. I always LOOKED up as opposed to looking down, even if that means i have to squat down to look up.

I hope this helps at least one person.

RESTING FLAT in bed IS THE KEY TO GETTING BETTER.

any questions, please do not hesistate to ask me. I want all of you to get well from this misery