Have any of you considered suing? - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

*Cat* · 09-20-2002, 05:36 PM

I realize we all have different causes and such, but on mine it has basically been determined that a HORRIBLE dentist has caused my otherwise happy and content TMJ muscle to become TMJD.

Is this something that is hard to prove in court? Does anyone have any advice or ideas. I've really been nervous and stressing because I feel like it would be a losing battle, not to mention excessive pain in my jaw from stress.

Cat

CrystalM · 09-21-2002, 08:54 PM

Cat:

It is sad to say but from my experiance unless you have absuolute proof the dentist was the cause NO. It will cost you thousands of dollars to hire a expert to say it was caused.
Last Oct, I had my wisdom teeth cut out, The DMD who performed the surgey butchered me then would not accept responsabililty, he told me there was nothing wrong with me I needed to keep seeing my nuerologist. Mind you this is after visiting several family doctors a emergency room visit with a Ct scan, gynecologist,due to severe face head and neck pain. I have not been able to chew food for a year and am out thousands of dollars from medical bills to repair the damage he caused. along with days of missed work due to pain. & there is nothing I can do. I have talked with 8 different attorneys. It does not make sense. I am currently taking tylenol 3 for the pain. And I have noticed that stress, really is an evil thing for tmj.

thisstarr · 09-21-2002, 10:20 PM

Hi Kat& crystal,

I know how you guys feel!! My tmj started when I had all four of my wistom teeth taken out and had serious problem with it and the dentist ruin me for life. At the time afterwards I didnt know I had tmj, I was told it was just migrane headaches that was giving me all the facal pain. Then I got in a car accident years later and it made things worse

I talk to many attorneys and they all said I would not have a case and basically be wasting my money..

I wish you the best of luck and I hope you can sue and win this @%#@%@#$@#$..lol...

and hopefully make a stand for all of the tmj sufferer out there!
Take care,
Starr

antoni · 09-23-2002, 07:55 AM

Hi,

My TMJD problems all started when I had nine microfillings done through a new "drill-less" cavity removal proces called air abrasion. IT's big selling point is that it does multiple teeth at one time(in my case 9 virgin teeth were filled). I was never told of the drawbacks that nine teeth with fillings done "too high" would ruin my bite and be really hard to adjust.

I've seen 8 dentists and 3 prosthodontists and had an "occlusal adjustment" (where they shave the teeth and the fillings down to correct the bite). TO no avail... I suffer TMJD symptoms on and off.

Not only does stress bring it on , but I am in more pain with it from PMS. PMS makes the TMJD symptoms come up much worse.

I talked to different attorneys and unfortunately with dental it's too hard to prove because dentists won't criticize another dentist no matter what. In my case different tricks were used to make it look like my bite was bad before the 9 fillings(which it wasn't) or to cover up that the 9 fillings were not done right. IT was disgusting. I am sure that't why the original dentist did what he did. HE knew he could get away with it!!!!!! I mean most dentists would never do multiple fillings because they know it could ruin your natural bite. BUt he just saw $$$$$$ on each tooth and didn';t care.

pennyb · 09-25-2002, 06:58 PM

Wow I guess my story is different from the rest of you and i am sorry to hear you are all going through this.

As for me well I didn't start having problems with tmj until I started my antideprssant paxil. It was so strange I just woke up one day and the right side of my jaw was totally stuck open, locked and painful. So i went to see an oralfacial pain specialist who then made me sleepy, temporarely repaired my jaw made me a splint, then sent me home. He actually did an awsome job. Well it's been over two years and so far i have had 1 flap and cartledge repair, 1 replacement of muscle tissue/cartledge/and joint cradle, oh and 2 flushes on my left joint. Right now i am seeing a physical therapist, pain management, jaw surgeon, dentist and all have agreed that my antidepressant PAXIL is causing me to clench and grind so bad that i am tearing my jaw down. They pretty much can't help me until i get off paxil. OH by the way the grinding i am getting from paxil has also caused me to crack two teeth and cause an infection under one of my crowns. So now it's a mission for me to get off paxil so my jaw can get better. BUT guess what i can't, yeah i said i can't, why, because paxil has such severe withdraw problems that i have tried to kill myself on a few occations while trying to wean off. It's been over 1.5 years sincce i have been trying to get of paxil with several doctors behind me. Even my shrink is trying everything to get me off paxil. I am addicted to paxil which is causing my jaw to not be able to heal.
So as you might have guessed yes i am in a lawsuit but not against my doctors or dentists but again the makers of the medication paxil. DUE to their medication I have been through hell on earth and i will be damned if they get away with it. I am sure most of you have heard of the lawsuits against the antidepressant (paxil).

The reason i am telling you all this is because there is a true reason why your tmj is there and why it won't get better. Look at all your medications and see if there is a chance they may cause jaw clenching or teeth grinding. I don't want any of you to give up. If it is a dentist that did this too you well you need to bust your butt to prove it. Trust me all that hard work will pay off in the end and serve justice to the dentist who just saw them dollar signs.
take care everyone, best wishes