tmj relief - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

jellybelly · 10-14-2002, 01:17 AM

Hey guys!
I've been suffering from TMJ for a couple of years now and it just kept getting worse. I went to a tmj specialist, but he told me that if I used a splint, it would alter the way my lower jaw looked. I didn't want that so I just gave up on using a splint. Then, my mom's friend told me about this exercise she used to do. Basically, you do push ups against the wall. However, you have to make sure to do this in the corner of the wall where two sides meet and are perpendicular. Do these push ups, standing up of course, 40-50 times a day. I've been doing it for a month and a half now and the swelling on my face has gone down, there's no more clicking, no more back pains, and no more headaches. Now, this is not a long term solution, but it helps a lot.

[This message has been edited by jellybelly (edited 10-14-2002).]

justanotherday · 10-14-2002, 04:10 PM

what do you mean alter your jaw i was wearing a splint and i didn't see any changes with my jaw

jellybelly · 10-14-2002, 08:09 PM

justanotherday

Well, he said my jaw was misaligned and I had to move my lower jaw forward a little. When my lower jaw moves forward, I have absolutely no pain or any TMJ symptoms. But he took a picture of what I would look like after the treatment and I looked like I had an underbite. I went to another TMJ specialist and he said the same thing. But I'm fine now as long as I continue with the exercises.

antoni · 10-15-2002, 12:49 PM

Hi,

IT's funny you mentioned about the splint.

I had 9 fillings done that reshaped my teeth/bite for the worse. I saw several dentists that couldn't help. One said I was a "grinder" and could benefit from a splint. SO I wore the splint for a couple of months.

I felt like the bite guard was pushing my teeth "in" so to speak. Now nearly a year later, my front teeth have crowded and shifted inward and my bite feels completely different. I was happy with my bite the was it was. It made my front teeth crooked. ALso, I have noticed facial changes. So just because someone is told their a "grinder" doesn't mean a splint will help necessarily. I would see a second or third opinion.

My prosthodontist told me, my teeth showed no evidence of a grinding problem. THe problem stemmed from the fillings. WIth a nightguard the dentist does very little work for easy money.

justanotherday · 10-16-2002, 02:32 PM

i think it all depends on the type of splint they give you some are made to reposition the jaw while others are meant just to stop nighttime grinding. my tmj specialist gave me a removable nightguard that fitted over my upper teeth to wear at nights when sleeping or whenever i suffer a flare up. i spent a fortune on it and it didn't even do anything is this the same you had?