To Pedro - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

Lauren W · 01-24-2003, 01:30 AM

Thanks for your response.

I too had braces fitted top and bottom when I was about 11, I am 24 now. As soon as the braces were fitted, my jaw began to click and then it locked and my jaw and neck have never been right since. It is over the past 3 years though that real problems have began to start. I also don't think my orthodentist took my wisdom teeth into account because since they have come through, although one is impacted, it has caused me more problems, and all my teeth have been pushed back into the position they were before I even had the braces! so it was all a complete waste of time anyway.

Did you have any explanation as to why your glands swelled up due to your jaw ect?? It's just they are concerning me a little bit??

Thanks for your time
Take care
Lauren

Pedro · 01-25-2003, 12:34 PM

I would guess Lauren it is due just to the distress of the situation - of course it could be something different and unrelated, I don't know. But I definitely remember a sore dry throat and swollen glands as my very first symtptoms, even before the muscle pain.

My first real relief was when a therapist pointed out that I didn't swallow any more. You need to do this, subconsciously or not, just like occasional yawning, to help break up the muscular programming (especially if it's doing the same "wrong" thing non-stop). Put your tongue on the roof-of-your-mouth, and swallow sharply. I suspect you may not be able to do, or only weakly.

I hope the ortho hasn't resulted in joint damage for you, and it's just muscular. You will need a good specialist to help out, one with long experience.

There was this 15 year old girl "little-brace" who posted here, and clearly her pain problems had been caused by ortho, just in the last 6 months. Because her ortho was so "nice" (who wouldn't, if you were trying to cover up such a disaster), she could not accept that he had caused it, nor could she accept that she needed immediate help to reverse whatever dental changes were causing the problem. I don't think it was an exaggeration to say that her quality-of-life was entirely on the line.