TMJ Questions (long) - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

AyrishGrl · 04-25-2003, 07:49 AM

I just found this board and am hoping someone can help me out there....I went to my dentist last year complaining of my jaw popping on the right side. When this happens the right side of my face hurts and my jaw almost feels loose. I get a lot of headaches and neck pain. A lot of the time the headaches and pain happen around the same time as my jaw starts popping. It doesn't happen all the time and has drastically reduced since I stopped chewing gum.

My dentist told me I needed a bite plate as I was grinding my teeth at night which was the cause of all my problems. Well, he wanted to charge me $845 for a splint (insurance won't cover any of this). Well, not having that kind of cash I didn't do anything. I just had my 6 month checkup this week and complained of tooth sensitivity (anything cold drives shoots pain through 4 specific teeth). The dentist said this was also due to my grinding and I really needed the splint.

I started calling other dentists in the area and got a quote for $299 for a night guard. Thinking I had struck gold I canceled the splint from my dentist and was going to go with this new dentist. Well, then I find out that there is a difference between a bite splint and a night guard and this new doctor doesn't make the splint. They would have to see me to determine which I really need.

I don't know what to do at this point. I don't want to not do anything if it is going to cause me worse pain in the future, but I don't have $900 to give to the dentist. But if I go see this new dentist and they determine I need a splint then I have to pay to see yet another dentist.

Help?????

mek918 · 04-25-2003, 08:13 AM

Trust me, it is worth spending the money to get the right treatment. I've spent so much money on massages, physical therapy, visits to the chiropractor...if insurance had paid for my specialist visits all along, they actually could have saved themselves a lot! But I gave up on insurance. I'm hoping that getting the right splint, which I'm waiting on, will solve my problems once and for all. Use a credit card / get a loan. Avoiding this kind of pain and suffering - and it only gets worse - is worth any amount of money in my opinion. I finally broke down and have committed to over $4000 in treatment.Thank you home equity line!

There are many different treatment options - just be sure to get a couple opinions and get the one that you really need.

crystalll · 04-25-2003, 08:47 AM

Hi,
Rather than seeking different opinions from different dentists, I would suggest you try to find a dentist who specifically diagnoses and treats TMJD. It may take a few phone calls, but will be worth it in the long run. Once you've found someone who deals with TMJD on a regular basis, they should be able to do the proper diagnosis and suggest a splint that is right for you. Unfortunately, they can be rather costly. Don't cough up the money until you've been given the proper tests for TMJD.

Best of luck!
Crystal

autumn83175 · 04-25-2003, 08:49 AM

Good morning and welcome to the board,

You will find in the long run that the proper splint could be well worth the money. I know the money hard to come up with when you don't have it. Maybe you could:
(1) pay a third or half of front, then make payments on the balance;
(2) my OMS gave me my first splint cheaper since he knew I was single mom with no money. Maybe if you explain your situation they would be willing to help you out;
(3) maybe you could appeal to your family. Mine is by no means rich, but they would always give what they could, maybe you could piece it together that way.
(4) maybe there is a charity org around you which can help if necessary

Not much is more important than your health. If you don't start to take care of this problem now, it will only get much worse and cost much more. Believe me on this, i'm speaking from experience. I would try to come up with the money for the second opinion first though. You may find it well worth it, there are alot of docs out there who seriously screw people up because they don't really know what they are doing. Please don't be discouraged. You can and will find a way.

Autumn

GenDen · 04-25-2003, 11:15 AM

I agree with what the others have said that it is worth the money for the right splint and TMJ dysfunction treatment. The problem a lot of us have had is that we spend the big bucks and the splint is not the right splint and we have to start over. I would recommend that you do research. There is a lot of information available on the internet. However, you have to sift through both good and bad information. If possible, find a dentist who only treats TMJ dysfunction and has a lot of training and experience. If possible, check with some of his/her patients to see if they have had a positive experience. Do your homework first. Anyone who treats you should be able to explain to your satisfaction what your problem is and how their treatment will fix the problem. Though it seems like a lot of money, believe me that not being treated properly costs a lot more money over time, not to mention the pain and suffering.