Arleen

Hi:

I'm going for my second appointment with a TMJ dentist on Thursday, and I'm starting to get nervous again. I hope I'm following the right path, because I don't think I can handle seeing too many more dentists.

There's been a lot of discussion about neuromuscular dentists doing a really good and thorough job of treating TMJD (if you find the right one). I'm wondering if that's who I should be going to or am I doing okay going to a TMJ dentist? The dentist I saw is supposed to take impressions on Thursday. Should I go ahead with this?

I'm uptight too because I had a call from HR today. Although the woman (who is, or was a nurse) tries to appear as if she's interested in how I'm feeling, all she really wants to know is when I'm coming back to work. My doctor completes a form once a month that includes this information, so there is no real need for this phonecall. My doctor guesses at a return date, because we won't know until I've started proper treatment. I always feel like I'm being hassled when she calls. Today I told her that it might be TMJ, that I'm still being diagnosed. She said she's dealt with someone else who had TMJ and they were able to work. I tried to explain that TMJ problems could be in the joints or muscles (or both) and comes in many forms. I felt like she just wrote it off like it was nothing and here I've gone through h-ll for months. I don't understand how people don't care about other people anymore (excluding this board). I know they've got someone in replacing me, so my return date isn't critical like she made it seem.

Thanks for listening. Hope everyone is doing well today.
Arleen

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Arleen