Navy,
If there is degeneration inside the joint, what is degenerating? The disc itself? The tiny ligaments that hold the disc in place? When my wife had the MRI of her cervical spine, she had some slight spurring at C-4,5,6 & 7, which is a frayed look on the bones themselves. Does that happen inside the TMJ? And if so, would that cause crepitus? And pain? The slight spurring in her neck causes her some discomfort, but not the horrendous pain she has in her jaw. If the condyle is pressed back against the bone, would not bringing it forward and off the bone through splint therapy take pressure off the disc and ligaments? My wife has a very small mouth--well, physically--and had 4 wisdom teeth removed and 4 premolars removed when she had braces. Instead of removing those teeth, the ortho should have tried expanding her jaw. They know that now, and my son just went through very successful treatment with braces, has a beautiful smile, and had no teeth removed. If you follow the malocclusion/neuromuscular theory, her muscles tried to accomodate the new bite, and smaller jaw, but finally tipped over the edge, due to age (and associated degeneration) or whatever. I think everyone has some degeneration, and your body either adapts to it or not. If not, it may need help, and in the case of this disorder, splint therapy is the first step in trying to help your body adapt. No doctor will jump into surgery without first trying splint or some other non-invasive form of treatment.
Dan
| 
Linear Mode
