tmj due to car accident - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

heather47 · 07-30-2003, 11:43 AM

Does any one else have tmj from a car accident or other trauma? I was rear-ended in 2000 and have been through a whole lot of treatment and have been wearing a splint on my lower teeth for almost two years. I want to hear that it gets better and stops hurting eventually, but it certainly doesn't sound like it from some of the posts I have read.

lecach · 07-30-2003, 12:17 PM

I was in a car accident when I was 16 - no seatbelt so my face smashed into the window. At the time they didnt realize anything was wrong with my jaw. Apparently when you are 16 your jaw isnt thru forming. Over time I developed clicking, then migraines, then decreased openings, etc. After my first surgery the migraines stopped but everything else got worse. I've now had 3 surgical procedures on my left jaw, 2 on my right. Still in a lot of pain and now trying a repositional splint.

Trauma - such as that from a car accident - is one of the top causes of TMJ.

I would like to tell you that it stops or gets better. For me its only gotten worse. Im hopeful that the splint works - its been the only success for many tmj sufferers. The most important thing seems to be to find a TMJ specialist that will listen to you and treat you without rushing into surgery.

Good luck and welcome - you are in the right place. The people on here have been through almost every type of treatment and have experienced almost every symptom.

heather47 · 07-31-2003, 09:13 PM

A follow-up question to my first. Has anyone had a sucessful lawsuit involving tmj or for that matter an unsucessful one? My lawyer hasn't even got a court date yet and I am out of personal injury protection through my car insurance, so I have to pay for all of my care until it is all resolved.

Elaine · 07-31-2003, 11:03 PM

Heather,
I was in a wreck, broadsided by someone going 70mph. It took over two years but I won my lawsuit. I didn't get a whole lot but at the time no one knew things were so bad. One doctor had told the insurance company to wait to settle till after surgery. The insurance company wouldn't agree to that. I was going through a divorce at the time and I just wanted everything over with so I settled for $25,000 without really fighting it. That was a big mistake on my part because I have had nothing but problems every since, with both TMJD and herniated discs in my back that seem to keep blowing out on me. I remarried after my second surgery and my husbands insurance only covered a $3000 lifetime max for TMJ. I have had to pay for surgery, etc. out of pocket. If you do end up in a court battle, fight for open medical. If the other guy was at fault, you should have no problem. I am not suggesting surgery by any means, I am just telling you to cover yourself just in case it should come to that. This is an expensive ailment to be blessed with, uggh.
Take care,
Elaine

lecach · 08-01-2003, 06:42 AM

The wreck I was in was caused by the driver (we were going too fast around a curve). The driver was my best friend. At the time we didnt realize that anything major was wrong. Her parents paid the doctor and hospital bills at the time. But I (and my insurance) have paid all the TMJ bills. I could never sue her.