Hi Lvtocamp,
Thanks for asking about my daughter! She is improving somewhat. It has been an up and down situation with getting the proper diagnosis for her TMJ problem. Right now there is a BIG difference of opinion between an oral/maxiliofascial surgeon/orofacial pain management doctor at the military hospital that we go to and the civilian TMJ orthodontist that is treating her. Unfortunately, it seems that the young ENT resident at the military hospital sent us a little to soon to the orthodontist before having all the other specialist see her first! The military doctors are seriously questioning the medial disc displacement after reviewing the MRI films, use of the type of splints currently in her mouth and the need for surgery to fix the disc's. They believe her primary problem is muscular/nerve related and that her pain/other symptoms are NOT coming from the TMJ's. This has been a very upsetting few weeks for us because of this disagreement, we don't know which way to turn and what to do!!!
Now that we have spent $$$$ on orthodontic treatment (MRI, x-rays, splints), we aren't sure if our daughter has been correctly diagnosed! We have decided to seek a 2nd opinion. Next Tuesday we have an appt with a very well-known, experienced oral surgeon/professor at leading university dental school to look at the MRI and give us his opinion on the medial disc displacement, use of splints and most importantly if he thinks she should ever have surgery. We are hoping he will lead us in the right direction. The oral surgeon at the military hospital told my husband and I that that NO WAY would he do TMJ surgery on a 17 year old that is not having a SIGNIFICANT problem with her TMJ's. We already knew how controversial surgery is, but this statement really got our attention. Her ear symptoms/headaches have improved some with wearing the splints, but it's hard to say whether they have helped or the muscle relaxers she has been taking. I will post again after our appt next week and let you know what we find out. My main concern is to ensure our daughter is diagnosed correctly and gets the right treatment. I am now experiencing first hand just how many obstacles/hurdles TMJ patients face when seeking qualified doctors and correct treatment!
