getting results from splint therapy - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

velvetrance · 02-05-2007, 11:37 AM

i guess i would like a little reassurance from the splint therapy im going through right now. i've been wearing a splint for 2 weeks now and so far i feel worse. however, my orthodontist said it would probably get worse before it got better. who all has gone through splint therapy and had it be a success? when will i notice improvements? i want to be optimistic but im at a difficult point right now.

Thelma-Louise · 02-05-2007, 11:53 AM

I wish I could be more encouraging but I haven't had much success with any of the splints I have tried however if you browse previous posts you will see many members have had success with them.

Personally sometimes I think I am too impatient (who isn't when you just want relief from pain) but one dr did convince me to give him 12 mos and afterwards, with no improvement, I finally moved on but felt I had wasted too much time and money for nothing when I could have been trying something else. Give it a little more time - how often do you go for a progress evaluation or bite adjustments?

GoodThings · 02-09-2007, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by velvetrance

i guess i would like a little reassurance from the splint therapy im going through right now. i've been wearing a splint for 2 weeks now and so far i feel worse. however, my orthodontist said it would probably get worse before it got better. who all has gone through splint therapy and had it be a success? when will i notice improvements? i want to be optimistic but im at a difficult point right now.

Somebody told me that she had immediate relief when she had the splint. It does make sense because if your joint is too far back and hitting the nerve back there, bring the joint and jaw forward would give you immediate relief. No? Unless the splint didn't bring your joint and jaw forward. I also think one should be able to tell if the splint is pulling the jaw forward.

GT

Katie G · 02-11-2007, 08:26 AM

Hello there..I can honestly say I am one person who had success with my splint therapy. I think it all depends on your specialist who provided the splint and frequent follow-up visits to make sure that the splint continues to fit properly as your bite changes. I started splint therapy in Oct. '03 until Dec. '04...wearing an upper splint 24/7. It probably took about a month before all my TMD pain disappeared....I have suffered for at least 20 years prior to splint therapy with headaches, jaw pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, etc. that I attributed to my fibromyalgia (which I also have). But the time of splint treatment was the first time in my life I became completely pain-free from my TMD. But as my orthodontist says..my problems didn't appear overnight, and therefore, the treatment is not a "quick fix" and requires time, follow-up visits for splint readjustments, and repeated "checks" on TMD symptoms for worsening or getting better.

During the course of my splint therapy, my lower jaw actually moved back and up to achieve correct alignment in the socket, ultimately revealing that my maxilla was overgrown in comparison to my lower jaw, and leaving me with a huge anterior open bite. From Dec. '04 through the present, I have been wearing braces to realign my teeth. In a couple weeks, I will undergo osteotomy to cut away parts of the maxilla and realign it properly with the lower jaw. From all my years of TMD, X-rays have revealed bone and joint loss for both sides of my jaws, and my facial/maxilla surgery will attempt to preserve what I have left and provide me with the best physiological alignment of upper/lower jaws as possible, with the hope that I will maintain proper jaw alignment and be able to have full range of motion of my jaws for many years to come.

Sorry for being so long-winded, but I just wanted to assure you that splint therapy CAN be successful for some, and I am one of those sucess stories. Hang in there, and make sure your specialist is checking your bite, alignment, and decrease in symptoms on a regular basis. If you are NOT feeling a positive change in symptoms w/in the next few weeks, it is important to tell him/her so that it can be determined if a different splint is better for you. Splint therapy is not "one size fits all", and for splints to be successful, your specialist needs to determine what will work best FOR YOU...whether it be an NTI, upper, or lower bite splint.

Good luck to you!
Katie G

goosebeavis · 02-25-2007, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katie G

Hello there..I can honestly say I am one person who had success with my splint therapy. I think it all depends on your specialist who provided the splint and frequent follow-up visits to make sure that the splint continues to fit properly as your bite changes. I started splint therapy in Oct. '03 until Dec. '04...wearing an upper splint 24/7. It probably took about a month before all my TMD pain disappeared....I have suffered for at least 20 years prior to splint therapy with headaches, jaw pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, etc. that I attributed to my fibromyalgia (which I also have). But the time of splint treatment was the first time in my life I became completely pain-free from my TMD. But as my orthodontist says..my problems didn't appear overnight, and therefore, the treatment is not a "quick fix" and requires time, follow-up visits for splint readjustments, and repeated "checks" on TMD symptoms for worsening or getting better.

During the course of my splint therapy, my lower jaw actually moved back and up to achieve correct alignment in the socket, ultimately revealing that my maxilla was overgrown in comparison to my lower jaw, and leaving me with a huge anterior open bite. From Dec. '04 through the present, I have been wearing braces to realign my teeth. In a couple weeks, I will undergo osteotomy to cut away parts of the maxilla and realign it properly with the lower jaw. From all my years of TMD, X-rays have revealed bone and joint loss for both sides of my jaws, and my facial/maxilla surgery will attempt to preserve what I have left and provide me with the best physiological alignment of upper/lower jaws as possible, with the hope that I will maintain proper jaw alignment and be able to have full range of motion of my jaws for many years to come.

Sorry for being so long-winded, but I just wanted to assure you that splint therapy CAN be successful for some, and I am one of those sucess stories. Hang in there, and make sure your specialist is checking your bite, alignment, and decrease in symptoms on a regular basis. If you are NOT feeling a positive change in symptoms w/in the next few weeks, it is important to tell him/her so that it can be determined if a different splint is better for you. Splint therapy is not "one size fits all", and for splints to be successful, your specialist needs to determine what will work best FOR YOU...whether it be an NTI, upper, or lower bite splint.

Good luck to you!
Katie G

I just read your information regarding TMJ & bite splint therapy. I am also from Mt. Pleasant, MI and going through the same thing. I also suffer from fibromyalgia (and am beginning to wonder if it is all due to the TMJ as well)!!! I ended the bite splint therapy in December and now have braces. I am struggling now and hope you have some advice. Since getting rid of the bite splint, I (as I'm sure you did) have such a huge overbite and the only teeth that touch are the last teeth in the back. So, not only is it a HUGE challenge to eat with only those teeth to chew with, but now I am having all the symptoms of the TMJ that I was having before the splint (headaches, soreness, clenching, trouble sleeping). Also, within a month of getting the braces, 2 of my teeth cracked and need to be crowned. I fear that with all the clenching and no splint to relieve it, that all my teeth are going to fall apart before I ever get to the surgery on the jaw. Did you find something to wear at night over the braces to keep you from grinding all your teeth away? I still have 2 1/2 years of braces. Any suggestions would be GREAT!