tmd/tmj my face has changed! help! splint or night gaurd - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

allison3tkb · 04-15-2008, 02:17 PM

have tmd. had a mri and it showed both left and right disc are anteriorly displaced(forward displacement)_ and the left is also laterally displaced. My tmj dds made me a night guard. I really don't know if it is helping, i don't think it is. It makes my teeth sore. The dds wants to do some adjusting to it. My cheekbones are sticking out and I think I just look weird, my temples seem to have sunk in as well. I don't want to be deformed. Has this happend to any one else? My bite still feels all off line. ALL of this happened to me because of one new filling! Is the night gurad what I need? DDs says I clench and night gurad will help? But what about my teeth not fitting properly? I believe my malocclusion and/or bad bite is causing my tmj. Some days I feel pretty good then others I feel dizzy and out of it. Do I need a splint? Do I need a neuro dentist? What is the difference between a night gurad and a splint? THANK YOU in advance for your response. NOBOBY knows what this night mare feels like except my TMJ friends!

Danny149 · 04-15-2008, 04:37 PM

I know how you feel, my face has been swolen for a little over a year. My bite is completely off too. The cause is the inflamation from your TMJ. Get a splint, it will take a good solid month/two months for you to notice any difference, my advice to you is to eat soft foods (great way to lose weight) don't talk often, don't smile, DO NOT YAWN <--- IMPORTANT -- Do not sit down in a chair for more then 10 minutes at a time, that puts alot of preassure on your mustles causing stress and makes more swelling.

Do not take any over the counter inflammatory medication such as motrin ect, it does not work for swelling or pain, and will only cause you more health problems. It's not enough to see any difference. Talk to your doctor about perscribed inflammatory medication, that might help a bit.

-GET A SPLINT

Good luck to you
Ps: Wear your splint when you get it 24/7 even it hurts, you will get used to it.. (take it out when you eat/drink so you dont crush it and make it deformed)

Danny149 · 04-15-2008, 04:43 PM

Oh, lol one more thing.. in response to your comment about no one knowing what it feel's like besides us,

TMJ is like the monster under your bed, no one ever believes you until they've slept in with you.

sunflower8 · 04-16-2008, 06:44 AM

Wow, sounds just like me! My right disc has not recaptured in 2 years and my left disc clicks. My face and changed so much! The sides of my face are now flat, my temples are sunken in, and my face is no longer full! Its as though all the muscle have atrophy and I have lost tissue. My diet hasn’t changed....however I do not eat chewy/hard things. I wear a mouth guard at night and am able to open my mouth around 30mm. I’ve tried doing exercises to bulk up my face but nothing has worked 

allison3tkb · 04-16-2008, 07:19 AM

Hi Danny thanks for responding! Iam really quite scared about my face being disfigured. I actually was pretty but now I don't feel that way anymore. Did you wear a splint? I don't know if my tmj dds reccomends them. He makes this special night gaurd that he invented (he is featured in a magazine) so I am getting the impression he only treats tmj with a night gaurd. But really, how can a night gaurd get my discs back in place...not going to happen with a night gaurd. Did you have to wear braces after the splint? Another question...When i had the new filling put in it never felt right so my dds said i had a interference and drilled my top right tooth #30 ALOT to accomodate the interference. And ever since that work he did on my tooth my bite has been off. I think that maybe redoing that one filling on #30 would help? what do you think about that? Thanks!