Introduction (New Member) - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

jayfg · 07-31-2008, 06:22 PM

Hello. U can call me Jay. My husband has been suffering with what we assume is TMJ for about 6 or 7yrs now. Its been getting progressively worse each year and is quickly becoming unbearable.

I'd like to learn as much as possible. I hate to see him so down. He hides it extremely well, but I can tell he's depressed.

We haven't tried many things yet (just pain killers and mouthguards). So, I'm optimistic about some of the alternatives I've read about. The painkillers are losing their affect and the mouthguard made it worse.

I'll search the forum and try to find information without bombarding you all with questions right away. I commend you for your resilience and strength. I can only imagine how it must feel. Thank you for being there.

Jay

Thelma-Louise · 07-31-2008, 08:00 PM

Welcome Jay - your husband is very lucky to have you - its very important for those that suffer with tmj to have someone close to them that supports them, listens to them, and acta as their cheerleader and sometimes spokesperson - sometimes you may have to help nudge him along to seek out and try different treatments, find new drs, change meds, etc. What those that have tmj do not need is being made to feel like what they are going through can not be as bad as they say it is or that they are not trying to get well - this just makes them feel like they are in some way responsible for this - which they are not. Its a condition and/or disorder - plain and simple.

Read some posts from members, check out the sitcky posts at the top , jot things down, do some research - but try not to get overwhelmed by what your read. When and if you have any questions, need some input or suggestions or advice, please feel free to ask whatever you need to know - no matter how trivial or complex it may be - we may not know all the answers but we may at least be able to guide you in the right direction.

pipdog · 08-01-2008, 03:06 PM

Hi Jay

Your husband is lucky to have you because when we get in this mess its hard to think straight for ourselves.

Meds will just mask the symptoms but will do nothing to address the cause.

When you say say the mouth guard made things worse it's well know that grinders will grind more if they find something to grind down into.

You guys need to go and see a specialist specifically one trained in 'functional jaw orthopaedics' and have a full diagnostic work-up with imaging to show exactly what is going on in the jaw joint.

With this information the next stage is to get an appliance to change the bite and move the jaw joints into a more favorable position called the Gelb 4/7. Mostly with TMJ dysfunction the condyles are too far back and up causing compression on nerves and blood vessels.

I'm on this journey right now I'm not there yet but I believe the logic behind the theory to be sound and am hopeful I will be able to recover.

jayfg · 08-02-2008, 03:26 PM

Thanks you guys! nice to meet you.

~~~pip~~~
the specialist we went to supposedly specializes in tmj. he told us to have his wisdom teeth removed. that didn't help. then, we went back and got a mouthguard. that made the pain worse.

now, my husband is completely turned off from mouth guards or anything even resembling one. I guess it hurt that bad. i want him to go back to the same dr. and at least ask if there are any other treatments available. i've heard good things about this dr. so i'd like to give him a second try.

in the meantime i'm really just trying to find as many alternatives as possible to provide some relief until a true solution can be found. all we have now is ibuprofen and vicodin which he seems to have built up a tolerance to. he's got to take more and more of it as time goes on just to get minimal relief.

thanks for the details of your treatment. i'm googling the terms you mentioned. I know different things work for different people but it's good to have as much information as possible. good luck on your journey. we all need it i guess.

Thelma-Louise · 08-03-2008, 01:08 AM

Vicodin can be very habit forming and addictive - you may want to look into going to a Pain Mgmt clinic either at a nearby hospital or dental school that that deals with Myofacial Pain Syndrome - there are other drugs that may help - muscle relaxants, anti-spasm meds, stronger anti-inflamatories, even anti-depressants that work in altering the brains "pain center" - although meds are no solution they can help take the edge off or make the pain more tolerable while you search for the right drs and treatment. The same is true of other alternative treatments such as chiro, accupuncture, PT, cranial sacral therapy, etc - they all may help get you to the next step in your journey.