I just received my splint yesterday. I was TENSed for an hour and then the splint was received. When I looked in the reflection of my phone at my teeth after TENSing, it looked like my lower jaw was shifted about 1-2mm right of center. This felt like it was in the right spot and my left ear was feeling some relief for the first time. Once the appliance was put it, my jaw was now 1-2mm to the LEFT side and felt like it was making the ear worse...
I'm not sure if the splint was fitted incorrectly or if it is supposed to be like that. Too early to tell at this point. I go back again today.
Hey Saltyk9,
So glad you finally got your NM splint. I have my fingers crossed for you. I know how maddening the ear symptoms can be. Is this appliance worn all the time or just at night? I have a night splint that goes over my bottom teeth that was made by the oral surgeon, but it's not helping me at all. I think the NM splint you are describing is a repositioning splint which is different than the night guard?
Best of luck to you and please keep us posted on your progress.
Hi rlat45, you are correct in that it is a repositioning splint, also over the bottom teeth. It is warn 24/7 including while eating (which sucks because I have to take it out and clean it after every time I eat something).
I asked my dentist about my concern today and he says that it is normal and not to worry. Through adjustments we will ultimately find the true position it should be in. He says I can come in as often as I want, even if I just want to get TENSed. I am lucky that his one time fee covers everything, including as many visits as I want to make.
I've been in my repositioning splint since last June. It did take some getting used to. The cleaning after every time you eat is a pain. I stocked up on those Whisp brushes for times when I need something discreet.
My muscles have taken time to get used to the splint. I'd definitely take advantage of using the tens frequently for a while.
Yeah I think it is probably best to invest in something like that! What a pain...
I think what I experienced last night is a good indicator that I am right about the proper position I should be in... I feel like the orthotic should be shifted horizontally about 3mm to the right, and now a couple of my back molars are hurting because I'm biting down on the orthotic on the right side because my jaw keeps wanting to shift that way and its putting pressure on my teeth.
For those of you who are in this type of splint, if the doc keeps adjusting it and grinding more off, how do your teeth stay in place on it if more and more material is gradually removed?
Developed a new symptom...
Every now and then I would wake up with my chest feeling a little bit sore...now with the NM orthotic, I woke up this morning with such intense pain in my chest that I had to have my girlfriend roll me out of bed because I couldn't lift my own self up from the chest pain.
The muscles feel like they are super tight like I haven't used them in a year, and if I press on my chest it's not the outer muscles, it's the muscles on the inside. Ever heard of this?
Hey.....you need to probably start seeing an A/O chiropracter now....you cannot just treat the jaw....once you reposition with the orthodic...it's effects will be far reaching...and if you have spinal misalignments,,,they will "fight" the new jaw position. Everything you are feeling is normal...and it's way too early to tell where your final jaw posiiton will be...since in essence, it will change over the course of the next year. When I was freaking out about all the symptoms....my doctor told me I had to "turn" my brain off....lol. and just let the process unravel. It was good advice.
Did you have chest pains like the ones I am talking about? Usually go away after about 5 minutes of being up, but today they were so bad i could barely move and I am still feeling them 12 hours later...
I had them yes....they were referred pain from trigger points within my rib cage....you can tell if it's muscular pain by simply moving your fingers along the ribs...pushing pretty hard...if it is extremely sore in areas...you have triggers that need to be worked out...or possibly spinal misalignments that need to be looked at...or both...lol. Also, may I say that if you do not feel soreness in the muscles,,,,I would just to be safe...get checked out by your MD...and see what they have to say. (I doubt it's heart related...but you should always use caution when it comes to chest pain). Take care, J.
The Following User Says Thank You to Jill 227 For This Useful Post: MountainReader (02-04-2011)
I went to a NM Dentist back in July but ended up not using her as it was $5,500 just to get started and no guarantee of anything really.
In response to your latest symptom - at an early stage I had referred pain all over my body plus weakness. I had a buzzy electric pain in my neck, lower back and in my thighs in addition to jaw, sinus, ears, teeth and so on.
I am finding consistent relief with soaking the back of my head, neck and the jaw in the hot tub and doing gentle stretching neck rolls. Then I swim at a moderate pace for 30 to 45 minutes. The head turns for breath further lessen the strain on my jaw as each is another stretch. And swimming stretches all of the muscles in the body. Lastly I do 10 minutes in the steam.
This has been much more effective than splint, accupuncture, massage, electrocranial stim, meditation, running. I find muscle relaxers gave me some temporary relief but those would be of no use for an ongoing chronic condition like this. The swimming is also putting me in shape that I haven't been in in years. Took a lot of pain to get me going. But it takes what it takes. I've read other people have problems swimming with their TMJ. So maybe not for everyone. I'd only emphasize to go for the stretch and not speed.
Last edited by zerenitynow; 02-05-2011 at 02:41 PM.
Did you have chest pains like the ones I am talking about? Usually go away after about 5 minutes of being up, but today they were so bad i could barely move and I am still feeling them 12 hours later...
saltyk9,
I also had chest pain, started out just like yours, then got worse. With PT, gentle home exercises and yoga, it finally went away. It does freak you out, but I would have it check out to rule everything else out.
I also had chest pain, started out just like yours, then got worse. With PT, gentle home exercises and yoga, it finally went away. It does freak you out, but I would have it check out to rule everything else out.
That is good to know. I have not had any bad chest pains since that one morning... so that is good.
I don't know if it is that I am still not used to my orthotic yet... it has been almost a week... but I still grind and clench on that thing all day long. I feel like it is starting to wear down and I even have a tiny little hole in the very front of it (not sure how I managed that). What I don't get is, if the dentist keeps adjusting it and shaving down parts on it, isn't it eventually going to just flatten out and my teeth won't know where to fit in it?
Hi there.....Yes, the dentist NEEDS to keep the bumpiness, or the orthodic "indexed" to hold your jaw into the grooves....or over time, you will NOT be able to find the spot that your jaw position should be in. This is why I had to have mine realigned with more acrylic...and go through all the tests again, because I clench too much, and wore the thing down. It was not that he was taking off too much acrylic...I was just wearing it down quickly. Make sure that your dentist is aware of your concerns....I had to pay out another 700 dollars to have mine realigned......it does get quite expensive..
Hi there.....Yes, the dentist NEEDS to keep the bumpiness, or the orthodic "indexed" to hold your jaw into the grooves....or over time, you will NOT be able to find the spot that your jaw position should be in. This is why I had to have mine realigned with more acrylic...and go through all the tests again, because I clench too much, and wore the thing down. It was not that he was taking off too much acrylic...I was just wearing it down quickly. Make sure that your dentist is aware of your concerns....I had to pay out another 700 dollars to have mine realigned......it does get quite expensive..
I thought that if you were in the "neuromuscular position" that you would no longer clench and grind? I feel like I grind my teeth even more when I wear this thing. When you said you had to pay to have yours realigned, was that simply to add more acrylic to it or were you made an entirely new one?
Typically, from the time you are first TENSed and have your orthotic fabricated to that position, to the time that your phase I treatment is complete, how different is the position? Is this something that can change a lot over time as the treatment progresses?
Well....everyone is different. If you are clenching too much....have you had someone assess your spine/posture? You may have imbalances in your posture that are adding to your clenching...or spinal misalignments. The obvious one is the orthodic may be a tad too high for you...but that would be my last answer to the clenching. Just because your jaw was moved to a new position does not mean that the clenching will automatically dissolve.....IMO, that's huge mistake that doctors tell patients. Your jaw posiiton will most definitely change in the course of the phase 1.....my bite wanted to come even more forward...so he had to adjust the grooves to accomodate.(sp) to the new position. Also, realigning basically means that the whole top of the orthodic is being redone....in the same way it was fabricated in the first place....same testing, etc.
also, depending on how long your NM dentist has you in phase 1....depends on what happens with your orthodic. Some NM dentists don't like to have their patients in phase 1 for longer than 6mo.....mine is totally from a different mindset. He does a series of 2 orthodics...the first one brings the jaw a bit forward...and gives some added vertical....after 4 mo...he does the final orthodic...higher..and more forward....so everything is done gradually.....he likes to take things a bit slower....but that does not mean that it cannot be done right off the bat. I'm just trying to give you an idea of what my treatment is like...but every doctor is different...and their treatment style may vary a tad. In the end....the bottom line is....your muscular pain and joint pain should subside substantially, before phase 2 is even considered. The orthodic has to be indexed...and periodically....should always be checked by putting you back on the EMG scans...that is crucial. Also, remember,,,you cannot treat just the jaw...you need to address your posture or you will always be fighting the new jaw position. It's like putting air in only 2 tires in your car.....it will never be balanced.
Thanks for your help. My doctor says phase I will probably be 3-6 months (pretty standard) but can take up to a year. He never said that I would stop clenching, actually, he said there is nothing he can do in order to stop the clenching, but the grinding can be eliminated.
When you say you should be put back on the EMG readings, do you mean to have the orthotic in and your teeth together on it to see how much they are at rest?
I usually go in once a week for an adjustment and am always hooked up to the EMG but all they have me do is let the jaw hang and rest and then clench. Repeat this about 3 times and then chew on the typewriter paper.
I suppose I should have my posture checked out as I strained the lower lumbar of my back about 4 years ago.
Yes, the EMG testing...with all those electrodes...to check muscle activity...and see where it needs to be adjusted. I am surprised that your doctor does weekly adjustments. I never had them that frequently....every 4-5 weeks or so...sometimes 6weeks. Make sure that they are very slight..and he's not taking too much acrylic off....
He wants me to come in once a week for the first 2 months then about every 3-4 weeks after that.
I realized when I woke up this morning that I was not in my neuromuscular position of my splint...my jaw had dropped way back and my molars were just sitting on the front part of the splint. How can I manage to keep it in the correct position while I'm sleeping?
I remember MountainReader saying something about how she has a type of splint she wears at night that has a ledge to keep that from happening.
Yes, you may want to speak to your doctor about wearing a NM sleep appliance to hold your jaw more forward at night. Some people do not need this...but it sounds like you may benefit from it. These types of orthodics are NM tested the same way that the daytime appliance is fabricated.
