| Got my disc back, but it wont stay! Now what?
So yesterday I went to the TMJ dentist I mentioned in an earlier post. He successfully maneuvered my jaw to recapture my left disc, after pumping my joint full of lidocaine (sp?). I was ecstatic. 50mm opening! woo hoo!
However, my disc won't "stay". Even with the original repositioning splint in there, the disc kept slipping back in front of my joint. The dentist was able to get it to "pop back", but I am unable to pop it back myself. The dentist said my ligaments were "loose" and were unable to hold the disc in where it needed to be.
So, we made a bigger splint, that holds my mouth in a position so that the disc has to stay put. He said that when I come back in 4 weeks we will start injections (of sugar water and lidocaine - so prolotherapy injections?) that will help strengthen the ligaments on my left side in the hopes that it will be able to stay.
My splint is huge. 10mm high in the back and I can barely close my lips. Talking is certainly a challenge, and I have no idea how I'm going to eat.
I would love to hear from anyone that has gone through the whole injection thing (not steroid injections), that was able to increase strength in their ligaments...
Or heck, how do I power through with this huge repositioning splint in my mouth? I feel like a freak. Although the HUGE upside is that my pain is nearly gone. I think that makes it worth it.
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