judye

I remember the anxiety I had as I went into my splint and waited for improvement - so I wanted to share my experience with you. Keep in mind that I have had pretty severe TMJ symptoms - one of the more sensitive/reactive cases my NM dentist has seen. My basic situation is that my jaw is in a problematic position, with the top teeth trapping the bottom jaw too low and too far back. There is no contact between the top and bottom teeth, thus no resting place for the jaw.

Things were quite bad when I went into my orthotic (a permanent, lower one) almost a year ago and things got worse before they got better. It took about 5 months for me to start to see really positive results. I researched others with severe cases and 6 months seemed to be a similar turning point for them. I went in the splint in June and by November, I started to feel better. Although I was feeling much better, things were still a bit rocky and didn't fully stabilize as consistantly better until about 9 to 10 months. I would say the improvement was very slow for me and also very erratic - it's not one consistant slow movement forward. It's more up and down, but the overall trajectory is toward improvement. This can be frustrating because, while you are in it, this can look and feel like healing and improvement isn't happening, but it is.

I just got my braces and now it looks like I'm in for another rocky period, which is difficult after finally starting to feel good for the first time in ages. At least I now know that this process works for me, which I didn't going into the splint, and that makes all the difference in the world.

Just a quick note. Now, I don't know your TMJ situation or the type of splint you have. I do know that 3 weeks, however, does not seem like enough to start seeing major improvements. In my opinion, your mouth isn't used to any changes at this point and now it's going through months of repositioning. There may be some resistance until it gets on board. I don't imagine real results will be in effect until things stabilize in heathier position and the majority of the repositioning is done. It's a tricky thing because the next stage might be pain, and that may a good thing - it may be a sign that things are moving in your mouth to a healthier position. I questioned the 5 months of pain I had - we usually interpret pain as a sign of disfunction. But after going through all those months of pain, I was almost pain free for the first time in years.

I wish you the best in your recovery. Remember there are ups and downs along the path but keep in mind the overall upward trajectory...Remember that it may take time to see improvement and that there may be some necessary growing pains. I hope they are minimal for you.

M