Braces once TMJD pain settles down

blahblah

Incidentally I was told both my discs were anteriorally displaced and I had moderate to severe TMJD.

Thelma-Louise

I have no anwers to your post but was just wondering if you ended up going to Dr Syrop in NYC for your treatment and was he able to help you get rid of the pain?

blahblah

I went to see Dr. Syrop for his opinion, treatment with him would not be doable due to the distance. That said he examined my MRI's and felt that they looked normal - as in the joints themselves. He said many people have displaced discs with NO symptoms so that in and of itself means nothing. He saw no signs of arthritis etc.

It was his opinion that the tooth that bothers me has nothing to do with my TMJD and should be extracted due to the fracture. He also felt that I definitely needed braces. He said a nightguard to protect my teeth would be fine - but as far as repositioning my jaw and all that 'mumbo jumbo' - I should move on with getting my bite corrected.

When I went to see the next orthodontist who specialized in TMJD he wanted to once again treat me with splint therapy for $2500 so that my jaw was in a comfortable place. He insisted on doing that before orthodontia.

I got rather discouraged about more splint therapy as I had already been through that. So I decided to take a break from all treatment.

Come October - 2 months later I began to feel better and to date I have seen an enormous improvement in my TMJD symptoms. It is my feeling that a lot of things have calmed down in my life and I am in a better place, I think stress - in my situation - played an immense role in all this. That said, I do have the condition and do expect it to flair up from time to time. But NOW I can focus on correcting my horrible bite. I returned to a dentist who I have not seen for a few years but has treated me in the past for a long, long time. I have not seen him in about 3 years - he was shocked at how bad my bite is. He said most people are born with bites this bad - and I know you were not born with this bite! He is VERY VERY insistent that I get braces to correct the bite as he feels it will only add to my TMJD symptoms when they flair up AND it is very unhealthy for your teeth and gums not to meet properly when chewing.

He has no idea how my bite got so bad - he surmises that the trauma of the TMJD (grinding, clenching) shifted my teeth and my jaw has healed in a different position. He still can't believe how much my teeth moved.

So I will have that one tooth removed - thankfully I didn't do it previously and have an implant put in BEFORE orthodontia, and then move on with having my bite fixed. I'm not worried about orthodontia causing a TMJD flair up - I dealt with that pain for 2 years and I can do it again, if it means having a healthy bite.

Thelma-Louise

So you had previous ortho work done? Its interesting b/c many people who develop tmj also had ortho done previously - I found a site once that discussed in detail and there have been discussions here about it too. I had braces done in my mid 20's but it was only after some major dental work (implants and bridges) was replaced that my bite shifted and the spasms started - although I tend to blame my situation mostly on poor dental restoration and a bad dentist - and not so much the braces- since I was fine for many years after the ortho and intitial dental restoration and only developed it once I changed to another dentist my periodontist wanted me to go to. Suffice to say I don't go to either one any more. Well good luck with the ortho treatment. If you search older posts you may find a few from members who had tmj and then went to braces after their splint therapy was completed.

blahblah

Yes I did, from 8th grade to 11th grade. Funny back then braces took a lot longer to complete. Anyone who has seen me say they do not believe previous ortho work had anything to do with my TMJD. They all continue to maintain that no one knows why it exists - and that it can disappear as mysteriously as it appears in many cases. What complicates my situation is that I don't just have TMJD or I don't just have a very bad bite - I have both, and my bad bite can make my TMJD worse and it is believed that my TMJD contributed to my shift in bite. But I had my braces removed at 16 so it is highly unlikely that 24+ years later it caused the TMJD.
Most said that most likely it is a combination of the way you are born and grow, stress and years of bruxing/grinding - tho anyone who sleeps next to me says they NEVER hear me grind! lol

For me, braces can only help my situation - can't hurt it. I still maintain that in many instances STRESS is a very huge factor in people's pain and discomfort. And in time once stress is lifted, you feel better.

Keep you posted!