7 Tips for Wearing a Jaw Orthotic

Here are a few things I've noticed from wearing a Jaw Orthotic during my Neuromuscular Dentistry treatment. My jaw orthotic is hard, clear plastic and sits on my lower jaw. There are differences between the upper and lower jaw ones. I have a Neuromuscular Dentist who is treating me for TMD and this one worked really well for me.

1. Get Good Molds!

So, when the dentist first took molds of my teeth, I noticed that the metal tray she put on my bottom teeth kind of pushed against the front of my lower teeth. It wasn't unbearable, but it was slightly uncomfortable and pushed against them. This later resulted in my orthotic being very tight on my front teeth. It felt like it was pushing against them and I actually felt like they were pushed back from wearing my orthotic. It was not comfortable. 

Therefore, let your dentist know if the tray is really uncomfortable and pushing against your teeth. They're going to base your orthotic off of that mold, so you want your teeth to be in a comfortable position. Otherwise your stuck with that for a very looooong time!

2. Getting Used to Talking

Don't worry! It may seem like you will never be able to talk with it in your mouth, but you'll get used to it, I promise! You may always have a slight lisp when you say certain words, but trust me it is less noticeable to other people than to you. When I first got my orthotic I practiced talking in my car, saying the alphabet, or singing along to the music. Even though I did this a lot, it still took me a while to feel really comfortable speaking with the orthotic. 

Luckily, the orthotic is removable so you can take it out if you really have to, but that also means that you aren't giving yourself the opportunity to get used to speaking with it. Also in order to keep moving forward with the treatment, you will need to wear it as often as possible. There was a point where I thought I would never be able to speak well with it, but I really improved over time. Now my boyfriend doesn't even notice that I'm wearing it anymore. 

3. Carry Chapstick

Wearing the orthotic can make you salivate more, but that wasn't as bad as how much it dried out my lips. Having chapstick or lip balm on hand is really helpful because dry, cracked lips can be very painful and the orthotic caused me to have this constantly at first. I'm not sure if it's because I got used to it or that the orthotic has since changed shape with adjustments, but this is no longer a problem for me. 

4. It Will Change Drastically

So the first time I went to the dentist for TENSing, and I had adjustments made to my orthotic, I really didn't expect anything noticeable to happen. A few days later my front teeth were all of sudden hitting the front of the orthotic! I'm not sure if I just didn't understand or if the dentist didn't tell me, but I thought something was wrong. There's no need to panic! This is just a part of the process. The adjustments to your orthotic will change your bite and you will notice your jaw moving. For me, I would have the adjustments made, a few days would go by and I would be fine, then all of a sudden it would start to become increasingly uncomfortable. If you live close to your dental office, then it is worth setting up an appointment. I happen to live a couple hours away, so I would way a few months before returning, which made the orthotic a bit uncomfortable to live with. 

Basically, don't worry if you notice those changes, the idea is to work the orthotic into the best position for you! It will take a while, but your dentist should be willing to make those needed adjustments until your jaw is sitting comfortably.

5. Keep it Clean

It's not a big secret that you're going to have to clean your orthotic, but here's just a warning that it can be tricky to do it. I was told to go out and by a denture brush to clean it, but I just used my toothbrush and that seemed to work. I basically would finish brushing my teeth, then spend a few more minutes brushing my orthotic. It's difficult to get the mineral deposit build-up off of the orthotic, but with some extra brushing I could usually do it. It's kind of a pain, but keeping up with it is better than letting it get worse. I found running it under warm/hot water and brushing it helped too. It's going to be annoying, but it's gotta be done.

6. Try not to break it!

I broke my orthotic after about a year of having it. I was not happy because I had finally found my perfect position. Breaking the back part of it made some of my symptoms return and I didn't realize that the piece that broke off was causing all my neck pain, headaches, ear aches, etc. Be gentle with your orthotic, don't lose it, don't drink hot liquids with it on, and don't step on it! Mine broke probably just from wear and tear, but I think that it also didn't help that I drank hot coffee while wearing it during my morning drive to work. 

If your orthotic does break, do let your dentist know! They can either send it back to the manufacturer to have it fixed, or like my dentist, add some of their molding material and fit it to your bite. Mine currently still has the temporary fix on it and I've been holding out okay. 

7. Enjoy!

Getting my orthotic was the best thing to happen to me and my jaw! It has improved my jaw pain by at least 90% and I'm so happy with the results. Stage I of the neuromuscular dentistry treatment includes relieving the muscle strain and finally giving your jaw a place to rest. When I first started wearing my orthotic, I could feel the relief of my muscles and joints finally relaxing after such a long time. Wearing the orthotic is really not difficult to deal with considering the alternatives of not having it. 

It's important to let your dentist know if you are experiencing any pain or discomfort from your orthotic because there is most likely a solution. Often I would share a concern with my dentist and she would help me adjust it so that I was more comfortable. This is especially if your front teeth are touching the orthotic and preventing it from sliding forward. Your dentist will need to know so he or she can clear a space for your lower jaw to move freely.

If you have any questions about getting a jaw orthotic for neuromuscular dentistry, please let me know! I will answer to the best of my ability. I'm not a doctor, but I have been through this process and am happy to share my experiences with you from the patient's perspective. I hope some of these tips have helped. Thanks!

Waiting for Stage II and Costs of Working Jaw Orthotic

So, for anyone wondering or noticing, I haven't written a post in a while. This isn't because I've forgotten to, it's because I've been waiting, and waiting...and waiting. What am I waiting for? Well, I'm waiting for a response from my doctor about what the cost will be for a working orthotic.

Just to recap what has happened so far, I was told that moving my teeth using braces so that I won't have an open bite in my new jaw position will take upwards of five years and be a long and tedious process. Therefore, I've decided to instead position the jaw using a working orthotic that will lower my jaw in the back and position my lower front teeth upward and behind my upper teeth. This gradual movement will be done intentionally, which is why I need a different orthotic. My current jaw orthotic was meant to get my jaw in a relaxed position of its own choosing. The problem with this position is my teeth don't match up very well.

So, the dentist will slowly maneuver the jaw to a better position for my teeth, which will hopefully not cause me further jaw joint pain. If it does, then a new option will have to be considered. Personally, my jaw at one point did align better with my front teeth, so I think that the teeth have worn in the back and that's why I now have an open bite. I believe this happened when I was around 18 years old, which was when my jaw started to develop an open bite, not a noticeable one, but I was suddenly unable to use my front teeth for tearing.
Once the working orthotic is used to find a better bite, my dentist intends to put caps on my back teeth to hold the new position in place. This may either be caps on my upper and lower back teeth, or just my lower ones, which would be ideal for my financial sake.

The process time is currently difficult to estimate, my dentist says, "As long as it needs to take." However because my muscles and joints are now relaxed and in a calm position, she seems to feel it will take less time than the initial orthotic, plus I'm not positive that I will need to be hooked up to the TENSing unit because my muscles are already calmed.

Needless to say, although I am completely comfortable in my current jaw position, I'm anxious to get past these orthotics and just get back to having my teeth come together. In my new position, it's hard to force my teeth together because my jaw is loose and comfortable in a different place. This makes it difficult to chew and when I do chew I'm pushing my joints into the old position that they are not comfortable with. Having an orthotic isn't very difficult, and from what I can tell, it is much more manageable than braces. For one thing I can take it out and brush it at night, which I know it is much more difficult to keep braces clean. It also is not painful whatsoever. I am still looking forward to that time when I don't have to deal with taking it in and out anymore.

Some tips about getting a jaw orthotic that some people might find helpful is that you will want to tell your dentist if the orthotic is too tight or causing any pain because they can make small adjustments to help make it more comfortable. I actually had the dental assistant give me my orthotic initially and I told her it was tight and she said to just kind of get used to it. I thought maybe there was nothing they could do so I didn't mention it again, but then it became very painful wearing it and I mentioned it again to the dentist and she said she could easily adjust it. She did adjust it and it made a big difference, so speak up to your dentist if this is bothering you. I think I just assumed that the dental assistant would have known this, but she did not.
I think I will make another post in the meantime about getting used to the orthotic, but otherwise I will continue to wait for a final estimate of what Stage II will cost and then get back to you!

I hope my experiences might help someone going through a similar process or looking for some options. Please let me know if you have any questions and also feel free to share your own stories in the comments below! Thanks!