TMJ/TMD Your Pain is Real!

A student who I work closely with is going through a situation very similar to mine. While I feel terrible that she is going through this pain, I am glad I am able to relay some of my experience with having jaw pain.

Her jaw pain actually accelerated after having her wisdom teeth taken out. This was very similar to what happened to me! Now her jaw is drifting backwards and causing her to wake up with her jaw locked shut, muscles strained, and unable to chew comfortably.

One of the things that I think is most helpful when someone is going through this kind of pain, is to reassure them that they are not imagining the magnitude of the situation -- TMJ pain is REAL! It is also so vital, from my experience, to address it right away. So many things can get WORSE if you do not address these issues:

• Arthritis in your jaw joints, neck, shoulders, etc.
• Wear down your teeth, leading to cavities and root canals.
• Difficulty breathing.
• Stress, increased pain.
• ...and a number of other compounded issues.

I'm writing this post to anyone going through this to let you know that it is not worth just dealing with this kind of pain. Even though it may feel like a hassle to see a specialist and get a consultation, you will not regret it! 

When I first started talking about my jaw pain, the initial reaction from my family was to downplay what I was going through. For example, suggesting that I take some pain killers, focus on relaxing my jaw, massaging it, etc. Understandably, the common treatment for this kind of problem (TMD) is surgery, braces, and other very invasive treatments! So I understand why they would try to steer me away from that path. 

Luckily I didn't have to take that route and I'm very glad I didn't. (I may choose to get braces, but I've been very comfortable with my splint and have not needed surgery.) Unfortunately, no matter what treatment you choose, there is still a chance that you will always have to manage your jaw pain, but it doesn't have to be unbearable!

It's really difficult to express to others , who are not experiencing your pain, just how awful jaw pain is! It's not like an arm or leg that feels better if you rest it. Your jaw is constantly working and relies so much on a good bite to rest. If you don't have a comfortable bite, it can feel like you are constantly straining. When it's on your face, it feels even more exposed and uncomfortable, which for me caused further stress, anxiety and depression. The other part that makes this type of pain difficult, is that it isn't something that is visible to others. If it were a visible injury, it might be easier to convince someone that you are in pain.

If I can accomplish one thing in this post, it is to empower people, young or old, to look into their jaw pain and find a comfortable alternative. You're not alone in your pain, and I can personal validate that it is not something you can just "get over." I know how it feels when your pain is not being taken seriously, so I extend my utmost sympathy to anyone going through TMD and searching for a solution. There are many options out there, it's just a matter of getting started on this path and finding the right one for you. Good luck!

TMJ/TMD Pain Update, Happy New Year!

It has been a few months since my last update, and the reason is mainly good news! After my last adjustment to my "new" splint, I've been relatively pain-free. I had a visit right before an 11-day, much needed vacation, and by then I think my splint was almost perfect.

After a few minor adjustments, I definitely felt a world of difference! As I mentioned, this wasn't without many uncomfortable weeks, but I was glad that I could finally go about my day without being in constant pain!

The trip went great! I had many days relaxing on the beach and eating a ton of good food. I didn't once have any issues with my splint, and this "new" splint (I say "new" because it's my newer splint, but I've had it now for three or four months) doesn't have to be taken in and out for eating. Which is embarrassing when you're dining in a nice restaurant! Plus when you're on vacation you worry about dropping, breaking, or losing it every time you take it in and out.

So, ultimately this new splint has afforded me less stress and less pain. Which I'm so grateful for! I know it's working well when I forget it's in my mouth.

A few downsides to this splint, are still kind of embarrassing...

You may remember that (when wearing a splint or orthotic) my upper and lower front teeth have a gap between them. This means my teeth never close and I have what is called an "open bite." This new splint doesn't cover my front teeth, so it appears as though my teeth are permanently open.

This hasn't been an issue, I'm pretty good at hiding my lower teeth when talking, chewing, smiling, etc. Yet there is another problem with this. Whenever I salivate or are chewing something, it sometimes falls right out of my mouth! How embarrassing! It's especially bad because I don't think I salivate more than average, but sometimes it just flat out drops from my mouth. So awful! Also, there's just a tendency to eat messier and get food bits stuck in it.

Moving Forward...

My next appointment has been postponed to March 1, 2016, since I have been doing fine with my current splint. The only thing I've noticed of concern is that there is a crack on the side that always tends to break for me. It's where my teeth close the tightest and there's the most stress on my joint. So I'm hoping to get that fixed or reinforced.

You may remember that I've been desperately trying to find a permanent solution to my TMJ disorder, but have yet to take the leap. My hope is to one day have braces to better form my bite, but even with braces there's no guarantee the bite would hold and be less painful. 

I'm planning to ask when I can start considering braces at my next visit. At the very least it would be nice to close the gap in the front of my mouth, to make chewing, tearing, etc. easier for me. But I'm not sure if they're going to tell me to wait, or even suggest that I just wear the splint instead of any permanent solution. It can be very traumatizing to have braces on my teeth as well as for my jaw, and being that I already have scar tissue built up in my TMJ joint as well as soreness and instability, braces might cause more damage than good.

One thing that I am happy about, as I've mentioned before, is that my current doctor's office makes repairs to splints in-house. Meaning I don't have to pay extra to have it fixed or to send it away and have to wait a few weeks without anything. This is literally my life support and I rely on this splint so much! I'm certain of this, more than ever, after my last one was broken for months on end. 

I guess I'll have to find out what this new doctor recommends and go from there. Either way, I'm hopeful and at least comfortable in my current state, so if I have to wait, that's okay too! 

Hope everyone is enjoying 2016 so far!