Breaking my splint / orthotic | Jaw Pain is Back and Worse than Ever!

How I broke it...

I had been on a work trip doing presentations in front of a number of families when I cracked my splint. I knew it was because I had been under a lot of stress that week and I was clenching my teeth considerably more. I definitely hold a lot of my tension in my jaw, which sometimes I become aware of, and try to make a conscious effort to relax. My other splint actually would break in the same place a lot too, and I think it’s a combination of it being the first point of contact for my teeth, and also the fact that I had a filling there and the dentist left that tooth somewhat sharp.

When I went to the bathroom to check on the damage, I was actually somewhat relieved. The plastic had split, but a significant portion of the splint was still intact.

Regardless, I had been pretty disappointed at the moment, mainly because I had finally gotten to a point where I was 90% pain free and would not even think about my jaw most of the day. There’s a twinge in my neck that constantly bothers me when I’m either not wearing a splint or when the splint is not sitting properly. It’s painful enough that the feeling wears me down and really adds a lot of stress to my life.

I scheduled my appointment as soon as I got back from the work trip, and was able to get in fairly quickly. It’s surprising how quick the pain returns, even though the damage wasn’t as bad as I initially thought, within a couple days I was having issues.

Don't be afraid to speak up!

For my appointment to fix the splint, they have you schedule two hours for repairs. Plus, every appointment I have to meet separately with the doctor, which I think is a bit overboard considering I just tell him the same things that the assistants write down.

This time around the assistant actually took the whole part of my splint out. So he put a notch in it so that my teeth weren’t hitting the splint at all in that spot. Now initially this seemed like a good idea, he explained how it would avoid me constantly cracking it. In hindsight I wished I just insisted on him putting that piece of the splint back...but this was his recommendation and I figured I’d trust in the process.

Big mistake. Within a day of the piece being removed, it was like I wasn’t wearing a splint at all! Which infuriated me because I felt like I had paid for someone to make my situation worse! I was unsure why he didn’t think the piece that cracked was critical to my splint, when I had cracked it in the first place... meaning I was forcefully hitting that part of the splint repeatedly, enough to cause a weakness and crack. This never happened using the Neuromuscular treatment because they were able to closely look at what parts of the splint I was hitting. It just seemed like a more calculated process rather than blindly going in and removing or adding to my splint --The frustration is real.

Well, needless to say I had to go back to the doctor’s office and have them add back the piece they had removed. There are a few things that frustrate me about this. 

1. They should’ve gotten it right the first time by closely looking at my splint and how I am using it. If I legitimately wasn’t using the part of my splint that broke, then they should’ve been able to tell. If I was, they also should’ve been able to make that deduction. I shouldn’t have to be the one to tell them. 
2. My time away from work is precious to me. I have a 30-minute drive there from my home and an hour long drive the other way to work. This is a lot of time for me to sacrifice, so please get it right the first time. 
3. Charging me every time I go to get this adjusted is just unfair. Especially when they don’t get it right. I never got charged more than the initial cost of the treatment with my Neuromuscular dentist. It’s a shame that her Phase II costs were out of my range, but she was fair in her initial treatment. 
4. Lastly, I think they are lacking the extent of the sensitivity and pain that comes with having a TMJ disorder. If my jaw could withstand minor changes, then I wouldn’t be paying hundreds of dollars for them to mess around with it. Clearly, it is not in a stable state if I’m being forced to get treatment. Therefore, have some foresight when you make changes to my splint! Meaning, be delicate and discerning, don’t just throw it together and then ask me how it feels. I can’t tell for a few days, and by then I am in a ton of pain, unable to focus at work, and now have to reschedule an appointment that is going to take a minimum of 4 hours out of my day.

I’m honestly a patient person, but this treatment is so half-hazard!

Is it fixed yet??

Back to my story...I returned to have the piece added back. This time, I left with my splint feeling a bit thicker than before. Part of me wanted them to shave it down, but part of me was worried that might just mean I’d be back in a month after cracking it again. The thinner the plastic is, the more delicate it becomes.

For the first couple of days things were fine. I had more difficulty speaking, but not as bad as the first version of the splint they gave me. I got used to speaking, but then by the third or fourth day, I was in excruciating pain. I had friends visiting during this time and it was hard not to break into tears by the end of the night because my head, neck, and jaw were killing me. Especially trying to chew and eat food.

There is more than just the pain that goes into this. ( If you've experienced TMJ pain then you know what I'm talking about! ) There’s the feeling of helplessness and of being unable to find a solution. Going back and forth from the doctor, then feeling as though I’m getting nowhere -- it definitely wears on you mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Should I make another appointment?

In this case, I decided to wait it out. I put an ice pack on my face whenever I could. The worst of the pain was at night, after it had built up over the course of a day. Then by the next morning it was a little better. I got through the weekend, feeling that I still might have to go back for them to fix the splint, but also thinking that I might be able to get through this.

I had Monday off from work to see my friends off, they were driving back  home after a fun weekend snowboarding with me and my boyfriend. I knew that Monday would be the perfect day to stop into the doctor’s and have this taken care of. Yet, I felt like it had somewhat improved, and as I mentioned before not only did I not want to pay for another visit, but I also didn’t want to compromise my splint any further by taking away more of the plastic.

I’m glad I managed to stick it out, because I got through the worst of the pain and by the end of the week it had calmed down a lot. Flash forward to today, and I am much happier with the splint and glad that I didn’t go back. My two worries were firstly, that the pain wouldn’t go away but get worse, and secondly that I was doing further damage to an already weak and arthritic joint. Apparently it was just a matter of the joint getting used to the wider position. Which luckily it did!!

Thinking back, it would've been nice...

I have to say, it would’ve been nice if my doctor would have explained this to me. (Or maybe he didn’t know this would happen??) I had no knowing that my joint would initially hurt tremendously, but then settle in. The assistants will typically ask, “How does this feel?” Which I always have difficulty answering since I’m not sure how it’s suppose to feel or how it’s going to feel in the long run. Clearly there is some lack of communication, but I’m figuring this out! To be honest, the pain was severe, not just a dull ache, but extreme muscle spasm-ing and it was a real struggle trying to just chew some soft food.

It’s not 100% comfortable wearing a splint, and it’s also not completely pain-free. I continue to have moments of sharp pain and also neck aches, but all I want is a more bearable, more stable situation for my jaw. Something that will last me in the long run. Now that I’m back to a “better” place with everything, I’m hoping nothing goes horribly wrong until my next appointment, which is June 10th.

Until then, wish me luck! And good luck in your own journey!