TMJ (Jaw Issues) Cures - Spring Branch,TX

I had TMJ, and my family doc. prescribed medication- (did not work) but when I had my regular dentist appt. they ultimately made a mouth guard. IT WORKED. I would strongly recommend a mouth guard- made by the dentist, and also would recommend a chiropractic treatment.
Good luck. TMJ is not fun.

I am just starting on a diagnosis of Jaw Arthritis after years of clenching, grinding and overall issues likely related to my migraines and other mouth junk. I will be seeing several people at a Head and Neck pain clinic..a Physical Therapist, and others. I had a minimal eval and will go back next week for more.

But I was told to use heat, every single day, whether it hurts or not...before I only used it when the pain was so so bad. Using it every night is helping already. Soothes and relaxes it for a little. I just crank the heating pad up, roll it up and tuck it on my face, each side about 10 min, while I watch TV.

Its a start for me!

I had the exact same thing happen to me for almost a year it would pop all the time until one day it just wouldn't open anymore and I had to go to an orthodontist they did an orthosentesis (hope thats the right spelling). They said my jaw had slightly slipped out of place, in which they put you to sleep and from what I understand they insert fluid with a needle and slip your jaw back in place and give you a retainer to wear some mostly at night to keep your jaw aligned. It worked like a charm and I still tend to get headaches more that feel like they are coming from my jaw but I also clench my teeth when I sleep. I have not had anymore problems since and its been atleast 12 yrs. I think then it costed about $1700 with the nightguard but insurance should cover it and another option is to opt out of the night guard and go buy you a cheap on from the pharmacy or Walmart. The nightguard alone was $500. But it was all WELL worth it. Hope this helps and points you in the right direction! Good luck I know it's miserable!

O got my TMJ treated by a chiropractor. It's important to find one that specifically treats this on a normal basis. I don't sturggle with it anymore for the most part. If my jaw starts to lock up or it's sore when I wake in the morning I make a trip to the chiro.

i got tmj after surgery. massage it, heating pad... it took about a month for mine to go away. then got tooth guard too from dentist and NEVER chew gum. haven't had it since : )

I have a mouthguard that I wore at night. I thought it was the best $250 I ever spent on myself!

Then I found a chiropractor who was adjusting my back. I mentioned that my jaw was aching from my TMJ...that's when he stripped my jaw. It was the most painful thing I had felt since childbirth! BUT! My jaw has only ached once since then...and that was my fault.

Find a good chiropractor. They'll do x-rays and let you know if your neck is out of alignment and can adjust all of that. If you're still having issues he can rub the muscles in your jaw (that was the stripping of the jaw that hurts but is oh so worth it!) and that'll do it.

Feel better hon! *hugs*

I would get a mouthguard from one of the drug stores first before shelling out a ridiculous amount of money for a custom one. This is the same thing my dentist told me and I have stuck with my $24 dollar one (of course replacing it when time) for awhile now and it has helped a lot and don't think I will ever get the dentist grade one. I really need to wear one because I clench and it has chipped and ground down my bottom four teeth pretty bad. I have also just recently got a chiropractic adjustment for the first time of my neck and spine and this helped a lot. I carry a lot of stress in my body caused by my own worrying of small issues with everyday stuff and I just need to try to RELAX, easier said than done :) Good luck.
IN REF. TO other post disagreeing with the drugstore mouthguard, my dentist who is a very honest dentist, did recommend I try this first to see if it helped before he made me a custom one.

I have TMJ. Never saw a specialist either. My jaw does what you describe for about a week or two, then months will go by and nothing. There was a time it was really bad and my jaw would clamp shut, I literally had to put my fingers on my lower teeth and pull down!

Really, you can get your own mouth guard. Go to wallgreens/cvs any pharmacy and they have them there and the directions on how to shape it and use it will be with the package. You can also do simple jaw excersizes

Also, don't open your mouth really wide for big bites of food, take smaller bites, smash a big hamburger to be flatter.

Calming techniques for day jaw clenching (which happens when you don't even realize it), posture... all things I mentioned above can help, but may not be a permanent fix, especially if there is actually bone wearing on the joint. Mine has that according to x-rays I took years ago, so I will likely need surgery when I'm older.

First TMJ Disorder is a medical problem, ie medical insurance should be covering the treatment. I have been throught years of treatment, several surgerys and braces again as an adult. It is a hard road. Keep up with the altered diet. One of my Dr's had great advice to help with clenching. Lips together teeth apart. I retrained myself to do this all the time to help with that one part of TMJ. Heat compress can help as well as massage.

I hope this info can help.

My Mom had TMJ. Per her Dentist... he evaluated her AND her posture, shoulder carriage, neck position etc. And this made a difference. She also clenched her jaws. Unknowingly.
She also did stretching... and got an ergonomic chair for her desk... and made sure the height was proper.

TMJ is a very complicated problem. My dentist made a mouth-guard made for me for about $300. It was well worth it. You will have to go back and have it periodically adjusted once your muscles start to relax. I also took muscle relaxants, went to physical therapy, and had periodic massages. I no longer have TMJ issues, but it took several weeks before my muscles re-learned how to relax. It sounds like your dentist may not be very experienced with TMJ issues. You may want to ask around and see if you can find someone with expertise in that area. That is what I did and ended up finding a FABULOUS dentist. My original dentist told me he could help me but that he needed to make a $6000 splint for me. Needless to say, I am SO glad I started asking around rather than flushing that money down the drain!

Also I have to respectfully disagree with the poster that said to get one of the cheap mouthguards from the drugstore. Dentists do not recommend their use as they can cause further damage to your jaw.

Go get a neck adjustment at the chiropractor. It worked for me.

I developed TMJ after having oral surgery. I didn't know there was a specialist for it! My chiropractor can relieve the pain & stiffness by doing a small adjustment on my jaw hinge with an activator. It's a little metal contraption that looks like a tiny jackhammer, for a very precise adjustment. It doesn't hurt at all, it's just very loud. My jaw used to cramp up some times when I would eat really tough food, to the point where I had to stop eating and try again a few hours later. I haven't had that problem any more since going to the chiropractor.

He also showed me a way to stretch it at home when my jaw starts to cramp up, before it gets very painful. It's hard to explain without being able to show you, but you open your mouth just a little bit, and use the base of your palm to gently push your lower jaw at a 45 degree angle. You would push the left side of your jaw towards your right ear, and your right side towards your left ear. Don't push hard like you're trying to pop it, just a gentle stretch. I hope that makes sense!

I agree with all the other posts. There's lots of different things you can do to treat TMJ.

I had constant pain for over THIRTY YEARS and literallly LOST IT once I finally saw a specialist and she made me feel uncrazy. I had two concessions when I was young and totally messed up my jaw. The x-rays were some of the worse she had ever seen but she reassured me that she could help me and will get better. I had been living with pain all my life and didn't know I wasn't normal. Pain WAS my normal.

I was SO ANGRY with my dentist because I told him time after time that it hurt so we made a $654.00 nightguard that did NOTHING. After using it every night for two years I said IT'S NOT WORKING, HELP ME he finally referred me. I had NO IDEA there was such a thing as a TMJ specialist. I thought that was a dentist thing.

I have been under my new doctor's care for about 20 months and have had MAJOR improvement. I get fewer migraines and pain in my neck. Most of the cartilge was gone over my the bone over my ears BUT that is the ONLY place in the body that will regrow on its own. She has been a major player in getting my life back. Her and my physical therapist have done AMAZING work. My PT literally has work me into tears during some of my appointment but he really knows what he HAS to do to get me better.

I have missed COUNTLESS days at work, family gatherings/holidays and general quality of life due to my migraines and TMJ pain.

I still cry when I think about how I have lived so long in pain when I didn't have to. My personlity has even changed for the better. NOT being in constant pain makes me a better wife and mom. It's a miracle to me to NOT wake up with a headache.

Just bite the bullet & go to the specialist. It sounds like you slipped the disk in your jaw joint, either right or left or both. I did this many years ago & had to have surgery. See what your options ate &avoid surgery if you can.

I will say the mouthguard is well worth it.

But...before I brought myself to paying that much money, I bought a $25 mouthguard for me and my husband at CVS. They now make mouthguards that you can buy over the counter.

It is worth trying out to see if it makes a difference. It should help relax your jaw while sleeping.

Once when I was particularly stressed out, my jaw started popping AND I was grinding my teeth in my sleep and ONCE, I woke up with my lower jaw kind of locked in front of my upper teeth (painful because I have an overbite). Ow!

I went to a TMJ specialist. He saw some degradation but nothing major. He said don't chew ice, don't chew gum. Get some muscle relaxers for a week and find a way to destress yourself. I did. It worked. Oh, I chew gum now and then, but far less often. It's been decades later and I'm still okay. If you don't take care of yourself, you can get migraines like someone I knew that were unbelievably painful.