Extreme TMJ

[raweyes]

Anyone know anything that cures extreme TMJ pain? My doctor says there is nothing that cures it. It has been getting worse every year. As it stands now, I am in constant pain in my jaw, neck, throat. When it is at its worse, I cannot talk and choke.

[margoss]

I wear a mouth guard at pm or if I may fall asleep. When I first received it, I wore it all of the time. It relieves the tension. For me, I was trying my best, unconsciously to keep my teeth apart & was protruding my lower jaw. It gets use to this position then is tight when you move it. Also, tension & stress in you life makes it worse imo. Get a guard at the store first, the one that goes on your bottom teeth only..it looks like you wear it upside down but your teet will slide vs grind. The newest one supports the upper & lower back teeth. I like the best next to the one from dentist which is about 200. if you have one, make sure you wear it. do some stretches for your neck. I use to get insane ear aches when it was inflamed.

[Dimond]

Once you progress to TMJ, the dentists say it's too late for a guard. Guess it ruins your teeth/jaw more. A chiropractor is suppose to be able to help. You can also do your own exercises such as wall pushups. Some find magnesium helps well too, especially before sleep.

[katchmoleen]

I had horrible TMJ for many years but found a dentist who had a special type of splint that did the trick. After wearing it 24-7 for about 5 years I was able to just wear it at night for another five years and now don't need to wear it at all and I don't have problems. I wish I could remember the name of the "method" or "school" my dentist used, but he is no longer of this earth so can't ask him. It involved biting on carbon paper and then filing down the splint so that my second to last molar only touched in one spot. He made the splint thicker and thicker till I finally had relief from constant severe pain. It was like a miracle. He also taught me body mechanics. The correct way to hold your mouth in a relaxed position is: Lips together, teeth apart, tongue on the roof of your mouth. I do this automatically now. Proper posture and exercises to balance the core, like T-Tapp or Pilates, are also very important to heal. Amazingly, this dentist also gave me a copy of Bernard Jensen's book on colon cleansing and said he thought this would be the ultimate answer to my problems. Of course I thought he was crazy! That was 22 years ago. He extended his life about 20 years beyond all doctors' predictions with lymphoma by a high raw vegan diet and colon cleansing.

[streetsurfer]

Search for a dentist who will, or ask yours to fit your for an NTI TSS bite guard (http://www.nti-tss.com/). I was just on the verge of tmj, but had plenty of other pain due to clenching/grinding. I was not aware that once you have tmj, it's too late for them to work, so maybe my suggestion is not valid. The bite guard was incredibly helpful for me.

I have reported this elswhere here, but I lost my guard the nite I went raw. Since going raw and not having the guard around to use, I have not suffered any of the consequences of grinding that I did prior to wearing the guard.

[margoss]

I was told I had TMJ..my guard helped me tremendously. I agree with how to hold your mouth. I have to remember not to push my lower jaw forward..a habit.

[NaiveJeanette]

. A chiropractor is suppose to be able to help.

yes! pleeease go see a chiropractor! they will be able to help.

[raweyes]

Thank you everyone who answered me about severe tmj. What wonderful advice. I really appreciate it! I am one of those people who does not have insurance or money to go to dentists, but I found a guard at a sports store and will use that. I do clench my jaw because of the roaring pain, and have constant muscle spasms, so will work on proper mouth position. How many times per year does a person go on a colon cleanse, Katchmoleen, and what type? Maybe after summer, when there are no more delicious fruits, I will go on one.