TMJD

I've had complete success with chiropractic care for TMJ. I don't know how well it works with joint depletion, but it's an easy try. Best luck

Thanks 🙏🏼

If you are unfamiliar with chiropractics, there is a broad range of talents. If you call an office make sure that they are hands-on. The Pen Adjustments may be effective, I haven't found them to be. You might also ask the receptionist if the doctor treats TMJ. The all have training, but it is nicer to find one with a lot of experience. One great thing about chiropractics is that you don't have to wait months to see them. Usually it's same day.
I hope you have relief.

I have had TMJD for about 20 years. Both the discs of both TMJ joints are permanently dislocated. Confirmed with both an MRI and a CT scan. The CT scan reveals discs that have been remodeled so that they look like the beak of a bird! I have tried just about every option I could think of: TMJ dentists (board certified), acupuncture, chiropractors, psychologists, Botox (several times), etc, etc. I have read may peer-reviewed articles. The only tool of the TMJ dentists I have used was the bite splint. Never worked for me. Some bite splints are made to slowly force the discs back to their normal position. Very painful for me.

Recently I found a TMJ dentist who was trained in orofacial pain - in 2020 Orofacial Pain was recognized as a new dental speciality (https://aaop.org). This seemed to be a possibility as this speciality is supposed to be "evidenced based". I found a dentist with this training but he maxed me up with Gabapentin (1300MG/day) and I developed a serious case of ataxia and, of course, constipation. My last session concluded with this provider saying that because dentists are not trained as medical doctors, prescribing medication could lead to malpractice.

So after 20 years I have decided the best option is to work with a neurologist and treat my condition with medication. I need to modify my behavior as, for example, even talking can increase my pain level. I am now seeing a neurologist who practices in a headache clinic. We are trying "off label" drugs to see if any thing works. My personal conclusion is that each TMJD case is different. And keep good records so that you can discuss what works and what does not with each new provider.

You might take a look at tmj.org. They are a pretty good source of information, as they say: "We are the ONLY patient advocacy organization fighting for the best science that will lead to a greater understanding of Temporomandibular and related disorders and treatments that will help and not harm patients."

Best of luck.
Bob

Bob, thanks so much for your reply. I can commiserate, it is very depressing that there are no good options to treat TMJD, even though many suffer with it. It is certainly life altering. I am having a very difficult time finding any kind of doctor that will treat this condition. Effectively. The one I went to wanted to send me to piper clinic in Saint Petersburg for joint replacement in my jaw. Did not taken insurance and would cost over 25,000 out-of-pocket. I could not afford that. On top of that, many insurances do not cover TMJD. Like you, I am just trying to control the pain. Best of luck. I’ll keep you in my prayers. Debbie

I had TMJ surgery in 1992
Have not had a problem since
I don’t think they do that surgery very often anymore but if you have had this for that long I would think you would be a candidate for it

Wow, I did not think they did TMJ surgery that long ago. I don’t know what’s happened since that they don’t seem to do it anymore and insurance doesn’t want to cover it! In any case, can you tell me what kind of doctor did the surgery was it an oral surgeon? Thank you for your input!

A maliofacial surgeon not sure I spelled that right
It was at Missouri Baptist Hospital
in St Louis Mo
I heard insurance doesn’t pay for this as easy as they did when I had it done
Hope this is helpful to you

I did not have joint replacement
They realigned my jaws and it worked