Holistic dentistry--TMJ Realignment Cost Benefits and Risks

I have TMJ. I grind my teeth, causing a sore jaw and wear on my teeth. MY dentist made me a mouth guard for only a few hundred dollars that I wear at night. He has never recommended any other type of treatment for TMJ.

TMJ as mentioned below is the actual joint that everyone has in their jaw. It seems that in the past, that was also used to refer to the disorder of pain & misalignment that some people develop, but now TMD is becoming a preferred acryonym. I've had TMJ pain for 15 years.

Because it is a disorder of a joint that has a different structure & movement than any other in our body, many people present differently. For example, I have TMD, but I do not grind my ____@____.com first time I was seen, my pain was severe, I could not open my mouth enough to bring in a forkful of food (liquid diet, self-imposed!). I was cast & fitted for a mouth splint (similar to a mouth guard, but shaped to fit exactly in your mouth, with 'snaps' to hold it in place). I had insurance coverage, I think w/o it would have been $###-###-#### for this device & the casting/fitting.

I am a bad patient, I only wore it until my pain went away! So, about 5 years later, I was back... not as severe. I have multiple issues - my jaw is very lax, so it moves side to side when it opens, instead of just front to back (what we think of as up & down). So I got another splint, but I was also scheduled for physical therapy, where they did massaging of my jaw & face to release some of the tension in my muscles, & then showed me exercises to do in front of a mirror so that I could 'train' my jaw to open properly & w/o pain.

As I've mentioned in other posts, I have recently found that sleeping with a memory foam contoured pillow has helped immensely. For me, I cannot sleep on my back, because my jaw slips backwards too far (I am misssing a ligament to hold it in place, so my muscles do all the work, which is why it hurts, but they don't 'work' when I'm sleeping!).

The above is MY story. If you have issues with grinding your teeth, your treatment will likely be similar, but different. I will advise you to review your medications with your dentist, doctor, pharmacist, & maybe even do some research online. Some medications (antidepressants, specifically Prozac & related) can cause bruxism (grinding of teeth).

I was told by my specialist (he is not a normal dentist, ONLY treats TMJ) that surgery is a last resort, and at the time only 1-5% of his patients required it, he was very successful with less invasive therapies, provided the patient followed through.

Now, all that being said, if you've never been told you are grinding your teeth (dentists can see the wear on the molars, it is tell-tale sign) & you are not experiencing pain, you may not need treatment. Just like everyone with crooked teeth doesn't NEED braces. So, definitely get a 2nd opinion before begining any costly therapy.

Set up the appointment with someone as just that, a consultation for a 2nd opinion, and ask specifically about what they think, if you have it, if it needs treatment, what type of treatment would they provide, so you can make an informed decision about the treatment yoru dentist is offering, & whther you need it, can afford it & think it will be effective & value added.

Best of luck! T.

I have TMJ and have for many years. Depending on stress level, sometimes I wake up and can't move my head from side to side.

I do have a night guard that I wear nightly and sometimes during the day to help me. I paid about $500 for it.

My dentist is a very good dentist and he has never mentioned any other treatment. I am sure if I wanted to find more treatment they would be glad to provide it at additional costs.

I'm very skeptical of new dentists and I hate change. We've only had this dentist less than a year. Last year I took my daughter to a new dentist, highly recommended and she claimed that my daughter needed $1500 worth of work and had 6 cavities. I asked... how on earth could she had 6 cavities that severe in 6 months because we never miss a cleaning every 6 months. My daughter has perfect teeth and had never had a cavity. I took the treatment plan and said I would consider it.

Fast forward and in January of this year, daughter complained of a toothache. I felt horrible because I thought maybe the dentist was right. This is when we went in to our now new dentist and my daughter was very upset. He called me back and asked me why on earth she is so upset. She had told him her teeth were rotting out. After a thorough exam, I was told she had NO cavities at all. The issue was wisdom teeth.

This week she got the wisdom teeth out. She was scared as ever because she had never had any dental work done other than cleanings. The oral surgeon also confirmed that she had NO cavities.

Bottom line............ before I spent extra money on extra procedures, I would get a second opinion. Who knows what the dentist that said she had 6 cavities would have been doing to her mouth.

I have have had TMJ for most of my life. I wear a night guard and have muscle relaxants for when things are bad. Here is the thing, just grinding your teeth can be dealt with by using a night guard, instead of expensive realignment. It costs a bit to get the guard made and fitted. You do not mention that you are in any pain at all. Let me tell you, TMJ is really painful and it can be progressive. Folks sometimes end up with frozen jaws. The difficulty is that there are not a lot of great treatment options. My own dentist persuaded me to use the bite plate/night guard religiously so that I could avoid further problems because the other treatments can make things worse, which is why I am writing this to you. Do not accept treatment for a condition that is not causing you pain and that , if it is teeth grinding, can be dealt with by wearing a night guard. Instead, get a second opinion and do a lot of research on the new dentist. It is very possible to make things worse, which is one of the reasons I have avoided an further, more invasive treatments.

TMJ is the TemporoMandibular Joint. It isn't a condition. There are disorders that affect your joint/bite... but everyone has a TMJ. :)

As the previous poster mentioned, please be very cautious about any sort of treatment, particularly if you are not experiencing any problems.

I did "something" to my jaw many years ago when I yawned too widely. I heard something pop and my jaw hurt. And then any time I had not used my jaw (either speaking or to chew) it ached and was difficult to open my jaw initially the next time. Once I began a conversation or was already eating, it relaxed and was better... but any periods of non-use (sleeping for example) it would be painful to open my jaw the first time after the period of non-use.

I gave it a few weeks and eventually, when nothing was getting better, I went to my dentist. He is very conservative when it comes to any treatments. He did xrays on my jaw and found no damage to the bone structure, and gave me quite a bit of inside opinion regarding TMJ treatments. (since I specifically asked about them) He said, essentially, that most (not all, but most) TMJ treatments accomplish very little, and it is an easy way to blow $15k.

What he suggested for me was simple, easy, and cheap. And it worked.

He explained that what I had done irritated the muscles/tendons that hold the TMJ together/in place, and that the more use they had, the more irritated they stayed or became. Non-use would let it calm down, but you can't not eat or speak for weeks... so, he told me to use above the label (OTC) dosage on Alleve, twice a day, for (I think) 3 weeks. During that time, I was to be very cautious not to open my mouth very widely nor chew tough foods that required a lot of tearing/grinding. He advised against the things you would expect (burgers, steaks) but also against salads, because normally we open our mouths more widely to accommodate a fork laden with lettuce sticking out in all directions more than we think we do. For the inevitable yawn, tuck your chin to your chest as much as you can, which helps create a physical inability to open your mouth as wide as you otherwise would during a yawn.

He advised me that after a week or 10 days, I would feel less if not no pain, but to continue with the alleve for the full course of time, so that the muscles/tendons could fully relax and calm down and not become re-inflamed.

I did, and it solved my issue. I did the same thing again a few years later... only I didn't hear any pop, just could tell I had over-opened, and felt the stretch/strain/pull in my jaw... and I immediately reverted to small movements with my jaw, no salad, no steak, and taking OTC meds (advil this time). Initially he told me I could use advil, but it would be a much higher dose and for 3 weeks, could irritate my stomach. But I only did it for a week or so the 2nd time I over-opened my jaw. It resolved quickly, probably b/c I treated it right away properly, rather than living with it for a few weeks first, getting things really good and irritated/inflamed/tight.

My MIL had a similar issue and I shared with her what I had experienced, and she followed the same regimen. She also resolved her issue.

I cannot say it will solve your problems (assuming you actually have any--from your post it sounds like you don't). But I can say that you are right to be very cautious before embarking on an expensive, possibly unnecessary (and per Letty, possible aggravating) treatment plan.

I especially question that you and your husband are both being "diagnosed" with this, absent any symptoms, at the same time. Seems an odd coincidence...
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http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/temporomandibular-...

I grind my teeth you can see the wear, i have filed them down by grinding agains them in my sleep.

I also have 2 little pieces of hard plastic much smaller than a mouthguard that football players wear but kind of on that order, it slips tightly over my 2 top front teeth and the other fits over my 4 front bottom teeth. they are angled ( or were i've managed to rub those down alot too) so that when your teeth touch they spring back open because there is no purchase due to the angle. like there is nothing to push against, if that makes sense.
I can't say it has helped totally but it's better than my teeth being ground away.

ONE CAUTION: I didn't realize it was happening but when he was fitting me for the top piece, my dentist filed my teeth down MORE. Maybe there was a medical reason for it, But in my mind that was NOT OK. now to bite a ham sandwich my front teeth don't touch so i can bite into the bread but the tougher ham just slides all the way out of the sandwich. It's terrible.

i would be clear with the new dentist that he is to discuss any filing with you before he does it. It never occured to me that they would do that. now i know better.

Always get a second opinion before any major invasive treatment.

First of all, what's wrong with your TMJ. TMJ is not a condition, it stands for Temporal Mandibular Joint. So, what is he saying is wrong with your TMJ, that it's out of align? If you are grinding your teeth, that can cause a TMJ problem but you don't grind your teeth BECAUSE of TMJ - so that doesn't make sense.

If you are grinding your teeth, I would try one of those over-the-counter things to fix it before I spent any money at the dentist. I would ask for specifics re what does he mean? What does the treatment consist of? Names of people who have had the re-alignment.

Google it and see what you can find.