Tmj Oral Surgen

If you are in houston I would go see Dr. Tom Weil. He is a fantastic O.S. He could help diagnose the problem and refer you to the appropriate specialist. You could also see Dr. Auvenshine. He is a TMJ specialist but not a O.S. Get many opinions before you do anything. Surgery is the LAST resort for this sort of problem. Good Luck. D.

Hi M.:
I would recommend seeing a dentist that specializes in TMJ treatment, before doing any surgery. Also the advices that you got about seeing a chiropractor are a great idea. But what it's important is to see the professional that specializes and that has the knowledge to treat the TMJ. I am a dentist, and if you are here in San Antonio I could recommend you some people that treat TMJ, that way you start a non-surgical approach first.
Send me a message if you are here in town and want these doctors contact info.
Good luck! TMJ problems are very complex; I wish you the best resolution.

I second Karen's advice - I had stress-induced TMJ in college, and here's what was recommended for me: no gum, bagels, or well-done steaks (all too chewy). Pay attention to what foods seem to wear your jaws out and avoid them, too. (I STILL have problems with some granola bars, though I can now eat the occasional bagel w/out trouble.) If the mouth guard from the dentist is too expensive, this poor college student was advised to go to a sporting goods store and buy one of the sports mouth guards, and sleep with that. The point is to create a buffer between your teeth - I didn't grind, so there was no tooth damage, but I did clench my jaws in my sleep. Hope this at least helps as a stop-gap measure, until you can get professional help for this.

Before you consider surgery my Chiropractor fixed my TMJ problems. In fact my dentist sent me to him said to try him first. Dr. Paul Palmer in Humble is the guy. I've sent two of my friends to him and they love him too. There are other doctors in that office but insist on Dr. Palmer.

Good luck.

From what I understand, TMJ can be triggerred by stress. I tend to grind my teeth in my sleep when I'm stressed, and my dentist said that could lead to TMJ. If I start grinding again, she's going to have to make me a mouth guard to keep the damage to my teeth & jaw to a minimum.

My mom had TMJ when she was in her 20s and had to have surgery- she had her jaw displaced and then wired shut for a few weeks. I don't mean to scare you, but it was a really bad case. Unfortunately I don't remember all the details; I was about 7 or so at the time.

When my dad started developing symptoms in his mid-20s also, he got braces.

Good luck with your appointment! You've already been through a lot, so hopefully your treatment will be less invasive.

Hey there :)

I have had tmj (to the point of dislocation - you can feel my joint pop in and out of socket it's totally gross) for a decade. (I'm 30.) I was referred to an oral surgeon a few times. If it's from stress, are you wearing a nightguard when you sleep? They can be expensive but are cheaper than surgery and will save your teeth. I'd try that first for sure. I wear one every night because i clench and have really bad bruxism - that's how i got into the whole tmj mess. If i need it, i take muscle relaxers too...You will probably still brux after surgery and all during life so make an investment in one for sure :)
Personally I would avoid surgery for tmj! I read a lot about it and while there's a chance that it can be repaired, there's also a significant likelihood that it will actually make it worse. It's a really high percentage for failure rate, though i can't remember the stats off the top of my head. I chose to moderate stress on my own and try to go without surgery for that reason. Plus, i don't know what insurance you have, but neither health nor dental ins of ours would even cover that, or most/all other tmj stuff. I pretty much don't get cut unless it's life threatening :) Get some muscle relaxers first, use warm compresses, reduce stress - yeah, that's a tough one. good lucK!

Hi M., I'm sorry to hear about your discomfort. I highly rec. going to see a TMJ specialist. Before I decided to be a SHAH I worked for an amazing dentist who specializes in TMJ/ Sleep Apnea therapy and has a research center. His name is Michael T. Montgomery D.D.S. , and located at 7551 Callaghan Road. Ste. 210, in San Antonio, Texas 78229. His number is ###-###-####. His wife is the office manager, her name is Diane, I believe he will be able to help you, and get to the bottom of your problem. I hope this helps. Let me know how you are. Just a note, we treated people from all over Texas who came to see Dr. Montgomery, so he is highly rec. for the symptoms you are describing.
Good luck.

My TMJ hasn't gotten to the point you are suffering but I have sufferred from it for years. A couple of years ago my jaw actually locked semi-close for 3 months! Most oral surgeons do not deal with TMJ repair. I was told by my oral surgeon to see a Maxioraficial (sp?) specialist. I visited Dr. Prahn in the Woodlands. Unfortunately I was unable to do much treatments since I was pregnant! But he did provide a steroid cream that helped tremendously. He was very knowledgable and his staff was great. I was able to get an appointment right away. The only draw back, they don't deal with insurance so you have to pay for everything out of pocket and the get reimbursed later. But if you just want a second opinion, you could visit him and just see what he says. His phone number is ###-###-#### and the website is: http://www.tmjtexas.com/en/cms/

Good Luck! I know that you are in a lot of pain.

M. I am also a TMJ sufferer. I am also an orthodontic assistant and know a little about this subject. Some times TMJ is is due to your bite and jaw being off and having had the problem you have it could be due to that. I would suggest you find a TMJ specialist in your area and see them first and see if therapy and braces will help first. It will not go away totally no matter what you are told but if the problem is corrected and you are not in pain anymore and do not have to have surgery if that can be avoided it will be better for you in the long run. Will it be gone completely I wish I could say yes. But, as anything else when you have stress involved there are things you can do to help and releave the pressure caused in the area. Sometimes arthritis will set in the joint even after everything is corrected the best it can be. I still sleep with a splint especially when I am stressed or worried about things I tend to clentch at night so a splint does help to relaxe the muscles.
I hope this helps you some.
M.

A few years ago, I had TMJ surgery to correct my jaw. I had 2 slipped discs in both of my jaws and it was horrible and incredibly painful. My TMJ was definitely stress induced. My awesome dentist, Dr. Brian Friedell, referred me to Dr. Robert Lynn White of Austin Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Assoc. here in Austin. Dr. White's office was so nice and took really good care of me. After the surgery, I had a night guard made and also had to undergo physical therapy. The physical therapy is no fun at all. Try to avoid all kinds of tough, chewy or sticky foods because they will cause your jaw pain to act up. My best advice to you is to go to the doctor asap.

Good luck!
D.
http://www.4myhappyhealthyfamily.com

yes, and i went to the surgeon to figure out that I had a deep ear infection that was swollen and making my jaw hurt! A few weeks of antibiotics and i was good

M.,
If you are having jaw pain - are you also experiencing ear aches, migraine headaches and what feel like sinus issues around the eyes. If yes, It could be that you are clincking your teeth. I would go back to your dentist and ask about mouth plate. If you have been going to this dentist, they would be able to appraise this by looking at teeth and see if there is wear and tear. I purchased a fitted month plate for $500.00 which fix the problem instantly. I would say if you want to experiment, purchase a mouth plate at any drug store, like a sports piece, snore piece, etc.. pharmist can help. If it help, go back and tell the dentist.

Bless your heart! I am currently and adjusting to the NTI mouth piece that prevents you from grinding and clenching at night. I also have been diagnosed with TMJ, I can hear the popping when I chew or just yawn and it can be very painful. I suffered from tension headaches and soreness of my teeth and was recently feeling like my old fillings were very sensitive but come to find out its from my grinding & clenching. I do this from stress and have done it for years and now am just doing something about it. I would definately try other routes before doing the surgery, but if you are beyond that then your ortho. will help you to decide. The NTI guard is a process, I've had it for 2 weeks going on three and the first lady who molded it for me did not do it correctly, go figure and I felt pain in my jaw and had terrible headaches for a whole week while using the guard, went back to my dentist & they noticed that it was not fitting right, my mouth was left too open when I inserted the guard, I'm going on my 3rd week and am seeing some improvement. I was becoming discouraged from this product but am just seeing some results, the headaches have resolved and my jaw is not as sore. The dentist can really intimidate and make you feel like it has to be done or you'll lose your teeth but do what is right for you and what you feel comfortable with. Best wishes & God Bless!

I had TMJ pain many years ago. Chewing gum aggravated it. I also cletched/grind my teeth when I sleep, and that constant pressure on my jaw "angered" the joint also (not to mention cracking my molars!) Grinding/cletching teeth when sleeping is stress related, however since getting a night guard from my dentist (to protect against grinding/clentching; alhtough they are not cheap!) and cutting out all repetitive chewing habits, the TMJ pain has ended. Chiropractics may also help. You should also try to ice the area of your face/jaw that is in pain (I seem to recall that I may have also had to limit the type of food in my diet that required a lot of chewing and or open wide opening of my mouth, until the jaw had a while to rest.)

However, if the joint is deteriorationg, then doing the above may not help. If its a case of the tissues being swollen/inflamed or the nerve being inflamed, then the above and ice might help... Good Luck!