Anyone with TMJ or bite issues?

[drk]

I''ve always had a bit of a click in my jaw from time to time. Got a bite guard to wear at night years back (that I rarely wore), which would help every now and again when I''d get a little TMJ pain.
I decided to take advantage of my late insurance coverage and get a new one made, since the old one was cracking. My left TMJ got a little sore a couple weeks ago, so I thought I''d try out the new one. I''d told them at the fitting appointment that it felt too built up on the left side, but they insisted I try it out at home for a few days before getting them to trim it a little. I wore it one night, and my jaw was much worse. I have pain when chewing, and my bite doesn''t fit properly on the left. The biting surfaces on the right molars still fit ok, but the left side feels totally out of whack.
I''m not sure what to do about this. I''ll probably give it a couple more weeks before complaining about it to the dentist, in the hopes that things will settle down again. Normally I''d take some antiinflammatories to see if they''d help, but can''t while pregnant. I don''t know if my teeth will adjust again. It''s hard to believe only one night of this new thing would be able to permanently mess things up.
Any ideas? Has anyone had similar issues? This is getting really annoying, and eating is a challenge.

 

[Mandarine]

Oh DrK...I feel your pain! Literally.

I was suffering with REALLY bad TMJ a few months ago and the bite guard actually did help quite a bit!. I could barely open my mouth before.

I''d say if it needs to be adjusted that you ask for that ASAP. I think it makes such a huge difference and they should always fit it properly. I went back a couple of weeks after I got mine because one of the sides was a little off and they quickly fixed it.

Here is a thread I started on TMJ back then...a lot of people had great suggestions, maybe you find something that works for you!!!!

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/does-anyone-suffer-from-tmj-disorders.107072/


M~

 

[honey22]

My FI has just started wearing a TMJ night splint. He is seeing a fabulous specialist who has spent his life career treating this problem. He see''s many patients who have been treated by other dentists and their splints havn''t worked. He mentioned one of the biggest problems is not having them adjusted regularly. They need to be checked every MONTH initially, then every two months with regular wear in order to remain effective. With all the munching you do on them at night, it wears away at them, and they no longer sit where they should and do the job they should.

Try finding a dental specialist that has lots of experience with these guards/splints and have it adjusted regularly. Good luck!

 

[Haven]

I used to have horrible TMJ, it started when I was probably 14 or so.
I wore a night guard when I was younger, but most mornings I''d wake up and find it on the other side of my bedroom. The only explanation I can think of is that I ripped it out of my mouth and threw it across the room in my sleep.

I did the obvious--stopped chewing gum and eating really chewy foods, never opened my mouth really wide, etc. It was still bad when I met my five years ago. DH is a muscle specialist, and after we met he started treating me, and ever since my muscles have been balanced I haven''t had a problem with my TMJ. It''s been about four years since I''ve had any pain or clicking at all.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Oh gosh the number of splints I''ve had....I know that they are to fit snugly, but not to be painful. My new dentist got the fit correct with just one adjustment--he is very particular. No high spots or uneven pressure--honestly, once the splint is in, after 5 minutes or so I don''t even notice it.

Good luck--keep retuning for adjustments, prn.

cheers--Sharon

 

[plardo]

When I started to grind my teeth .. it hurt like hell! I went to an orthodontist and recommended a custom-made/boiled night guard. He told me it would cost like $300-400.00!!!! I went online to search for more affordable night guards. I read reviews on Dentek/Splintek/Doctor''s Brand and they seemed okay. I needed something quickly during that time .. because I was fearing TMJ. I finally found a company by the name of ''TotalGard''. They had some great night guards. I am still wearing my ''StressGard'' and my grinding is no longer with me. I hope this helps.

- Plardo

 

[IloveAsschers13]

I grind sooooo bad. I wear a bite guard at night and when I don''t, my teeth literally hurt! Unfortunately I am wearing my teeth down and they are small to begin with, so I wear my mouthguard every night. Although my dog did chew it up on the molars ha so I do need to get another one, but it''s expensive!

Ha, that might sound disgusting about my dog, but the dentist said that is like the #1 reason people need new ones!

 

[kindred]

I love my night guard. I have only had TMJ pain once (and it didn''t last long) since getting my night guard about a year ago. It cost more than $400 and is wearing thin, but I would need more crowns without it. I would give it a couple more nights but no more than a week and then go back to the dentist if it''s still not comfortable.

 

[cara]

My mother wore her new nightguard and did serious injury to her jaw - she is still on a restricted diet and basically has been on soft foods/no chewing instructions for six months. Because she wore the nightguard they made for her, and followed their instructions to "get used to it" after complaining the first night that it didn''t fit right. She''s needed serious muscle relaxers to even get any improvement, and it is still not healed.

So no, I wouldn''t wear it if it hurts. I''d only wear it for a couple of hours at a time, each day, to see if you acclimate without getting worse. But if its really bad and feels "off" my guess is that it probably is off and should be adjusted? Maybe a dentist can chime in here.

 

[Beacon]

I think Cara''s post makes a lot of sense. If you have having significant discomfort I would not use it and get an adjustment right away. You don''t want to do anything that will cause future problems.

I hope this resolves itself quickly - best to you.

 

[Festy]

DrK - I have a lot of experience with this. DO NOT put that bite guard in again if it is causing you pain. Here's my story:

My TMJ got a lot worse a few years ago so I went to a dentist who specializes in TMJ disorders and who was recommended to me by two friends. He made me a bite guard, tweaked the heck out of it a million times but my jaw continued to hurt and my opening grew smaller and smaller. It got to the point where I could barely fit a banana in my mouth (poor DH

), and forget about eating an apple. We tried everything; big doses of ibuprofen, which irritated the heck out of my esophagus, muscle relaxers, none of it worked. One night after a bit of drinking, I took some Advil before going to bed and forgot to wear my bite guard. I woke up PAIN FREE. In fact, I ate a bagel that morning - something I could not have physically done the day before.

I told my dentist what was going on and he said I was that 1% of patients that he had no answer for. He implored me to try wearing the guard when I could to prevent the inevitable destruction of my teeth, but I haven't worn it since. I am by no means cured. I still click and have some pain, but I can open my mouth again and eat an apple without chopping it into tiny bits!

I'm not suggesting that you give up on your bite guard. You are probably fixable. My point is that it can take a LOT of time and effort to get it to fit you properly. Because our bites are always changing, a bite guard that fits great one month may need to be tweaked again next month. Do you have a dentist with a lot of TMJ experience? This is crucial. Don't go to any old dentist. I would seriously consider switching dentists if you told him/her that it seemed off and he/she did not fix it for you. They have ways of making sure all your teeth are hitting it properly.

Let me know if I can be of any more help.

ETA: I just noticed this is an old-ish thread. How are you doing?

 

[drk]

Thanks everyone for the additional advice. I never put that thing in again (nor did I bother to get it adjusted yet) after I''d been in pain for so long the first time. It did clear up on its own after a few nights with my old bite guard in.
A week or two back I ended up with problems on the other side after chewing on some almonds. Something must have popped out of place in the joint, because I could hardly chew for a good week or so, and although I was wearing my old bite guard, it wasn''t improving. And then one night it just went away - woke up and my teeth fit together properly again.

At some point I''ll try to get the new guard adjusted so that it feels right. I won''t be going home with it feeling obviously "off" to let myself adjust to it again!