Jaw specialist wants $5,000 for treatment. What would you do?

[ABQmom]

It has been determined that I clench my teeth at night--not a lot the doc says, but enough to be causing me continued facial pain. The muscles in my jaw area are very tight which is causing further clenching and pain. They aren't sure why I'm clenching. Doctor says my bite is good. They say that a disc may be out of place. Stress could be a factor, but I don't feel like I'm stressed out more than normal.

 

Anyhow, this doctor has orthotics made--it's not a night guard. Night guards are way cheaper comparitively. The orthotic is made to not only prevent the clenching/grinding, but also to set the jaw in the most relaxed position so that the muscles can rest. It's expensive because of the machines they put you on to test muscle output. There is a period where adjustments have to made to the device to get it right.

 

I have no other symptoms with this except the jaw pain. No clicking, popping, headaches, etc. The doctor did say that I have limited range of motion in my jaw--can't open my mouth very wide. I just never noticed that.

 

Has anyone done this treatment? I just can't afford it, and wonder what route I should go next. I'm happy that I have a diagnosis of TMJ finally--other docs were reluctant to give a diagnose of TMJ, but couldn't find anything else wrong. I know some of you are struggling with this now or have in the past. What is your suggestion (besides firing this expensive doc)?

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

It has been determined that I clench my teeth at night--not a lot the doc says, but enough to be causing me continued facial pain. The muscles in my jaw area are very tight which is causing further clenching and pain. They aren't sure why I'm clenching. Doctor says my bite is good. They say that a disc may be out of place. Stress could be a factor, but I don't feel like I'm stressed out more than normal.

 

Anyhow, this doctor has orthotics made--it's not a night guard. Night guards are way cheaper comparitively. The orthotic is made to not only prevent the clenching/grinding, but also to set the jaw in the most relaxed position so that the muscles can rest. It's expensive because of the machines they put you on to test muscle output. There is a period where adjustments have to made to the device to get it right.

 

I have no other symptoms with this except the jaw pain. No clicking, popping, headaches, etc. The doctor did say that I have limited range of motion in my jaw--can't open my mouth very wide. I just never noticed that.

 

Has anyone done this treatment? I just can't afford it, and wonder what route I should go next. I'm happy that I have a diagnosis of TMJ finally--other docs were reluctant to give a diagnose of TMJ, but couldn't find anything else wrong. I know some of you are struggling with this now or have in the past. What is your suggestion (besides firing this expensive doc)?

 

My dear darling new dentist prescribed me Flexeril to take for a week. I feel like a new woman. My jaw can completely relax at night and my clenching goes away.

[Lolly]

First, I would try an over the counter mouth guard. You don't ahve anything to lose but a little time.

[ABQmom]

First, I would try an over the counter mouth guard. You don't ahve anything to lose but a little time.

 

Forgot to mention that I did try that. I have a very small mouth, and I couldn't wear it without gagging.

[ABQmom]

My dear darling new dentist prescribed me Flexeril to take for a week. I feel like a new woman. My jaw can completely relax at night and my clenching goes away.

 

Sound great. How did you get him to prescribe that?

 

Also, do you have any major side effects from it?

[Lolly]

Okay, have you tried a second opinion? I would wonder about such an intense intervention. It has been a long time since I've dealt with this, they may be doing things differently now.

 

I have tmj also. When mine was truly locked down, the dentist who originally dxed me made a temporary insert in his office and referred me to a specialist to have real mouth piece made. (This was over 20 years ago, and doesn't sound nearly as involved as what yours is suggesting.) The little piece he made relieved the pressure and resolved the crisis issue. I didn't have the $ to see the specialist. Since then, I just pop the temporary in when I feel my jaw tightening or start getting headaches. It has never failed to work in just a few nights or wear.

[Nestof3]

I do major grinding with my teeth at night. I wore a night guard made by my dentist for years, but for the last year, I cannot wear it more than two days in a row without my jaw locking up. My dentist adjusts it and adjusts it, but nothing helps.

 

He did prescribe a muscle relaxant for a week in hopes that it would break my grinding cycle, and while it worked while I used it, I went right back to normal when the week was up.

 

I am at a loss as well! I am too scared to see a specialist because of the cost.

[kalanamak]

Personally, I'd try self-talk first. I talked myself out of clenching and flexing my hands and wrists and jaw clenching.

As I lay in bed I'd gently stretch out the offending part. I'd tell myself to not tighten it. For my hands I fell asleep with a small pillow between my hands and for my jaw I fell asleep with the tip of my tongue between my front teeth.

I drank a lot of water and used this as a bladder alarm to get me up a couple of times in the night and re-did the ritual. I haven't gone back to either habit. I'd say it took two weeks to change my sleeping behavior.

 

This is completely unscientific, and I have no idea if it will work for you. I'd practiced the technique by training myself to remember dreams for a college course. I also use the "just as you fall asleep" method to prepare myself for surgery, and go in, each time, floating in a trance as I go through the steps I imagined before bed (now you take off your clothes and get in a gown, now you lift your leg and get on the stretcher, now the stretcher is moving, now they take your hand for an IV, now you curl up for the spinal...etc).

 

For 5000 bucks, it is worth a try.

 

Also, do you to the TMJ stretches. One is call 10-10-10- as I recall, and another uses a pencil.

[Nestof3]

Here's something I found:

 

http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/-tmj-treatment-tmj-symptom-cure-tmj-the-natural-way-59637.html

[love2read]

I would try accupuncture. It's worked for a few odd things in our family. If you can find one in your area that is respected, I would give him or her a call and ask if they deal with things like that. It's odd the type of things accupuncture helps.

[JudyJudyJudy]

I would try a chiropractor who has training in kinesiology. I've never tried accupunture, but based on what I've heard and read, that would be a good option as well.

 

I have severe TMJD. I've seen multiple surgeons, all of whom agree that I need surgery and probably more than one surgery, but none can agree on which types of surgeries would work best nor in what order. At one point, I had an appointment with my orthodontist, dentist, and a surgeon, and they actually ended up arguing in front of me about my treatment.

 

I have spent over $18,000 (mostly out-of-pocket) in the past five and a half years, but I'm still in a great deal of pain. (No, we don't have this type of money; my van isn't even running right now.) I'm back in braces now, and I seem to be in more pain than ever. My orthodontist is supposed to be one of the best in the country (people fly in from other states to see him), so I don't think there's anywhere to go from here.

 

If I could afford it, I'd see my chiro/kinesiologist before every orthodontist appointment. He is wonderful and can always get me out of pain, but then my bite is off again, which needs to be fixed by my orthodontist. My chiro is the one who referred me to my orthodontist because he wasn't making the progress he thought he should be making with my jaws. As both he and my orthodontist said, my problems were mostly created by a previous surgery (mandibular advancement 17 years ago), so it's hard to fix me naturally. My orthodontist says that I need more height and has discussed building up my teeth, but whenever he tries a higher bite plate or higher pods on me, my muscles go crazy. I have multiple issues going on, though (TMJD, degenerative joint disease, and degenerative disk disease), so I'm a difficult case. I'm also allergic to many medications, including the last muscle relaxer that I tried, so that doesn't help any.

 

Truly, though, if I were in the situation you've described, I'd start with a chiro/kinesiologist. I wish you the best, and I hope you are pain-free soon.

[Heather in the Kootenays]

I did something similar with clenching. I consciously relaxed my jaw every time I felt myself tensing. It worked.

[threetreasurs]

Sounds expensive enough that a second opinion might be a good move.:)

[Scarlett]

Has anyone done this treatment? I just can't afford it, and wonder what route I should go next. I'm happy that I have a diagnosis of TMJ finally--other docs were reluctant to give a diagnose of TMJ, but couldn't find anything else wrong. I know some of you are struggling with this now or have in the past. What is your suggestion (besides firing this expensive doc)?

 

About a year ago, I was in your shoes. My dentist wanted me to do the whole $5K treatment plan. Not only did the thought of spending $5K make me ill, I couldn't stomach the thought of wearing that stupid mouth piece 24/7 for 4-6 months and THEN getting braces on my perfectly (naturally btw) straight teeth. I cried. A lot. Then I got on the net and did my own research.

 

The first thing I figured out is that their 'treatment' plan is very very experimental. They don't know if it will work and it often does not.

 

So then I explored other options. I read and read and found several things that I do that contribute to it---such as

 

Sitting at computer improperly.

Holding my chin in my hand.

Sleeping with my hand on my face

Holding stress in my jaw.

 

I worked hard at correcting some of those deeply ingrained habits. And I went to the chiropractor and masseuse 2 or 3 times a week for about a month. It helped so much. Insurance will pay for chiropractor but not masseuse...but I honestly think the masseuse helps more. I lucked out and found one who understands TMJ and even has a special way of massaging the jaw muscles from INSIDE your mouth that works wonders. I've had a couple of flair ups and went back to see her both times...

 

So basically I am doing self-care. I manage it. There is no big cure...it just....is.

 

Oh and Pam is right the Flexiril can help a lot. Especially if you are a night clencher (oddly, I'm not) or if you get yourself all knotted up doing the day (I do). I HATE the way it makes me feel the next day so I rarely take it....but it does help me relax all my muscles. You might try half a pill (a whole one is usually 10 mg) first. Your dentist should prescribe that for you no problem. If he won't get a different dentist.

 

HTH!

[ABQmom]

Wow! Thanks everyone. I will start working on some of the self-help ideas. I don't clench during the day, but I have been trying to catch myself in the night doing it and can't really. I did wake up this morning early and found myself clenching very lightly. If I'm clenching, but not hard, I guess that must be why I don't have the headaches, and jaw popping that so many people have with TMJ. Obviously it's enough to make my muscles spasm though.

 

Okay, I have been referred by friends to a chiropractor and an acupuncturist--both say they can help with the TMJ pain. Which one should I try first?

[ABQmom]

Here's something I found:

 

http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/-tmj-treatment-tmj-symptom-cure-tmj-the-natural-way-59637.html

 

Thanks for posting this! I just had time to read it, and will try some of these exercises. (I can't give you any more rep, although I tried!)

[Scarlett]

Thanks for posting this! I just had time to read it, and will try some of these exercises.

 

So how is your jaw? What route did you decide upon?

[nutmeg]

They say that a disc may be out of place.

 

This can be determined with an arthrogram (x-ray with dye injection) or MRI. I wouldn't pay for any treatment until you/they know if the disc is part of the issue.

 

Ask me how I know. :) My jaw was knocked out of whack when I was in a car accident in high school. After several years of enduring the pain and popping, I ended up needing two surgeries, a mouth guard, and lots of physical therapy.

 

And none of that cost me, out of pocket, anywhere close to $5k.

 

:grouphug: I hope you get some answers soon.

 

 

p.s. Everybody has TMJ. TMJ is simply the name of the joint.

[Scarlett]

p.s. Everybody has TMJ. TMJ is simply the name of the joint.

 

Correct. And I also found out that there are 3 different things that can on in that joint or ones jaw that can cause problems. One is arthritic..one is muscle, and one is alignment. I think I have that right. So having a 'one stop' answer to TMJ problems is ridiculous.

 

I think my pain is caused by muscle directly tied to stress...and sometimes being out of whack makes it worse....or maybe the jaw being tensed causes my body to get out of whack. Either way, the massage therapist and chiropractor helps me.