Re: TMJ Surgery

Shadley,

I have read your emails and was curious as to the extent of your joint damage. I am also a grinder - have been since I was 5 yrs old. I am now 37 and have been in extreme pain for the last 3 months. Migraine like headache, neck pain, ear pain, jaw pain, and the list goes on.... I have been diagnosed as having a bi-lateral collapse by my oral surgeon. The xrays indicate that I have little to no cartilege in my TM joint. I am in my second week of a 4 week term on a splint. The splint has provided no relief. I have worn a splint on and off through the years at night. When I go back to my oral surgeon in 2 weeks they will do an MRI to get a better view of the cartilege damage. At that point we will discuss surgery. I was surprised to read that recovery required your jaw being wired shut. At this point we're not sure if the surgery will be repairing the existing cartilege or an implant. Which was yours? Can you offer me any pre-surgery advice? As far as pain relief, my oral surgeon referred me to a physical therapist who treats many TMJ patients. We are doing ultra sound therapy on my joint, massage therapy and he has shown me 5 exercises to do at home to improve my posture. It's only been a couple of weeks. I'm not feeling much pain reduction with this yet however I am already seeing an improvement in my posture. Thank you in advance for any information you can provide. Lisa Tweet