Anybody with TMJ?

[ilsemor]

Hello,
I had my surgery 18 months ago, I have some facial never damage on my right side, about 16 months after my surgery and chewing just on my good side, I was having problem opening my jaw and it was also cracking so my MD told me to take ibuprofen for almost a month, then after I stopped  I developed horrible headaches and went to see the neurologist because these headaches were on one only above my hear, my good side!  I thought I had another tumor.   I was told to see a TMJ specialist, so I did and he said the bottom teeth are causing pressure on my left jaw, crushing my front teeth and  that my jaw needs to be readjusted.
So he told me to order a mouth guard (not exactly as thick  but very similar) and I have used it for a month, now,  he says I needed a mouth guard for the bottom teeth, I ordered it and now a month after, with no more headaches he wants me to get a another piece made for the top teeth and in about three months he says i will get a third one that will be for the lower teeth but smaller than the first one, just for the front teeth.  He's a orthodontist too.
I wanted him to confirm that after I'm done with these three pieces I wont' have headeach es and my jaw won't crack or hurt anymore, I told him that to me it seems like as long as I keep chewing on one side only I will always overuse that side of my jaw, then he suggested I should see a speech therapist because I need help learning how to use that part of my jaw to chew again.  doesn't this sound ridiculous to you?  It seems to me that he knows very little about facial paralysis doesn't  it seem to you?
By the way my teeth are almost perfectly straight so orthodontic work is the last thing I can think of.  So if there's anybody there with some similar situation, please share your experience with me, I think my worst problem is that I don't trust this orthodontist, I don't think he has dealt with that many patients with TMJ and  Facial paralysis.
Cheers!

[Suu]

Hmmm...  I have a dental appointment on Monday as I'm trying to get all the work in my mouth done and healed before the nerve graft.
My dentist noticed that my jaw was 'clicking' (more like a clunk when I open mouth wide). 
As it was only a short consultation, he's going to talk about it on Monday and I'll let you know what he says.

Let us know if you find out a different scenario to what that um... idiot..... said?

BTW - I put mine down to clenching my jaw a LOT over the last couple of years.

Cheers,
Suu

[Brewers7]

I developed TMJ pain about 11 -12 months post op and then wore a lower mouth piece for about 6 months. The TMJ dentist/specialist used a type that he adjusted about once a month as I gained some symmetry. I began to get some movement after that.  Although the mouthpiece made it difficult to talk, it kept me off pain pills.  I wore it except when eating.  I have not worn it at all for the past 9 months, although the specialist indicated that some people wear the mouthpiece at night as needed.

[ilsemor]

Brewers7,
I'm particularly interested in what kind of mouthpiece you wore, how was it adjusted, assuming it was made out of plastic, like mine? 
I went to see another dentist about two weeks ago and he told me I didn't need this little bottom piece but what I needed was a mouthguard to use only to sleep.  I just got it in the mail two days ago, it's made of very thick plastic, I have used it for two nights and it hurts in the morning to take it off. 
Now I'm wondering if the fact that I still have my wisdom teeth has anything to do and to add to my jaw issues now that I only chew on one side.  I never had them taken out because my dentist told me I didn't need to.

The sad thing is that I have had headaches again for the last few days, I'm wondering if the TMJ and the headaches are two different things, and they just developed at the same time... 

On a good note, I went to a cosmetic store yesterday and I was told by the sales rep that she couldn't tell I have facial paralysis, which I think is so hard sometimes to hear because the inside of my mouth doesn't have the elasticity/nerve movement that the other side has.

Please keep posting your experiences, it really helps us try to make sense of all these side effects we are left with after AN surgery.

[Brewers7]

The material was some sort of hard plastic.  He would heat it to make adjustments.  It was very expensive - about $1800.00 for original appliance then $85 for each adjustment.  I did not have headaches  - just jaw pain, but it really helped me.  Dr. Blumenthal in Memphis/Germantown.