Dear Patty,
Without dealing with your generalized "bracing" you could ONLY have had the history you have described. WHY in the devil has no one (of your many "specialists") told you that????
Surgery, without the relief of your bracing will not be successful either. Unfortunately, after surgery you will have to live with that crippling that cannot be addressed by eliminating the cause that has been with you long before your first symptom.
The ONLY thing that has been found to permanently eliminate the bracing is the regular (at least 20 minutes twice a day) practice of effective skilled relaxation forever. The Craniosacral work helped because it addressed some of the consequences of bracing. Rolfing would help too, as would a deep, total-body therapeutic massage 3 times a week for 2 weeks. However, all these would be temporary & I have the impression that you are ready for something permanent.
You really need a lot more basic understanding about this. It is time to stop letting intentionally ignorant "specialists" do your thinking for you. Toward that end, I would recommend some references in the order in which they would be most effective: 1. Read a copy of my new book (link below); 2. "mind as Healer, Mind as Slayer" by Dr Pelletier (referenced in the back of my book) and; 3. become a student of Hans Selye, MD. His work is all over the library.
THEN, if you still have questions, write again. As you improve, I hope you will share your experiences with the BB participants. This epidemic will continue till people start thinking for themselves.
Walt
I have TMJ and the pain has been just terrible !
I am due to go in and have a splint made to wear in my mouth next week.
What type of pain relievers do most dentist give for this pain? And how long should I stay on one.
This pain causes my jaw ,heas and ear to hurt and then goes for one side to the other.
Any help or advice??
Brenda
In Reply to: TMJ Pain posted by Brenda Campos on February 06, 1998 at 12:57:38:
Dear Brenda,
ALL TMJ is basically caused by an unconscious tension in the jaw muscles which, in turn is NEARLY always caused by a total body muscle bracing called "bracing".
For temporary relief, go to Tempero-Mandibular Joint Syndrome.
My book (link below) is still the simplest resource I know of to help learn the bases for all this. In the back of that book is another resource that would take you further if you need more understanding: "Mind as Healer, Mind as Slayer" by Dr Pelletier. The more you understand about all this, the quicker you will no longer be ruled by its tyranny.
If you just has a deep, total-body, therapeutic massage, 3 times a week for 2 weeks, you would see that I have pointed you in the right direction since that would temporarily relieve much of the total body muscle tension (bracing) that is behind this painful habit.
Once you have this information under your belt, if you still have questions, write again.
As you get well, please share your experiences with the BB participants. Others deserve to know that they have more options than conventional medicine/dentistry are offering them.
Walt
I have TMJ. I got it last year from an auto accident.
I have headaches, Ear aches, and Jaw pain. I wear a splint
it helps relieve the pain. But will I have to wear this
splint forever. How do I get rid of TMJ. The 1st dr. I
saw says I need 8 Crowns and braces. I went to another dr.
TMJ specialist he say maybe surgery. But right now he says
just wear the splint a little longer and see what happens.
He doesn't want to recommend surgery until everything else
fails. Please help me find a cure for this problem. I have
spoke to alot of TMJ patients. They all say some what the same thing. Just do as the doctor says.
In Reply to: Temperal Mandibular Joint posted by Joane on February 25, 1998 at 03:35:23:
Dear Joane,
At least you are starting to think for yourself. That is the biggest, and hardest step to take. Chronic TMJ is easily curable once you understand WHY you have it and IMPOSSIBLE to resolve by any conventional approach I know of.
TMJ can be precipitated by an accident like that that you had. HOWEVER, that accident did not cause you problem. It is caused by a habit of total body "bracing" that finally caused you to have a habit of allowing your teeth to touch when you were not chewing something (the ONLY time they are supposed to touch). Unless you deal with this causative problem, NOTHING you do will help much or long.
You can get some TEMPORARY relief by going to the link: Tempero-Mandibular Joint Syndrome.
Then, you would profit greatly by reading 2 references in this order: my book (link below) and "Mind as Healer, Mind as Slayer" by Dr Pelletier (also referenced in my book).
THEN, please ask your questions right here on this BB. There are lots of others out there who have TMJ who would avoid suffering by watching you get well.
Walt
In Reply to: Temperal Mandibular Joint posted by Joane on February 25, 1998 at 03:35:23:
Go see a chiropractor asap. With this history there is a significant chance that the problems stem from the upper cervical region. Would bet large sums of money on it.
Here is a little article about TMJ dysfunction and children. The same applies to adults. This gives you an idea of the intricacies between the neck and TMJ.
TMJ Dysfunction
The normal physiologic tension of the TMJ muscles, fascia, ligaments, and associated structures is critical for the health of children. Pathologic strain patterns in the soft tissues can be a primary cause of headaches, neck aches, throat infections, ear infections, sinus congestion, and asthma. 2.
The position of the jaw and head and neck are intricately linked. The acute symptoms experienced during the initial dental treatment phase were caused by the inability of the head and neck to adapt to maxillary and mandibular changes. Chiropractic treatments enabled the body to respond
positively to the dental changes. As the mandibular position improved, physical testing and X-rays indicated further improvements. 1.
1. Chinappi AS Jr, Getzoff H, The dental-chiropractic cotreatment of structural disorders of the jaw and temporomandibular joint
dysfunction., J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1995; 18(7):476-81 / Medline ID: 96093118
2. Gillespie BR; Barnes JF; Diagnosis and treatment of TMJ, head, neck and asthmatic symptoms in children. Cranio 1990; 8(4):342-9 /
Medline ID: 91275211
In Reply to: Temperal Mandibular Joint posted by Joane on February 25, 1998 at 03:35:23:
Hi Joane-
I also sufferred an aggravation of TMJ problems after a car accident almost 4 years ago. My childhood orthodontist had identified problems w/ my TMJ some 15 or so years earlier (I had braces when I was 12). Most common symptoms I had were clicking sounds (loud!), severe headaches, ringing in my ears, and sometimes visual disturbances. Wearing a "nightguard" (for bruxism) didn't help... Not sure what is the "splint" you now wearing...
I asked my chiropractor for a referral and found my current dentist. I'm in the last phase of treatment right now. In my particular case, he determined I needed to incr my palette size then allow my teeth to grow in vertical height. This aligned my teeth properly and will give the proper relationship for my tmj. After doing x-rays & scans to determine optimal positioning, I had an appliance which increased my palatte. Then "pops" (like temporary crowns) were put on my lower back molars (4 total) in addition to a bio-finisher to wear at night to maintain the upper & lower relationship. Now it's just a waitng game til my teeth "erupt". It's exciting to have my front teeth nearly touch :-) and be able to bite off food w/o having to send it all the way to the back of my mouth!
I feel the treatment has been very effective for me in healing the causes to my symptoms. I still visit my chiropractor ~ 1x/6 weeks (I was r ear-ended again in March of '96... my extended treatment was due to the fact that I had pregnancies after both accidents).
Feel free to contact my dentist and they can give you more information on treatment or refer you to someone in your area. Just an fyi, my regular dental insurance would not cover this type of treatment, but since I was involved in an accident (the proximate cause of my unbearable pain) I was able to get it covered that way. Some would not consider this a generally accepted method of treatment, but I know results when I feel them. Also, as Dr. Ferguson noted, there is a strong correlation between cervical and tmj pain. btw, I also asked my dentist the surgery question. He said he's never seen a good surgery candidate in all his years of practice.
My Dentist is in Bellevue, WA (near Seattle). Dr. LaVaar Riniker. (425)451-9116. They'd at least be a good place to start.
Hope you feel better soon...