Hi everyone, I really hope someone out there can help me with this.

I am 22, I have suffered with TMJ probably since I was 12, my doctors had no idea what cause my headaches/migraines until I was 18.

I have awful jaw muscle, ear, neck, shoulders, and head pain from TMJ. I have had high levels of stress all my life and all my doctors agree that is probably what caused it. I grind my teeth horribly and clench all the time (a habit I fail to break). I also wore braces and had my jaw "pulled forward" to correct my "overbite".

I finally went to see a specialist about 2 and 1/2 years ago who gave me a bite plate. He is an older man who only works one day a week, I have to drive 4 hours to see him and pay $100 for a 15 minute visit where he checks my teeth and drills my plate. I feel like the bite plate doesn't work and hasn't ever worked.

I told my specialist maybe once that my jaw was feeling a little better (though it was probably due to my stress being lower at the time) and now he insists it's because of the bite plate! I have asked him and even begged him in tears if there is anything else I can do. He said the bite plate is the only solution.

Finally I couldn't bare to spend the money on him, I hate the bite plate, it makes it hard for me to sleep and makes my teeth ache in the morning. I told him I wouldn't wear it anymore and he asked me to please do it, and has his staff ask me too... I told them no and they call me still asking me to come in for adjustments on my bite plate!

Well this last month I have been waking up with my neck incredibly stiff, as it relaxes it turns into aching pain throughout the day, then the tension moves back into my jaw/ear area and hurts there. I pulled out my bite plate and am wearing it now. I don't think it will help but I am in agony. I just don't know what to do any more!

I see a massage therapist every two months for my back, neck and jaw pain.

I don't earn much from my job and don't have insurance. Though I live in Canada nothing is covered for TMJ. Is my only solution to pop pills every 3-4 hours? I did this once before and rotted out my stomach. I feel hopeless and as though nobody can or will help me...

Advice?

Hi everyone, I really hope someone out there can help me with this.

I am 22, I have suffered with TMJ probably since I was 12, my doctors had no idea what cause my headaches/migraines until I was 18.

I have awful jaw muscle, ear, neck, shoulders, and head pain from TMJ. I have had high levels of stress all my life and all my doctors agree that is probably what caused it. I grind my teeth horribly and clench all the time (a habit I fail to break). I also wore braces and had my jaw "pulled forward" to correct my "overbite".

I finally went to see a specialist about 2 and 1/2 years ago who gave me a bite plate. He is an older man who only works one day a week, I have to drive 4 hours to see him and pay $100 for a 15 minute visit where he checks my teeth and drills my plate. I feel like the bite plate doesn't work and hasn't ever worked.

I told my specialist maybe once that my jaw was feeling a little better (though it was probably due to my stress being lower at the time) and now he insists it's because of the bite plate! I have asked him and even begged him in tears if there is anything else I can do. He said the bite plate is the only solution.

Finally I couldn't bare to spend the money on him, I hate the bite plate, it makes it hard for me to sleep and makes my teeth ache in the morning. I told him I wouldn't wear it anymore and he asked me to please do it, and has his staff ask me too... I told them no and they call me still asking me to come in for adjustments on my bite plate!

Well this last month I have been waking up with my neck incredibly stiff, as it relaxes it turns into aching pain throughout the day, then the tension moves back into my jaw/ear area and hurts there. I pulled out my bite plate and am wearing it now. I don't think it will help but I am in agony. I just don't know what to do any more!

I see a massage therapist every two months for my back, neck and jaw pain.

I don't earn much from my job and don't have insurance. Though I live in Canada nothing is covered for TMJ. Is my only solution to pop pills every 3-4 hours? I did this once before and rotted out my stomach. I feel hopeless and as though nobody can or will help me...

Advice?

I'm in the states and honestly don't know what a bite plate is. However, I developed TMJ at age 15 from braces/elastics pulling at my jaw, combined with the fact that I grind my teeth at night (which no dentist noticed until I was about 27). My new dentist made a plastic fitted "splint" that went on my lower teeth, completely covering them (looks a lot like an Invisalign aligner, only a bit thicker/tougher). I wore it every night and after a few weeks it really made a difference. I also had to become very aware of what food I ate - not going to mush but not eating tough meats or hard cookies or crunchy carrots. I would cut things up to smaller bites, too. In a way my TMJ serves as a stress-indicator -- when the jaw acts up, I know I'm stressing. So, is it possible to find someone closer who can take a mold and make a simple plastic splint? And in the meantime, there's a cookbook called You Can Conquer TMJ: Ideas and Recipes; it's available on Amazon. I've also heard that massage therapy can help. Lastly, if I have to have any dental procedure done, I ask for one Valium to take an hour ahead of time to relax my jaw, otherwise I'm in tears and have to have them stop and send me home. I really sympathize and hope this helps. - Pam Waterman, www.MetalMouthMedia.net

Hi there and thanks for the advice! Here's the problem: A bite plate and a Splint are the same thing. :c It just doesn't help me at all. I wore it last night and I don't think I clenched or ground but that was because it hurt to bite down because my teeth are so uncomfortable... I will however, keep trying it until it's comfortable again and see if it does me any good. I am far worse than I was originally when I started on the plate so maybe now I will see some difference.

Thanks!

Any other advice? Has anyone tried any alternatives to a bite plate/splint?

I've found more info at TMJD Treatments | tmj.org (http://www.tmj.org/site/content/tmjd-treatments), that might help. I myself have not tried "official" massage but it helps when I do it myself. I am also intrigued by the idea of acupuncture but again have not had to resort to it. In terms of making changes in what you eat, I do find that very important, and the cookbook I mentioned above has many ideas in general as well as recipes. If you find a path to improvement, do please post what you've learned.