Could I have TMJ??!?!
Question:
Could I have TMJ??!?
My jaw has always clicked when i chew or open my mouth, but i didn't think it was really that big of a deal. And then yesterday i got in a car accident. And the car hit from the side. And later that night, I started to have severe pains in the left side of my face right by my ear. It is like a sharp pain when i chew or talk or swallow. And It is starting to click worse now. Could this be TMJ? And what exactly is TMJ? Please help. Thanks.
Answers:
I have the chronic kind, the kind you probably had/have before the accident which is now worse, or maybe even unrelated.
The best thing I ever did was see an orthodontist that specialized in "TMJ" disorders. While it was costly, about $700, he had a little plastic-y thing kind of like a retainer made for me, from a mold of my mouth.
It has literally been a godsend. My headaches are much better, and the clicking is 99% gone. Depending on your money situation (dental insurance may cover it, I only had medical and it wouldn't do it. but I was told that some medical insurers cover it also), it is well worth it. It's lasted over 9 years and looks the same as day 1.
......I just looked it up, I believe it is called a "splint". you can see an example here:
http://www.dentalgentlecare.com/new_page...
while it doesn't look like much or that it would be very worthy of that much money, it really does work wonders. if you are short on money you can buy these in drug stores:
http://cgi.ebay.com/adjustable-night-gua...
but they do not work nearly as well since it's not fitted to your mouth. but better than nothing if you don't have the money.