TMJ Surgery on a 16 year old girl? HELP Please if you've had the surgery!?
It would be a huge mistake to have TMJ surgery and it sounds like your condition can be treated conservatively without surgery (your jaw still pops so that means the disk is still able to go back into place). It is unfortunate that insurance companies will pay only for surgical treatment of TMJ disorders and not for non surgical treatment. The main problem with having surgery is if it does not work, your TMJ will be crippled for life with no hope of ever being fixed (in most cases). My recommendation would be to check this site out to find another dentist who may be able to do a better job then your "TMJ Specialist" or at least get a second opinion before undergoing the knife - www.iaortho.org. I personally would not even recommend surgery in a worse case scenario and you are not even close to that. Do not let pain be the determining factor in your decision to have surgery or not. A majority of pain from TMJ disorders are musculoskeletal and if the dentist cannot treat these problems, then a referral to other professionals should be done (physiotherapists, cranio-sacral therapists, etc.). Most pain problems are resolved by wearing a properly designed splint 24/7 that will stabilize the mandible to prevent the articular disk from dislocating and using physiotherapy to relieve and eliminate myospasms. In the meantime, do not chew gum, stay on a totally soft diet, and apply moist heat over the TM joints for 45-60 minutes at a time and do as often as necessary to relax muscles and relieve pain.
My face is not symmetrical and I'm very insecure. Is there surgery to fix it?
So I know no ones face is perfectly symmetrical blah blah but one of my eyes is lower or higher than the other and it really stands out to me and the more I look at myself in the mirror the more I think I look like sloth from the goodies. I'm already super self conscious about my looks but knowing that this is something you're really born with makes me feel like poop. I doubt there's surgery for this, idk how there would be but does anyone know how I can fix it if possible? When I look at people their eye symmetry is te first thing I notice and I noticed Megan Fox is a tiny bit off and that made me feel a little better. But there's this actress named shanno doety? Idk I forgot and hers is so bad she looks so stupid and mine is probably as bad as hers I almost cried looking at her pictures. Asymmetrical faces just look so stupid and I hate it :(
Can a dentist take impressions of your teeth WHILE you have braces on?
For: MONICA .... Message: I'm honored to have a response from a registered dental assistant. Thank you for taking the time to explain to me the proper method of taking impressions on a patient with braces. No wax was used at all to block out the detail of the brackets and wire. Even as a person with no knowledge of impression making, it made NO SENSE to me how the putty can be put on, spread through the gaps between my wire and teeth, and still have the ability to be removed. The wax block-out solution that you explained makes complete sense, and I'm upset to know that she neglected to use this on me. Let me explain the situation to you, I started going to my dentist and he said that I have TMJ/TMD problem in my right joint. He told me I need braces. I decided the best thing for me is to go to an orthodontist, a specialist in braces, rather than get them done by my dentist. I have a life-long friend who is currently a pediatric dentist, she highly recommended a specific orthodontist.
Would the military cover an orthoganic (jaw surgery) surgery?
I wanted to get orthoganic surgery all my life. I have breathing problems, and my voice isn't as pleasing to the ear as a sport commentators. The breathing problem causes me to constantly have headaches, always putting me in bad moods. My voice troubles me a lot, I practice and practice to improve the sound of it but it continues to have this sound. It leaves me insecure. I do however have ballsss, I am a natural born athlete who can physical test, mentally I think this surgery will help tremendously. Does the military cover this type of surgery? or would I have to pay from my pocket? How much does it cost if I do pay from my pocket? which includes the dental braces, then the actual surgery.. Keep in mind I'm 19 and have no money. And this is not at all for cosmetic purposes, this is to improve my breathing and speaking aspects of my life... Oh, and I do believe I have an underbite.... also the military rarely offers bonuses nowadays, is this fact?
Is orthognathic surgery covered by the military?
I know that the military covers cosmetic surgery for soldiers so that their medical personnel can get their training. Does orthognathic (jaw) surgery for an anterior cross-bite (under-bite) fit into this benefit?
How do i find relief from TMJ?
To help stop or minimize the pain from TMJ, apply hot towels or a heating pad to the joints at your jaw. Do this for fifteen minutes. Wait ten minutes then ice therapy. Place clean tap water into a foam cup and place in your freezer until it is completely frozen. Peel back a small amount of the top of the cup and massage this onto area of pain using constant circular motion. DO NOT hold the ice in one area for more than 3 minutes since this may cause frostbite. Cold therapy should be stopped once the skin feels numb. Take Advil three times daily. Do not chew gum, eat hard foods, as this will aggravate the joint.
Will my TMJ go away on its own? Approx how long?
TMJ problems do not go away but can be controlled. The use of a mouthguard/bruxing splint is generally where a dentist will start with treatment of this problem. I am not sure why they sent you to an oral surgeon first, you may want to call the dentist and speak with him personally about this. Did they take a panorex x-ray to check the TMJ joints? If they did, was there something evident on the x-ray that concerned him enough to send you to an oral surgeon? The act of clenching and grinding of the teeth really affects the TMJ. Everyone does this in their sleep to some extent, some more than others. This action of clenching and grinding is called Bruxing. The mouthguard keeps the teeth from coming together and allows the muscles to relax thus no bruxing. A lot of great info can be found online. I personally have tried a few different kinds of mouthguards and the NTI is my personal favourite as there is a daytime and nighttime device. I tend to clench a lot during the day. Hope this helps. Oh and place warm compresses on your jaw joints this helps along with the Advil too. You can take a wet washcloth and wring it out and place in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. Just make sure it isn't too hot when you place it on your face. :) Good luck!