I would like to get the opinion of anyone who knows anything about the subject of TMJ and braces. I started my braces treatment about 5 months ago to correct my misaligned bite and teeth which was the cause of my TMJ, this past week I went to my orthodontist's appointment and was given rubber bands to wear on each side to pull in my top teeth. I was a bit wary of this given my past TMJ pain but I tried it for a couple days, wearing the rubber bands as much as possible. Finally today I had had enough and my entire face is in pain, my jaw is fatigued, my TMJ joints hurt and I have pain in different parts of my head and face, there is simply no way I can wear these given my past TMJ history. I am 23 years old and had been planning to move back out of my parent's house soon as the braces have finally had enough of an effect to where I am feeling a lot better but being made to wear these rubber bands is a major setback. The orthodontist isn't there until Tuesday when I will call to talk about this but I am wondering if anyone knows if there are alternatives to wearing these rubber bands or if you have had a similar experience I would be happy to hear from you.