TMJ Forum - joint pain treatment

I am a male, and first noticed when I was 15, that my jaw(right) would pop during certain jaw movements, similar to the sound of popping you're knuckles. Being 15 i thought nothing of it, and brushed it off when girls noticed the popping when kissing them. If only I knew then what I know now. I am now 21. I began feeling pain associated with TMJ disorder when I was 18 but still was unaware what I had. I researched my condition and decided to see my dentist when I was 19 when the pain was constant and partial jaw locking became very frequent. My dentist was very knowledgable with TMJ disorder. He had assesed many cases before me and was quite surprised with the severity of my jaw popping noise. It only took a quick physical inspection of my opening and closing of the jaw to confirm my suspisions. He could feel the displacement of my joint, as could I. He fitted me with a night guard, which keeps my jaws from closing in such a way that causes the improper displacement of my joint. This helped a lot. Id say it helped cure my pain 50 percent, not the popping, which i can live with. But after months of wearing the guard i noticed a slight clicking in my left jaw, and I imeadiatly knew what was going on. The night guard was working, but was now causing the left joint to become slightly displaced because of the change the night guard was causing. I descreased my nightguard usuage which appeared to help. But beyond those facts, I have yet to find an equilibrium of jaw placement. And pain has become just as bad as before the night guard, and worse. I dont blame the dentist, I blame my sleep pattern. I know what is wrong with me, I dont need anyone to tell me that. I know that during my sleep I clench forcefully, which is the cause of the problem, no matter how my jaw closes, severe clenching at night has and will continue to cause damage my joint. I regret not doing something sooner, around 15 or 16. But now, some days(not all) pain is so severe, I dont know what to do, advil ect. wont ease the worst pain which can be in the jaw, back corners of the head, throat, neck, sholder, and sholder blades. Although probably nessicary, I dont want prescription pain killers. I believe the answer to my problem is a muscle relaxer taken before sleep. I was wondering if anyone agrees or has had success with such a remedee. I can honestly say, i feel that permanent damage has been done to my joint and i fear the future holds worse pain. Please Help.