This is only my opinion, but I would think
that pulling only the wisdom teeth on one
side, the right side, could have caused
the start of your "TMJ" symptoms - namely
migraine-like headaches, sensitivity to
sound, left ear, one-sided pain, etc.
Because you had braces as a teen, your
teeth were shifted (that's the whole
point), but if you see x-rays of the
roots, the roots don't completely shift to
the new position leaving the teeth in
unstable positions. It's one reason why
more people wear retainers for longer
times than they used to. The bite is just
not as stable as a non-braces person.
Therefore, when you had the wisdom teeth
pulled on the right side only, your
balance was messed up. If you had been
wearing a retainer before and continued to
wear it, an imbalance might not have
occurred. If both sides had been pulled,
it might have been okay if the actual
surgery didn't do any harm (which it does
sometimes).
If you are wondering why the pain is
left-sided, that is actually normal. I
can't tell you the medical reason why but
it does have to do with balance and that
both sides of the jaw act as one even tho
they are two. Your jaws make up your jaw.
Funny statement I know.
I must tell you again that what I am
telling you is what I believe I have
learned thru the 27 years of living with
TMJ and doing the research that I have all
these years. I'm also not very good at
remembering where I got this information
as it was a compilation of several sources
over several years.
I can tell you what I would do in your
case but you must get several opinions, in
my opinion, from specialists and other TMJ
sufferers before deciding on a course of
action.
I would probably have the left wisdom
teeth pulled by a very reputable oral
surgeon who is very knowledgeable about
TMJ and won't do a lot of forcing or
keeping the mouth open for too long.
BUT, I also believe you will then need to
have your bite corrected from the damage
of one side having more teeth than the
other side. Balance is so extremely
important. Am I repeating myself?
Your bite is probably NOT balanced at this
time and you are not getting good quality
sleep. The two go together frequently.
You may also be clenching or grinding.
And yes, this imbalance can cause all the
headaches and neck and shoulder pains you
mention. I know from experience. And if
you are wondering, my TMJ is now very
manageable and pain-free a good 95% of the
time and that is even with severe
degenerative arthritis.
Finding a dentist (or dentists) is going
to be your biggest obstacle. When DyanM
gets back, she can look up neuromuscular
dentists in your area for you. You might
also do some research to see if you can
find a place that practices Functional
Joint Orthotics (FJO).
You can do this, but I must make one major
recommendation - NO GUM CHEWING EVER
AGAIN!!!
You also might want to consider a
no-chew/soft foods diet for a while (I do
eat a large salad almost everyday so it
shouldn't be permanent). Rest your jaw.
Use ice and/or moist heat. Talk as little
as possible and be careful about yawning.
Stifle them, if you can, with a fist under
the chin. And watch your posture,
especially in front of the computer.
Please keep me abreast as to what and how
you do the next few months or so. I'll be
here for you and try to answer any
questions you might have, but remember,
this is only one person's ideas - mine!
Take care and God bless you,
Carol
