Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 3 Location: Buffalo, NY
Tmj Injury - 13 Years Old Posted: 12-08-06 21:02pm
Hello everyone! My name is morgan and I
live in buffalo, ny. Thirteen years ago,
I slipped and fell on a wet floor at a
downtown mall and displaced both discs out
of my jaw. I did not know why I was
continuing with this awful pain, clicking
and popping on the right side.
Fortunately, we have a great tmj
specialist in our town and I saw him about
2 weeks ago. He said I have gotten
progressively worse in the past 3 years
and referred me to an oral surgeon for a
consult. I had that appointment today
and he said my disc is "no good." he has
scheduled me for the arthrocentesis on
jan. 12, 2007 (so I can enjoy the
holidays). I am extremely nervous and I
do not think the odds are in my favor.
If this procedure fails, I have to have a
disectomy.
Anyone have any thoughts??? I would love
to hear from you!
Thank you,
morgan :d
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catswolds
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 28 May 2006 Posts: 62 Location: Michigan
Posted: 12-09-06 00:31am
Hi morgan,
i am very much against any tmj surgery,
even the arthrocentesis. They don't
really seem to do any good (and seem to
cause more irreversible damage). I am
not a specialist or anything of the sort;
just a long time tmj sufferer who has seen
a lot of specialists and studied anything
I could find about tmj for many years.
So, this is just my opinion (my tmj is
currently doing very well).
First - many, many people have displaced
and damaged tmj discs and not all of them
have any symptoms of tmj. As we get
older, the discs usually deteriorate also
because the jaw joints are the most used
joints in the body.
But because you were in an unfortunate
accident, your discs were forcefully
displaced. What kinds of treatment have
you been doing since the accident 13 years
ago? Have you been wearing a bite
splint? Physical therapy? Etc.?
Both of my discs are displaced and
deteriorated. Both joints are damaged
with clicking, but my tmj is not painful
except for an occasional flare-up when I
get stressed. I have not had any type of
surgery and I thank god for that. Yes, I
have to wear a bite splint (which needs
adjusting or changing occasionally), I go
to massage therapy semi-regularly, take
prozac to keep my body relaxed (increase
seratonin levels), watch my posture
especially when in front of the computer,
and watch my stress level very carefully.
You are right in that the odds don't seem
to be in your favor. I have only heard
of one or two people where arthrocentesis
did any good and know of no one who was
helped by a disectomy. This is from the
5 or 6 tmj support sites that I have
visited over the past few years.
I know you say that the tmj specialist you
saw is "great," but don't hesitate to see
another dentist or two or three for more
opinions. You are worth it.
God bless...
Carol
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Tanningirl
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 3 Location: Buffalo, NY
Posted: 12-09-06 07:25am
Hi carol: thank you so much for your
response. I have had physical therapy,
chiropractic treatment, soft diet, bite
plates, etc. I am locked everyday and
have to force my jaw open with a spoon!
(ouch!) I have had several "second"
opinions and this procedure (so I am told)
may or may not be any help. I have
horrific headaches that last up to 4 days,
I am a full time law student and a full
time paralegal with not much time for
pain. Lol
my procedure is scheduled for january 12,
2007 so I have time to back out. Thank
you for taking the time to write back and
I am glad to hear you are doing well!
Morgan
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Tmddyan
Moderator
Joined: 13 Jun 2006 Posts: 4346 Location: post falls, id usa
Thanks: 93
Thanked:63
So? Posted: 03-07-07 13:47pm
how are you guys doing? arthro is really
nothing to be scared of. let us know how
you are.
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LisaV
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 15 Feb 2007 Posts: 17 Location: RI
Posted: 03-18-07 16:13pm
To Tanningirl,
I just read this and I know it's old, so
I'm wondering if you went through with
your surgery? I can tell you from
experience, that to leave a disc displaced
is not a good thing - it causes
derangement of both the disc and the
joint. Also, it is not a good idea to
have a disc removed and have nothing put
in it's place - found that out the hard
way - after my first surgery where they
sewed one miniscus in place and removed
the other leaving the joint bare - bone on
bone is not a good recipe! So, six years
later I was on the table again having
tissue from my temporal lobe inplanted and
my joints were a mess. I cannot have
MRI's because I have metal fragments in
both joints from the first surgery, which
no-one can seem to explain. Anyways, ten
years after the second surgery, they are
now telling me I need total joint
replacement. I will wait on this as long
as I can. I'm hoping I can stabalize the
joint and prevent it from further
deteriorating - hoping for a miracle. It
does seem once you have the joint altered
you're never right again, but you're not
right anyways if you're in so much pain
and your mouth gets stuck. Everyone is
different and they're tolerance for pain
as well as their situation is unique. We
all have to go with what our gut tells us
is best and hope for the best outcome. I
hope you are doing better.
Lisa
