by the way GoodThings/MakeWhole i saw your post about the vertical dimension is why i am still deviating to the left so i will ask shankland if he will build up my splint some more
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JBB320 |
saw GoodThings on here so i thought i would register |
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i have been banned from the "other" place due to the great moderators over there(as jbb320/roger321/ect). anyway my story is this as the age of 17 i thought it would be a good idea to box with a "friend" which is what caused my tmj. i started having pain and popping but it really was not that bad so i didnt think anything of it. when i was 19 i had both my top and bottom wisdom teeth removed on my left side. my jaw started to lock when i tried to open and i would have to move my jaw around to fully open also around this time i was deviating from left to right before i fully opened. i went to see a dentist who said all i needed was a nightguard and told me i would be better after sometime of wearing it(he never gave me a diganosis or told me how long i would have to wear the splint which should of been a red flag but i was young and dumb and i trusted doctors) in december 2006 the pain became worse than it has ever been and has been constant ever since. so i deciding to go to a different doctor. this doctor diagnosised me as having bilateral non reducing disc dislocation despite the fact that i was still popping on opening and closing on my left side and my tomograms showed spaced between the the condyle and eminence. he was going to use a repostioning splint and that was the treatment i agreed to but the day i went in for the splint he told me he had changed his mind and gave me an nti so that was $800 down the drown. from december to march i went through many "doctors" none new what they were talking about. one said surgery. one said i didnt need a repositioning splint because i was still reducing and all i needed was my teeth filed down. so i eventaully found out about wesley shankland in columbus,oh through emailing the gelbcenter and asking for a good doctor. dr shankland diganosised me with reducing on my left and non reducing on my right. both joints are still healthy but my right side is starting to show some changed. shankland has put me in an ara spint for daytime and a farrar nighttime splint. the pain was bad the first few days but i am doing a lot better after just having it for week. i am worried however about my non reducing side and what the future holds for me. i have been told that a new tissue will act as disc if my right side doesnt recapture(maybe the posterior band but im not sure) but if this was the case why are there so many people on here with problems? it seems to me without a disc you will eventually be bone to bone. i just want my health back and to live a normal life instead of living with a mistake i made with i was a dumb 17 year old kid for the rest of my life
by the way GoodThings/MakeWhole i saw your post about the vertical dimension is why i am still deviating to the left so i will ask shankland if he will build up my splint some more |
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feelines |
jbb320 | ||
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Hi JBB320. I'm glad you have some improvement from your current splints. Would you mind explaining what "ara" and "farrar" splints are? This is the first time I've heard of them....
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JBB320 |
Re: jbb320 | ||
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i guess now i can share links with you, GoodThings. this is why i thought deviation had to do with disc displacment
www.gnatologia.it/probl_articolarien.asp an ara stands for anterior repositioning appliance and a farrar splint is the same, except he keeps you from moving your jaw back at night. |
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GoodThings |
Re: jbb320 | ||
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Hey jbb320,
I was also banned from the "other" site. But just got reinstated after i wrote them an email. The mod deleted the whole thread which i thought was not fair since it contained a lot of good info on tmj. I made a new thread asking the mod as to why members were allowed to post names of doctors which is a form of advertising products and services, and we're not allowed to post things said on websites. I also asked why the whole thread was delelted, and then i was banned. I found this site and decided to join, and maybe help some of the newbies here. The site you posted is very similar to what you have. One side reducing and the other side not reducing. What it does not show is that the side not reducing is probably lacking more posterior vertical dimension. Therefore, the jaw is probably not balanced. When the jaw is balanced and have proper spacing, you should not deviate at all. You should tell the doctor to add more material to the side not reducing to balance the jaw out. GT |
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JBB320 |
Re: saw GoodThings on here so i thought i would register | ||
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i think i will bring it up when i go to see shankland on the 18th. if this is a gelb splint that i am wearing shouldnt i have enough vertical and be in the correct position?
smilepage was the site about "the silver lining of having tmj " i tried to answer your question but the post was deleted so i made another post saying the site was a joke and was banned. that thread should have beed a sticky with all the information on it i am truly disgusted with that place and the moderators |
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FPDChief |
Re: saw GoodThings on here so i thought i would register | ||
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Hi JBB320 and welcome. I have one question - have your wisdom teeth on the right side been extracted?
I am curious as to how your TMJ is feeling these days? Are you in pain? Take care and... God bless, Carol |
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JBB320 |
Re: saw GoodThings on here so i thought i would register | ||
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yes, i do still have both top and bottom wisdom teeth on my right and i will not let anyone take them out. i have been in constant pain the last 4/5 months but the splint seems to be helping. i dont understand while shankland did not get me the proper vertical dimension on my right side? i have already have one adjustment and i dont go back until the 18th
one thing i do know is that if i do not get "cured" of tmj after finishing phase 1 and phase 2 i will not be sticking around. life has not treated me kindly, and im not going live a life of health problems |
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feelines |
JBB320 | ||
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JBB320, we're relatively kind here, and linksy too. That is, we post alot of links. Dr. Shanklund has a great reputation, but he should not be your last resort. We have also experienced depths of depression and anxiety not akin to our true nature. Hang in there....
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GoodThings |
Re: saw GoodThings on here so i thought i would register | ||
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Splints are made in an articulator. So i guess a doctor can make one as thin or bulky as he wants. He can also place your joints where he wants. Johnsdental has an articulator called the DENAR WITZIG Articulator. And in it, the Gelb 4/7 is used as a reference point in making splints.
GT |
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lvmyqhorses |
Re: saw GoodThings on here so i thought i would register | ||
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Hi, I'm new here too and also recently "banned" from Rxwatchers. Why they banned me is still a mystery because I only posted about 3 times, info and feedback on the pharm I use, followed their rules, never responded specifically to anyone except on my welcome thread, AND all that after waiting 3 days to become a "registered" user. I guess they have lots of trolls or something.
Whatever........Their loss, I say. Here's hoping you get the right splint and it works for you! Keep us updated. |
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JBB320 |
Re: saw GoodThings on here so i thought i would register | ||
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i dont want to face a future of degenerative joint disease and all the horrors i have read that goes along with it. not only that but how could they fix my open bite without reinjuring my tmj? this is too much to overcome and i dont i think will
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feelines |
Open bite/TMJD | ||
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They gave me an open bite, and I have to deal with it. Have you had the rheumatology tests? I did. The ANA (antinuclear antibody) test was postive, but the ELISA test was negative. So I have an induced open bite without the degenerative joint disease that some doctors say is responsible for the open bite response to splint therapy. It's now medically necessary to prosthetically build up all of my lower teeth and maybe my upper teeth as well, and train my body and mind to work with it. Go figure....
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feelines |
Paxil side effects | ||
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JBB320, you are mad about the effect of Paxil and justifiably so. If I were in your shoes, I'd be consulting a product liability lawyer, or two, or three....
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JBB320 |
Re: Paxil side effects | ||
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im having a hard time coping with this
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feelines |
Coping | ||
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It's not easy for me either....
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GoodThings |
Re: saw GoodThings on here so i thought i would register | ||
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JBB320,
I believe the book provides you with the answer on how the doctors fix the open bite without injuring your tm joints. I haven't read chapter 5 yet, but the title of that chapter is "Eliminating the NRDM/SPDC Phenomenon." Read that chapter and maybe you'll find what you're looking for. IMO, if the doctor can free you from pain and successfully completed phase 1, he can no doubt close your open bite and successfully compete phase 2 for you. Hang in there. It will get better. Feelines, I don't know your treatment history. I'm guessing the open bite is a result of splint therapy? Was it successful? And are you planning on closing the bite? btw, do you know where your tm joints are at this point? GT |
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JBB320 |
Re: saw GoodThings on here so i thought i would register | ||
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i think the book talks about using a orthopedic corrector to close open bites. none of the people in the case studies have open bites after treatment so i know it can be done with a good doctor(i have not had much luck with doctors) but i think it also talks about the use of crowns and dentures(which does not sound appealing at my young age) what do you mean successful phase 1? since my right is non reducing doesnt that mean that one day i will be on here like the others talking about total joint replacement thanks to degenerative joint disease? i know shankland has said that for a non reducing disc, new tissue will form if it doesnt recapture with splint therapy(if i dont even have the correct vertical then how would it have enough space to begin to reduce?) and the books says substitute tissue is form but it does not talk about what this substitute tissue is.
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FPDChief |
Re: saw GoodThings on here so i thought i would register | ||
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Hi JBB320,
Sorry to poke in but I can't help it when I see someone mention total joint replacement. I don't know the exact cause of your TMJ (sorry, I don't retain what I read sometimes), but TMJ is so much a muscular or lack-of-total-relaxation problem(s). I've had this nightmare for 27 years and never had surgery (I did have braces). The times when I have been totally pain-free for a long period of time is when I was totally relaxed, stressless AND didn't have to talk very much while at work and home. The one time I was even on a liquid diet. We have to find a way to totally relax the body right down to its inner core. I hope you can understand what I mean. I also have a forward, non-reducing disc of both sides. Structurally my jaw(s) is very imbalanced, small and opens slightly crooked. I do not put my teeth together except when eating. The teeth apart, tongue resting on the roof of the mouth and lips together (or slightly apart) really does work. Just a few years ago, I did not have a relaxed mouth and could not put my tongue on the roof of my mouth without pushing it. Now it's normal and natural. Sorry I took so many words to write how I feel about TMJ (that has not been caused by an accident but even maybe there). IT IS DIFFICULT to get to the point of relaxation. I have lived in h___ for many years and I thank God so much for the pain-free times I have now. Keep working at trying to find the right balance of treatments (including medications, massage, physical, exercises, bite splints, etc.) AND to find the right combinations of doctors who can and will help you. It can be done. God bless... Carol |
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MaggieMay78 |
Re: saw GoodThings on here so i thought i would register | ||
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JBB320,
The tissue you are talking about is also referred to as a "pseudodisc." I do not know exactly what it is made of, but it can take a while to form...possibly years, I believe. BUT, I think that in the long run, you will be better off waiting for that to happen...and better off avoiding surgery! If you avoid surgery and follow Carol's advice about relaxation, there is an excellent chance your joints will NOT severely degenerate. Some degeneration is normal in ALL joints, as we age. My TMJ specialist explained to me that the TMJs are different though...in other words, when a hip or knee starts degenerating, it frequently just continues until the patient needs surgery. BUT, the TMJs are different, and often STOP degenerating at a certain point, and the jaw adapts. I wish I could explain this all more scientifically, but that's all I was told. Think about it....many people in the general population have displaced discs. BUT, very few people ever end up needing surgery! That is because the jaw has an amazing ability to adapt to changes, and accommodate itself...if you give it time. I am not saying that everyone can avoid surgery, but realistically, the chances are good that you can. Less than 5% of TMJ patients require surgery, and even then, many of those surgeries are less invasive (like arthrocentesis or arthroscopic). I really recommend following Carol's advice, she knows what's she is talking about! Hang in there... Meg PS--To put total joint replacements into perspective, I was told by a very knowledgeable source that only about .08% of TMJ patients ever need them! That is how rare joint replacement is for TMJ! |
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lu jones |
Re: saw GoodThings on here so i thought i would register | ||
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Yes!!! Meg.I do like to get acupuncture too. It is great!!! Lu
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JBB320 |
Re: saw GoodThings on here so i thought i would register | ||
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