Dislocated jaw?

Hi,

I've had some painful TMJ lately and then 3 days ago I couldn't close my jaw at all to bite down all the way. I can close it but on the left side there is about 1/4" of space and it feels misaligned. I haven't gone in for an Xray to confirm (dentist closed) but does this sound like a dislocated jaw?

I also read that the treatment are some needles in the jaw socket to losen it up. I do NOT want needles. Can they put me under general anesthesia.

Finally, should I see a maxillofacial dentist/surgeon? Who is best for this? My usual doc is dentist/orthodontics. He gave me the night guard which to me, made things worse. (more tension when I wake up, etc).

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

You might want to follow up with your dentist/orthodontist first to see what they say.  They can make a proper referral if they aren't able to treat you.  Otherwise, there are a few dentists out there who limit their practice to TMJ problems.