braces to relieve TMJ

[Christy H]

My husband has had TMJ for several years. We switched insurances and we had to go to a new dentist. This dentist says that the only way for my husbands TMJ to go away is to have braces because the dentist says that my husbands TMJ is due to the fact that his teeth are not aligned properly. Is recieving braces normal for TMJ relief?
thnaks for any info
Christy :-)

[higgy]

I'm currently in orthodontic treatment to help with TMJ....it's amazing how the alignment of the teeth affect the jaw!  Most orthodontists do free initial consults, that should help you judge a bit better...good luck and feel free to ask me anything!

[Margief60]

I have TMJ and go to a chiropractor for treatment. It helps tremendously. I have no pain anymore. I have also done acupuncture for it.

I was also told by one dentist that braces were needed, even though my teeth are straight. My TMJ was from stress and teeth grinding at night. The muscles in my neck were harmed from this and that was distorting my jaw line, hencethe TMJ. The chiropractor working on the neck muscles has eliminated the TMJ.

Have everything checked before you resort to costly braces.

[tommyboy2]

I've had tmj for years but no doctors have ever helped ease my pain :(, haha.  I after a while I took matters into my own hands and started to meditate.  While I meditate I use a product I found online called the Face Caddy.  The Face Caddy is a velcro sling that goes around my head and helps me apply heat to my jaw.  It works great with meditation and eases my pain.

[scottma]

In my 20+ years of practice, occlusal therapy for tmd is highly effective , however, not panacea.Braces generally is not indicated for tmd.Seeing a tmj specialist is advised.

[kmkk]

I have been seeing a dentist who has been doing occlusal adjustment for my tmd problems.  One thing that could be important for you - my insurance would NOT cover anything for these occlusal adjustments - you may find the same problem with braces, if they are being used "to correct tmd problems".  In my case, he removes a small amount of material from teeth that are not meeting up properly with opposing teeth.  Then we wait about 4-6 weeks, and I go back and he examines the bite again, making further adjustments.  From my understanding, teeth can actually shift slightly, that is why he does some work, and then re-checks things after giving the teeth some time to ajust.  Overall, I would say it has been helpful to some extent for me, especially having reduced the number and severity of headaches, jaw pain, and facial pain, but I am not 100% satisfied.  My case has been complicated by getting an implant, and crowns on either side if the implant, during the time of these occlusal adjustments.  Also, I just had two new temporary crowns placed, one of which is causing me pain.  And we are considering removing my wisdom teeth, which may be causing part of the tmd problem, as they could be interfering with how the teeth meet together, which then can pull the jaw out of alignment when biting, chewing or grinding teeth at night.  So all these things have to be taken care of one step at a time.  It is a slow process, but seems to have its merits - every case would definitely be different.  My tmd problems started about 25 years ago - I had a temporary bridge done, and things were fine, but upon placement of the permanent bridge, I had severe jaw and facial pain and severe headaches, for which I could get no resolution, despite getting opinions from several dentists and having tried various things, until I started getting these occlusal adjustments from a dentist experienced in doing them.  I am now 48 years old, and having suffered with the tmd for so long, I'm grateful to be getting some relief, but as I said, it is not 100% yet, and may never be.  Wishing you good luck with you case, and I would be interested in hearing how you proceed, and if you get help too.

[kmkk]

In relation to my tmd problems, I am 48 years old, and still have all my wisdom teeth (yes, I am told this is quite unusual).  It has been discussed that the wisdom teeth could be contributing to the tmd problems, because the wisdom teeth did not come in straight up and down, but more tilted forward, causing some crowding and interference with the bite.  In the past, I have had varying opinions about this, but most of those opnions were vague as to how much this could help with the tmd.  I would be scared to have my wisdom teeth removed, because they are healthy, and once they are gone, they are gone!  Can you provide any comments/information on this subject to give me more food for thought?  I have upper and lower crowns that are adjacent to the wisdom teeth, and my dentist warned me that if the wisdom teeth are pulled, there will eventually be a depression remaining in the gums, which, if I understand him right, could affect how the remaining gum will "fit" around the margins of those crowns.  Thanks for your opinions.

[scottma]

Reasons for extraction of wisdom teeth:1. interferrence of oral hygiene maintenence between 2nd molar and wisdom tooth. 2. contribution to chewing is minimal.3 if all teeth are lost except wisdom teeth, they are still useless.4. If 2nd molar is lost, wisdom teeth generally are not favorable abutment tooth.5. Wisdom teeth  are predominant source of occlusal interference if there are contacts between them. Extraction of lower wisdom teeth generally do'nt increase potential jeopardy of 2nd molar. Occasionally, solid wisdom tooth may serve function. If you have all of your natural teeth and were my patient for tmd treatment, the first thing I do is suggestion of extraction of upper wisdom teeth. Without extraction of upper wisdom teeth, optimal therapeutic effect is compromised.