TMJ pressure for surgery

[migirls]

Hi, I have had TMJ since I can remember.  When I was an older teen, I was prescribed braces because they felt that aligning my top and bottom teeth would solve my problem.  It didn't.   I am now 40f.  I have had arthrocentesis in both sides, with very little improvement.  I see a specialist in TMJ who tells me my case is very severe and he has been urging me for at least a year to get a full surgical joint surgery with new implants.  I have heard awful things about that type of surgery.  I feel like I haven't heard anything positive.  I know when I see him, he is frustrated because my jaw hardly opens and it sounds like crumbling rocks, no more popping, that was the good ole days.  His frustration is that I won't give in to surgery. He is not the surgeon, by the way, and he says he rarely refers patients for surgery.

I feel bad that I am not persuing his advice, as he is highly regarded in the TMJ community, but I have serious heart issues, a pacemaker.  I crushed my back last year and am trying to function after major back surgery and rehab.  So, with all considered, although my jaw is awful, I have a bunch of other serious issues that always seem to take president.   Whenever I bring up his recommendations to family and friends they say,  NO!  YOU CANT!  You just cant!  It makes me very depressed, because my jaw is a nightmare, but in everyone else's eyes it is just incidental and not important.  

What should I do?  Anything at all would help.  I mean at this point I believe I have an infection in my spine, so again that takes priority, but my appointment with my TMJ doc. is coming right up.  HELP!!!

[TMJDoc]

Have you undergone splint therapy recently?  This does help unload the joint at least temporarily.  It's hard to make much of a recommendation with so little details.  However, if you don't feel comfortable with the joint replacement recommendation you should find another qualified TMJ specialist to get another opinion.  For the record the Christensen implants are excellent, but the skill of the surgeon is more important.  And you would need followup care by you TMJ doc as well.   Hope that helps you, TMJDoc

[Fatkat68]

Pleased I can be of some help.  However, I'm English so have had all of my surgery done in the UK.   I am now 40 and have a perfectly functioning jaw with no pain and no problems.  Have a look at tmj.com which shows the Christensen implants which I had.  The knowledge Centre is quite good and they may have a contact centre.  Good luck with your quest to be pain free...if I can be of any further help....let me know.  I'm not sure how I can contact you via email without going thru website as all info seems to be public this way.

Kindest Regards

[migirls]

That is so wonderful to hear.  Thank you for relaying a positive comment about replacement surgery.  Where did you go to have it done?  I live in upstate New York.

[Fatkat68]

I only have positive things to say about replacement TMJ surgery.  I have full function and no pain.  I had this done about twelve years ago and still going strong.

No one can appreciate the discomfort and annoyance of TMJ dysfunction unless they have suffered it.  Good luck

[scottma]

It appears that you may have disc displacement without reduction. MRI image studies can establish the diagnosis. Surgical intervention may be the treatment of choice if other conservative treatments are not successful.