Do braces fix TMJ?
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free skin care · Sun Jul 29, 2012 7:43 pm

I have had braces before and my teeth are fairly straight. I'm happy with my teeth for the most part. There are a couple minor flaws, but you have to look really close to see them.

I have TMJ and recently I've gone to an orthodontist who was recommended by my dentist. They work hand in hand and sometimes I get the feeling they are taking advantage of me. I've already done x-rays and photos which total over $450 and now they want to do impressions of my teeth. They say this is necessary to even give me an idea of what the treatment plan would be and what it would cost. But I'm not even sure I want to do braces... because I'm an adult now and I just feel so done with braces!

I've read that TMJ disorder can't be fixed by braces because it's a problem in the joint/condyle. And knowing the bit about jaw anatomy that I do know, I just can't understand how shifting the teeth is going to make a significant difference in TMJ. I've asked the dentist/orthodontist this, but they give me answers that evade the question at hand. I am starting to get angry and feeling like they're taking advantage of me because I'm young and female. Mad

I'm also worried about what braces would do to my tooth enamel. And low and behold.. I just came up with this:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18929273

So for those of you who have suffered with TMJ issues, did braces help you? Did they make it worse? Overall, are you happy that you had braces and would you do it again?

free skin care · Mon Jul 30, 2012 8:26 am

Im not sure about braces but how about botox? I get botox in my jaw for aesthetic reasons and really like it.

free skin care · Mon Jul 30, 2012 2:16 pm

Braces can improve your bite. If your teeth fit together correctly, it is easier on the joint.

The impressions would be mounted on a little portable device that mimics the top and bottom jaw, so they can show you how your bite is now, and how they plan to fix it.

If you suffer because of TMJD on a regular basis, or if your incorrect bite is causing damage to your teeth, then I would recommend getting the braces. It's a relatively cheap fix.

Braces weren't an option for me, and although my dentist recommended a surgery to correct my problem, I delayed until I had cracked two bottom teeth and had stress fractures in my upper molars. At the same time the joint continued to deteriorate and so did my bite.....until I finally realized my dentist was right.

My surgery I now needed was much more complicated, plus I had to crown the cracked and fractured teeth. What would have cost me about $7500.00 ended up costing in excess of $40,000.

Go for it while the fix is simple!

free skin care · Tue Jul 31, 2012 5:37 pm

I had braces twice, my TMJ did improve quite a bit.

free skin care · Thu Aug 02, 2012 6:33 pm

I went to a TMJ specialist and had a special mouth guard made that had to be adjusted every few weeks. The idea was to keep the mouth open a certain amount so the cushion could heal and not move around a lot. I more that stupid mouth guard 24/7 (removed only when eating and brushing) for about 6 months. I also had mouth massages, weird therapies (some kind of electro stimilation etc) in addition to the mouth guard.

It helped a lot! I feel 100% fine now and have for years. This was about 12 years ago so the treatment ideas may have changed since then.

free skin care · Fri Aug 03, 2012 7:32 pm

LauraLizzie, I wear a mouth piece, too. Because I grind my teeth when I am in the REM stage of sleep, I need to "cushion" that grind. My mouth piece also keeps my bite in a proper position, so that my TMD joint is in a restful, non-damaging position.

I must add for Bella, if you don't trust the dentist/orthodontist you are working with, please get a second opinion. It sounds as though you are not in a tremendous amount of pain, so you have time to seek other treatment options. You do need to address the problem before your joint is so painful that you've got to act before considering all your options.

Sat Aug 04, 2012 6:16 pm

Moon wrote:

Im not sure about braces but how about botox? I get botox in my jaw for aesthetic reasons and really like it.

Could Botox help with grinding my teeth? I grind my teeth and I have insomnia...which putting that mouth guard in drives me crazy!

Sun Aug 05, 2012 8:34 am

I am very new with posting, so bear with me...
Could Botox help with grinding my teeth? I grind my teeth and I have insomnia...which putting that mouth guard in drives me crazy!

free skin care · Sun Aug 05, 2012 7:19 pm

I can't believe what happened to me this week, but I switched to a new dentist because I'm also in the process of getting a bridge or an implant. The dentist that I switched to has refused to treat me or work with me at all (and he referred me to the orthodontist that I'm now seeing) because I said I wasn't positive that I want to do braces. All I said was that I'm not sure one way or the other until I go to the second consult with the ortho to find out what his treatment plan would be. Most of the communication I had was with his dental assistant and she was not a good communicator at all. I feel so hurt. She said "Well we don't think we can help you if you don't get braces," but I didn't say yes or no one way or the other. The door was basically slammed in my face so to speak.

I've read online that if an adult gets braces, it can cause bone loss. I'm concerned about this because bone in the jaw is so important for maintaining the facial appearance. Sad

I'm really paranoid that a bridge could cause bone loss. Have any of you had a bridge and had this happen?

Lizzie, do you happen to know the name of the appliance you wore? I have a bite guard/retainer in one. It helps at night, but only at night. I don't think it does anything to really treat the TMJ.

My TMJ is manageable, but it is quite uncomfortable at times. The main problem is that I have to "shift" my jaw over in order to sort of pop it or feel comfortable. This gets quite annoying and it's probably not good for the joint either.

Derby, botox works to relax the jaw muscle so it can probably help from grinding or clenching, but of course you'd have to get it done again from time to time. I know the bite guard may drive you crazy, but it's better to wear it because if you grind at night, you could wear your teeth down and it just isn't worth it.

Sun Aug 05, 2012 7:54 pm

BellaKai wrote:

I can't believe what happened to me this week, but I switched to a new dentist because I'm also in the process of getting a bridge or an implant. The dentist that I switched to has refused to treat me or work with me at all (and he referred me to the orthodontist that I'm now seeing) because I said I wasn't positive that I want to do braces. All I said was that I'm not sure one way or the other until I go to the second consult with the ortho to find out what his treatment plan would be. Most of the communication I had was with his dental assistant and she was not a good communicator at all. I feel so hurt. She said "Well we don't think we can help you if you don't get braces," but I didn't say yes or no one way or the other. The door was basically slammed in my face so to speak.

I've read online that if an adult gets braces, it can cause bone loss. I'm concerned about this because bone in the jaw is so important for maintaining the facial appearance. Sad

I'm really paranoid that a bridge could cause bone loss. Have any of you had a bridge and had this happen?

Lizzie, do you happen to know the name of the appliance you wore? I have a bite guard/retainer in one. It helps at night, but only at night. I don't think it does anything to really treat the TMJ.

My TMJ is manageable, but it is quite uncomfortable at times. The main problem is that I have to "shift" my jaw over in order to sort of pop it or feel comfortable. This gets quite annoying and it's probably not good for the joint either.

Derby, botox works to relax the jaw muscle so it can probably help from grinding or clenching, but of course you'd have to get it done again from time to time. I know the bite guard may drive you crazy, but it's better to wear it because if you grind at night, you could wear your teeth down and it just isn't worth it.

Thank you Bella! Smile

Thu May 12, 2016 12:17 am

My Davis Orthodontist believes my tinnitus comes from my tmj/tmd. I have been wearing an orthotic since August and can't say that I think it really helps...what I have found to help is neck and head massages, and physical therapy for tmj (intraoral therapy), and cold laser on my jaws. Not 100% convinced my tinnitus is from tmj just wondering if anyone else out there has tmj and tinnitus?

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