Hi everyone,
I’ve been dealing with tmd for about 10 months now. After a long road of misdiagnoses, I finally found out it's all muscle-related, but my symptoms feel a bit weird compared to what I usually read here. I’m curious if anyone else is in the same position.
My typical day looks like this:
• Morning Reset: I wake up feeling 100% fine. No pain, no stiffness. It’s like the TMD doesn’t exist.
• Slow buildup: As soon as I get up the "timer" starts. By the afternoon, the painful pressure/stiffness builds up around my right sinus and my teeth start tingling.
• Jaw bracing: I don’t clench my teeth, but I’ve heard I might brace my jaw muscles constantly without even noticing. Though i seem to have a history of clenching (based on the marks).
• Weird Relief: Strangely enough, talking or eating actually makes it feel better for a moment. It’s like the movement resets the cramp. Also lifting my check with my hands or laying with my tmd-side on a pillow immediately relieves the pain.
I’ve noticed a major delayed effect too. If I have a stressful day or a bad posture at my desk today, I’ll pay the price tomorrow. It makes it so hard to track what’s actually helping.
What I’m doing now:
• Waiting for a daytime splint (dayguard)
• Physical therapy every two weeks (neck/jaw)
• Waiting to start multiple therapies at ACTA in amsterdam, who are supposed to be specialised in this area.
• Adjusting my posture while at work every 20 minutes
• Trying to ignore (with the help of painkillers), since attention seem to have a negative effect
• Short gum chewing sessions during the day
Does this sound familiar to anyone? I’d love to hear some tips on how you guys deal with your symptoms or what treatments you’ve received that actually paid off? And of course i’m also open to chat with any who are open to it. ChatGPT helped me through a lot of insecurities, but it feels good to finally have a place to speak with actuals person who understand how much this sucks.