u/Interesting-Tutor407

I was told through an mri I have stage 1 disc displacement on the right side as well as bone marrow edema. My pain level was basically a 9 out of 10 so while I was happy to hear I was stage 1 it did surprise me a bit due to the pain levels. My original dentist gave me an upper mouth piece to help with teeth grinding and bruxism but I could tell he wasn’t an expert in TMJ. This mouth piece however did provide a ton of relief and I found myself wearing it during the day because it basically brought my pain down to a 1 and would only come back if I took it out for hours on end. Then I’d pop it back it and would see improvements immediately. I did feel this was only putting a bandaid on the root issues and so I searched for a TMJ specialist.
I met with a dentist who specializes in this and was given a bottom Splint made by Gerbers. His reviews are great and he’s been treating TMJ for 30+ years in Scottsdale AZ. Ive been told to wear it 24/7 even while eating for 2-3 three months to recapture the disc. The first three days were fine but I’m on day 6 now and have some mild jaw pain and ear crackling/fullness. Is it normal to have some discomfort as my jaw is essentially moving into a new position? Is this whole treatment even worth it? I am a little nervous and just hoping for some honest answers, but hopefully some success stories as well!