r/TMJ

I'm waiting for a consultation with my maxillofacial specialist. In the meanwhile, I was reading a blog written by a dentist. He was explaining that splints must be fine tuned and checked out by the dentist every week at first, every month, and then every 3 months - Forever. That caught me off guard. I do want relief from my TMD, but a frequent fixed pay doesn't seem right.

Lots of people been told jaws issues is just stress if a provider tells you"just decrease your stress" that's called gaslighting.

Im 21 and thinking about me 10 20 30 years from now with this is scary but alas this is my life now. Im gonna live every day like ist my last and indulge in as much drugs as i can and just let go

i’ve stopped talking to myself, singing to myself, i sit in silence when i’m alone. talking feels not natural and really tiring. lost my job. stopped seeing friends as much. lost my appetite.

tbh it’s ruined my life actually.
currently being treated for all these mental health conditions but i feel if i woke up tommorow and my jaw was fixed i wouldn’t be mentally ill at all.

i’m only 20F. why has this happened? why are the waiting lists 18 months + ? why can doctors put a man on the moon but they can’t unlock my jaw?

i just feel so let down and also like no one understands the amount of discomfort im in.

getting my mri results on saturday. can almost guess what they will be. DDWOR.

ever appointment i go to with a doctor about my jaw i have to bring someone with me because i just cry my eyes out the entire appointment.

i just want hope. i dont know anyone on here who’s jaw has been locked for this long.

also a dentist did this just by having my mouth open too long at an appointment. ever since then this has happened never had any issues before.

just a shell of the person i used to be.

For about 3 months now I have one spot on the right side of my neck/throat that is sore. Also have a stiff neck all day every day. It will feel like I have something in my throat some days and some it’s not there. Just like the one sided neck/throat pain. I’ve been to an ENT who says I have LPR. Put me on meds for it but it’s still THERE. I am loosing my mind bc of my anxiety even though said everything is fine no cancer etc..anybody else going through this with no relief 😭

Anybody sleep apnea reason why you have TMJ?

I’ve been through hell with two common/popular Mandibular Advancement Devices. I have severe TMD, so I believe I should have never been in one. They caused unbelievable skull and scalp pain. I ground out most of the plastic on the inside to give my tongue space. It helped. That night I felt a suture in my skull release. I believe my body has been protecting me from the outward pressure the MADs cause with all that bulk in my mouth, so the fascia has tensed up. Early on, I was washing my hair and literally felt my skull was smaller! The thing was so bulky, and my body was rejecting it so hard that I cracked the plastic at all four molars before I knew to grind it down. Thank god that wasn’t my teeth! I continued to have terrible scalp pain. Finally, with all the modifications I have made to these things, I can function but am still not right. My dentist is hours away, and I’m not shy about getting my Dremel out on these things. I’ve dealt with orthotics and TMD for 30 years and have never had this problem. My historical symptoms are numb hands, arms, and severe upper body spasms. What a disaster these MAD’s have been for me. I have a new orthotic on the way. I used an orthotic 24/7 for at least 15 years with no problem. It kept me out of severe pain. If you have TMD and are prescribed a device to pull on your jaw when you don’t even have sleep apnea, just remember me. I hope you can be warned, unlike I was, and not get to hell before you realize you need to yell for help. I just think it is the stupidest treatment for TMD. It makes absolutely no sense if you do not have sleep apnea; rather, deteriorating jaw joints, you probably shouldn’t be pulling on them!!!

Hi all.

I never needed braces as a kid and never had a dentist/orthodontist tell me so.

When i was in my early 20s, I started developing TMJ issues with my bite. Teeth grinding at night, Headaches, vision issues, etc. TMJ can be really serious.

I saw a TMJ specialist and have been using a custom made mouthguard at night on my bottom teeth. It has made positive improvements and adjustments to my bite over time, but has not fixed the underlying issue to a satisfactory extent.

My TMJ doctor has told me if I want a solution to the problem, I need to do Invisalign, and that the mouthguard is just acting as a bandaid short-term. I am open to it, but have just been putting it off due to the inconvenience and lifestyle changes i would have to make. Has anyone else done Invisalign strictly to resolve a TMJ issue and fix your bite, etc.?

TLDR: Have TMJ, and have been told I need Invisalign to fix my bit, alignment, and jaw long term. No cosmetic reason, purely TMJ related. Has anyone began Invisalign for TMJ issues specifically?

My dentist recommended that I should use a mouthguard when I sleep, because she could see my jaw was tense and that I was grinding my teeth. Which could cause cracks in my teeth further down the line. She custom fitted a mouth guard for me. After using it for three days, I wake up with no tension in my neck or jaw. It felt so weird after the first day with it, and she said it would take 2 weeks before I get used to it. Anyways... talk to a trusted dentist if you need it. Best thing I have ever done for myself is that damn mouthguard.

Hello, I currently have a problem with sleep bruxism and I created reddit solely for the purpose of coping with it. A few days ago I started midday feeling the pain in the joint and experiencing other related symptoms such as having an underbite, ear ache and headache. However, after a night's sleep the pain went completely away! Hence, I naturally thought that this had run its course and it wouldn't bother me again. My days went on until yesterday when I ate a refrigerated peach and my bottom front teeth were quite sensitive to the cold fruit. That was, of course, unexpected and it was only then when I noticed I still had an underbite... Or maybe, my upper teeth close exactly on top of my bottom ones and they are in contact. It all clicked and I rushed to the mirror to check whether my teeth were actually damaged and unfortunately they were. Not a lot, only slightly (you can still see the ridges-craze lines, but barely). It all made sense at that moment, the symptoms for some reason have subsided but the TMJ is still here. I know very well- as I am a medical student myself- that reddit does not substitute for any medical advice whatsoever. It is just that my bruxism is getting worse by the night and today is Sunday where I live. I do plan to make an appointment with a doctor tomorrow morning, first thing. Yet, that still leaves me with a night of possibly extensive damage to my teeth. That is the reason why I want to post on here, merely to find an extremely temporary solution/suggestion- more like a hack- to prevent my teeth from grinding together. It is truly an emergency and there are no state hospital emergency departments on call today that I could visit and get professional help. Additionally, I do have an appointment with my dentist already planned in 13 days and it is impossible to move it to a closer date... What should I tell the doctor and my dentist when I visit her? What should I do while sleeping? Put a shirt or a towel in my mouth? Sleep on my back? In all frankness, I am desperate. Thank you very much in advance

a month ago i had an anxiety spike and then my muscles in my shoulders, neck and jaw got really tense. i already previously had trapped nerve in my shoulder (due to tight knotty muscles linked to fibromyalgia), and tmj.

tmj wise this caused headaches which have been constant for the past month and get worse when the back of my head touches anything, and right side jaw throbbing and such.

im a uni student, and while im off for the summer now its july i have a couple essays to do. im not too stressed about the content/making of them, its not like im really stressed about them specifically. but when i sit at a computer, even just to begin, my neck muscles are tensing up a lot. even at different desk/chair heights and stuff. this isnt something ive had a problem with before. its uncomfortable and painful. not only that is its making me nauseaus, i think through muscles putting pressure on the stuff in my neck, and is making it more difficult to swallow - i can still swallow liquids just fine, but solids and especially small things take much more concentration. i feel like a faulty vaccum cleaner that you have to hoover over a certain patch multiple times before it will suck up the debris. this neck tightness is noticibly worse on the side that my tmj is worse

i havent currently had treatment for tmj, im on a waiting list but that wont be for another 4ish months before i get seen because nhs wait times

any advice? note im in the uk so whats available to me is restricted by what the nhs is willing to give

Hey y’all! I have TMJ and I am hyper mobile, so jaw popping isn’t abnormal. However, I was existing and talking on FT and boom! Popped into a lovely subluxation. Usually it works back into place pretty quick, but it hasn’t gone back and it keeps getting stuck randomly, I’m worried about it locking or dislocating. What would y’all recommend? It’s not very painful rn so I’m trying to fix it before it hits that point.
Additionally, I have a bite guard I wear to sleep for teeth grinding/TMJ.

Just figured I’d give everyone an update in case you’re considering TMJ arthroscopy.
I’m currently 5 days post-op. My surgeon performed an arthroscopy where he washed the joint and removed adhesions.

For some background, I’m a 23m and have had TMJ issues since I was 15. Back then it was mostly clicking and popping with no pain, and I had a normal range of motion. In May 2025, my disc became displaced without reduction, and my mouth opening became locked at only 5 mm. Eating, talking, working out, pretty much everything became difficult. I tried physical therapy, muscle relaxers, and NSAIDs, but none of them helped much.

The first 3 days after surgery were the hardest. I couldn’t find a comfortable position because no matter where I rested my head, I felt pressure in the joint. The pain itself honestly hasn’t been too bad it’s been more the pressure and discomfort.
I see my surgeon again in about 2 weeks, and until then I’m sticking to a soft diet. It’s still early in my recovery, so I can’t comment on my long term results yet, but I’ll continue to post updates as I heal.
If anyone is considering this surgery or has questions about the recovery so far, feel free to ask. I’ll do my best to answer based on my experience.

Having a really bad flare-up that won't go away. Sometimes I feel okay in the morning, but my main issue is getting comfortable at night.

I used to flip around a lot but side sleeping ends up with the side I've laid down on hurting. I keep my shoulders off my pillow, try to keep my spine straight, keep a pillow between my legs, etc, but it still really aggravates my joint and cheek.

My real issue comes in with the fact that sleeping on my back gives me less pain in the process of winding down for the night, but then I wake up, and my mouth is wide open and I seem to be mouth breathing/snoring the whole time. I've read this can lead to more unconscious bruxism to try and overcompensate.

My pain always comes back in the evening/night no matter what I do, but maybe there's something else I can do. So my question is, which one is more forgiving? Sure, neither of them are great, but I really can't figure it out.

I'm just trying to cope while I wait for my next dentist appointment, because then I'll have no cavity left and I can actually get fitted for a proper night guard to start working on real long term solutions.

In 2022, I got sudden onset symptoms of debilitating TMJ after some routine dental surgeries (wisdom teeth removal and tongue tie release). Though my TMJ symptoms have improved a bit, they are still very present. Eustachian tube dysfunction, sub occipital pain, neck pain, jaw opens/swings to the right and then back when I yawn. Left side is worse than right side. I was told I have a very small palate and in order to get a revision on my tongue tie, I’d have to do palate expansion. So I did and I did expand a good amount but throughout expansion and even now that I am in Invisalign, my symptoms have persisted.

My orthodontist said I have some compression and flattening of the condyles and I have done several CBCTs. At my old TMJ clinic a few years ago, I am pretty sure they said I do not have disc displacement. I am so worried that I have arthritis or disc displacement and that Invisalign and a tongue tie release and myofunctional therapy won’t fix my TMJ.

When is an mri really needed? It’s the price that scares me. Has anyone done a tongue tie release and therapy and had it cure your symptoms? I also have a pretty bad deviated septum and enlarged turbinates—should I do the nasal surgeries first or the TT release and myo first?

My twin sister has TMJ issues and had it long before me and she is saying that I wouldn’t get much out of an MRI and that orthodontists try to prey on people being worried. She works in healthcare and says it’ll be more than what insurance tells you it’ll cost.

hello everyone! any thoughts sa Doc. Bravo sa Lagnada and Bravo Dental Clinic Butuan City. Is she good? naa man gyud koy tmj🥹🙏🏻

Ive been feeling a headache on area next to my right eye every time I sleep on my right side. And its been like this since 2022. Is this pain a tmj symptom?

23 (f ) to express I’ve been way to engaged in this subreddit… to start off I’ve never had any jaw issues what so ever . Till June 16th . I keep coming back to the night before of crying drunk and stressing . I just feel like I’m stuck somewhere and causing myself permanent issues . This all now happens to my left where it started off with my jaw feeling weird . I impulsively clicked it to make sure I was okay … then boom two days of lock jaw … that finally released but now I deal with occasional clicks especially when I open to yawn or let it rest , then it will go away ??? I know I’m so early on but I cannot help but feel like my life is now over … I don’t click when I eat or it depends on the food like pizza … to make it even worse I don’t have health insurance even though I know from the massive amounts of reading researches … most isn’t covered … as much as I’m feeling so much better than I was the first day . I still click and my cheek muscles get so sore after a cute 4 hour shift of talking .. heat does help . I’m unable to get an mri due to financial circumstances… I’ve seen now a general dentist who has knowledge in tmj and an orthodontist where they all ruled out that this is muscular driven and my overbite … I keep holding on to this I’m never will be okay or the muscles will never heal … what can I do …
I know I sturggle with mental health like adhd/anxiety and depression… my dad deals with this and he clicks when he eats, my brother has had braces wisdom tooth removal and they have both had 2-3 flare ups… could I expect this in my lifetime too ? What the heck can I do for this muscle tension that is causing the most discomfort of really damaging this all . Why do I occasionally click once and then sometimes twice ..

Edit

Symptoms are a click that is not painful
Cheek/ massater Sorness and inflamed

I have TMD. Symptoms I can identify are locked jaw, clicking noises, and jaw fatigue. It's prominent only in my left side. It sure is annoying. I try not to sleep with my left face on the pillow so not to wake up with a locked jaw, but besides that, it's livable. My main interest in doing the surgery would be to hopefully improve my tinnitus and movement disorder. The latter two impact me quite greatly and although they may not be caused at all by my TMD, doctors haven't found a cause, so it'd be a sort of last resort. I'd be willing to do it if the risk of complication was low, but reading a few comments here I don't think that's the case. Not only there is the risk of the surgery itself, but my teeth are not in a natural position. I'd need to do brace work before. The dentist said it was mandatory and that I'd feel uncomfortable at first because my bite wouldn't be right, but then the surgery would fix it, and symptoms should improve. He didn't promiss anything related to my movement disorder or tinnitus, but said at least my clicking and locked jaw would stop.

He said it's a month of recovery post-surgery and it'd be at least one full year of orthodontics to prepare for the surgery. It's a long term and expensive commitment and since he is the one profitting over it, I can't rely on him to tell me if it's worth the money and the risks, so I'd be really thankful for your opinion.