The TMJ Association - changing the face of TMJ

TMJ Resources - Our Family - Patient Talk

Joan

First of all, I would like to thank the TMJ Association for the opportunity to speak about TMJ. What a humbling experience it has been to read the patient comments. My heart goes out to anyone who has received this diagnosis.

I was first diagnosed with TMJ in l986. At that time, my dentist said “You have TMJ, we don't know what it is, but you have it." I replied, “Okay,what do we do?” Now, this many years later, if I were to list the dentist, doctors, specialists, mental health professionals (psychologists and psychiatrists) and specialists that I have seen, it would take up alot of room. Let me just say, there have been many. The last specialist I saw in l998 recommended that a skin graft be done from my hip to my lower jaw. I have all the details written down and I can only describe it as ghastly. I have only two teeth remaining on the bottom. The rest have had root canals and been pulled due to abcesses. I have had six bridges, three oral surgeries and four mouth pieces on the bottom, plus four mouth pieces for my upper teeth.

I have seen some very prominenet TMJ specialists in Houston and several in my area. They always shuffle me off to another. However, I am out of money and have no insurance, so treatment has had to stop. I was a school teacher by profession and haven't been able to do that for about 9 years. My last dental procedure was one year ago with a bill of $9,000, which was paid by a very caring and understanding friend. I now understand that anything else that goes wrong will have to go unchecked, as my trust in the medical profession has completely collapsed. That loss of trust has been the tragedy for me. I also understand that I may be one of the lucky ones after reading some of the patient letters concerning implants and other horror stories. I think it is the simple things that most people take for granted that give me the most trouble like talking, sleeping, eating, smiling,laughing, complete loss of focus and some hearing loss in both ears. I no longer worry about explaining TMJ to anyone and I no longer buy into the idea that this is somehow my fault like many of my doctors have suggested or hinted. Their thinly veiled comments just make you think that you have done something horribly wrong to cause this. I get along okay, because I have a truely supportive friend. However, it is a day in, day out battle. I try not to be bitter and keep a good outlook.

Again, thanks to the TMJ Association for all the work you do and the support you give us. My hope is that someday in the future those of us that have been given this diagnosis can have some answers. I subscribe to journals and newsletters and try to keep informed. The article on this website entitled “Intended or Unintended, the Unforgivable Injury”was the best thing I've ever read.