The TMJ Association - changing the face of TMJ

TMJ Resources - Our Family - Patient Talk

Jena

I have been suffering with this disease for 30 years and just found this website last week. I was amazed at the information you have provided, and I have already contacted two other people that have suggested ways to relieve some of the pain. My doctors just seem to ignore my problem. I have a hard time telling many people (even my family) what pain I'm going through because for one, I hate to be a complainer, and two, I'm so afraid they will think I'm crazy or they won't believe me.

I retired last May because I was working 12 hour shifts from midnight to noon, and the pain and sleepless nights were affecting my health. I actually thought my retirement would help alleviate the pain, but instead, it seems to be getting worse each day. I have an appointment this Friday with a new rheumatologist because I am having pain throughout my body. I hope this doctor will listen to me. Most doctors just seem to quickly shove me out the door with a prescription for Vioxx or some other medication they feel might help.

My story is quite lengthy. In 1974 I decided to have a bridge put in where I had a tooth missing since my teens. This dentist was very rough with me. At one point, he used a small hammer to try to fit the bridge in my mouth. Immediately after he completed installing the bridge, my jaw began clicking, a cyst developed in my sinuses, and a tumor formed under the gums where the bridge was installed. No jaw pain was present. I had no idea that the tumor was there until I moved to Ohio and went to a new dentist to get my teeth cleaned. He took x-rays and found the tumor. I had to have the bridge removed and was referred to an oral surgeon to have the tumor removed. Once that was done I had to go back to the dentist to have a new bridge installed. I thought the jaw clicking would eventually go away, it never did, but at least at that time I did not have pain.

After approximately 10 years, I had to go to another dentist for more dental work. This dentist was highly recommended to me by a friend. I told this dentist many times that his new bridge didn't seem to fit right, but he told me I just had to get used to it. He made me a mouth piece to wear at night for pain. After one year of jaw pain, I finally went to an oral surgeon, and he told me I had to have the new bridge replaced because it didn't fit correctly. The surgeon recommended another dentist, and the next dentist removed the new bridge and installed another new bridge, and this time it fit perfectly. Unfortunately, this did not help my TMJ problems which had now escalated to severe pain, jaw clicking, and jaw grinding.

I am embarrassed to tell anyone this story because I feel that I was ignorant. Now that I look back, I should have known after the first dentist ruined my jaw, to be careful of other dentists, but I actually let another dentist ruin my jaw even worse.

Next I saw a TMJ specialist in the Cleveland area and he claimed he could relieve the pain in my jaw. After spending quite some time and money with him, I left with no help from the pain. He made me another mouth piece, and with each visit I had with him, he would grind the mouth piece down a little. He claimed I would eventually not need the mouth piece and my pain would go away. He did take complete x-rays, and told me there was a little arthritis in my jaw. I feel this arthritis is a result of the terrible treatments I received from these dentists. All of the dentists that I've gone to in the last 30 years (which were many) I realize that I have a TMJ problem, but none of them care to know how it started. I even had a dentist tell me that my problem was mental. I no longer have dental insurance, and my health insurance will not cover TMJ patients.

I want to get this message across to everyone to make them aware not to take any 'crap' off of dentists. Don't let them mistreat you. If extensive work is needed, tell them you need a break to rest your jaw. Do not let them mistreat you.