How to Self-Diagnose your TMJ
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- TMJ Dysfunction is a widely misunderstood condition, and I hope this video will help a few people better understand what types of problems can be classified under this heading.
There are 3 broad diagnostic categories, and it will be helpful for you to understand what these are before you seek solutions for your problem.
If you want to learn more about TMJ Dysfunction and how to overcome it, check out my book on Amazon:
www.amazon.com...
And check the App Store or Google Play in the coming weeks for my new TMJ Rehab App!!
It's crazy how 99% of orthodontists and dentists dont acknowledge this, truly shameful of them
Absolutely, we could say the same about the whole healthcare system...
the healthcare system is so incredibly broken. its a miracle that they still save lives@@arghhh3764
After 5 months of dental work, an ill fitting crown, and a bunch of small occlusion changes (checking occlusion with articulating paper and shaving down crowns a bit), I started having pain in the right side of my jaw, and clicking. The pain was terrible the first 2-3 days, and it got progressively smaller in intensity with each passing day. After about 30 days the pain was almost completely gone, but the clicking remained, and it became constant.
So here I am, over 1,5 months later. I constantly have some tension in the right of my jaw, and a bit of pain comes and goes. Whenever I move my jaw to the right, it clicks. I went to a dentist and he said he'll do 5 crowns to fix my occlusion. I explained to him the jaw pain and clicking and how it happened, and he said I shouldn't worry about it, it will pass. I asked him if we should do an MRI or something to see what's going on in there, he said there's no need, I shouldn't worry about it, and it will pass.
Frankly, I'm terrified and I don't know what to do. From the moment I wake up until the moment I go to sleep, I keep thinking about this. I'm trying to eat only soft foods. I'm trying not to move my jaw to the right so that it doesn't click. But I have no plan on what to do further. There are no TMJ specialists in my country. There are maxillofacial surgeons, but, I doubt I would get actual up-to-date diagnosis and solution to my problem with any of them.
My TMJ problem has been in creation for about 5 months now, but it's been hurting/clicking for less than 2 months. If I could see a TMJ specialist, maybe steps could be taken to prevent the problem from escalating in the future, and maybe even reverse it. But I have no plan, and no hope. Total darkness :(
I still have some hope that whatever is going on will just pass. On the other hand, my future could involve arthritis of the jaw joint/s, surgeries, and total depressing darkness.
Before doing 5 (or ANY) crowns to "fix" your occlusion, any dentist who is even a little bit knowledgeable about joint mechanics would make you some type of bite splint, or occlusal orthotic, to test the theory that changing your bite will BENEFIT you. This bite splint will be more expensive than a typical dental mouthguard, but it will allow the dentist to test his theory. My favorite type of splint for this is the Tanner Appliance, named after a dentist named Henry Tanner. I'm gonna need to make a whole video about this question, because it's a common story, and it needs to be addressed.
For now, download my app. There is a lot of good information on there about what to do, and the first week is free. That might be all you need.
If you had a problem with your knee because of the way you walked or stood, then you could help your body repair by altering the way you walk and stand.
With your jaw, you can change the way you chew, talk, swallow, and breathe.
That is where it starts.
P.S. Your occlusion does NOT need to be perfect for your joints to be healthy. Don't panic. 🙂
@@BuffaloTMJ Sorry for the late reply. Honestly, both splints I've worn so far caused me more harm. The last one (a flat splint which I wore for 2 weeks during the day only) reduced my total mouth opening from 4 fingers to 3 fingers, caused pain and tension in my good (left) TMJ and increased in in my bad (right) one. It also increased clicking in my bad (right) TMJ. And now I have deviation/deflection of my lower jaw when opening towards my good (left) side.
I stopped wearing the splint 2 weeks ago, and every day my tension and pain has been reducing. But my left (good) TMJ is still worse than before, my right (bad) TMJ still clicks more than before, and I still have the deflection. I think permanent damage...
At this point I think that I have medial disc displacement in my right TMJ. Because of the way my jaw clicks, and because of what I saw on the MRI I did 4 months ago, I'm pretty sure that's what I have. And now it's slowly becoming an antero-medial displacement as the time goes by. From my research, the only way the disc can displace medially, is if one of the intracapsular collateral lateral ligaments is damaged. In my case, if my displacement is medial, it means that the intracapsular lateral collateral ligament is stretched, or cut in half, or has detached from either the disc or the condylar head (this ligament is apparently attaching to the articular disc on one end, and the condylar head on the other).
If this is the case, then I really don't see any solution to this other than arthroscopic or open joint surgery. Bring the disc back in place, reattach ligament, and pray for the future. I made this video 5 weeks ago of how my jaw clicks (before I wore the splint I mentioned above). Now I'm a bit worse than I was in the video. Check it out if you want - ruclips.net/video/zDPIXuA45y8/видео.html
I have another MRI coming up in a few weeks, and I'm hoping to get some answers. But at this point it seems I'm damaged for life. This leaves me a cripple for the remaining 50 or so years of my life. Very depressing...
this video is incredible.
Amazing video...There really needs to be better provider education on TMJ disorders/dysfunctions.
In my experience, providers really lack knowledge on how to properly workup, diagnose, and treat this. TMJ issues are complex and better training for providers would greatly benefit many patients.
Watching this back again, I was probably a little snarky, and I'll have to work on that. 🙂
Can you please say exactly what kind of MRI a person should get to diagnose a potential TMJ problem? Please
My TMJ MRI protocol is Proton Density Sagittal views of each joint in the closed and open positions, as well as PD coronal views, all corrected for condylar angulation, as well as closed T2 images to check for infusion and degenerative edema.
Closed images should be taken with the back teeth together in the normal, "habitual" occlusion, or bite.
@@BuffaloTMJ Thanks for the detailed reply :)
I have another MRI coming up in a few weeks. I found a radiographer from Australia that made a protocol for me. Here it is:
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Protocol:
Closed mouth
1. 3mm T2 FSE Ax (loc + reporting)
2. R/L 2mm T1 SE Cor (unilateral)
3. R/L 2mm PD FSE Sag
4. R/L 2mm T2FS FSE Sag
Open mouth
20mm syringe:
5. R/L 2mm PD FSE Sag
50mm syringe:
6. R/L 2mm PD FSE Sag
7. R/L 2mm PD FSE Cor (unilateral)
Dynamic optional:
TRUFISP Cine, single slice R/L Sag, and Bilateral single slice Coronal
We're doing a Cor as well as the usual Sag views to demonstrate dynamic movement through range. If performing comes you would be opening and closing the mouth very slowly.
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I'm just waiting for the hospital to confirm that they can do it, and to set a date for me.
Tell me, regarding what you said that the closed mouth images should be taken with the back teeth together in the normal, "habitual" occlusion, or bite. Should I clench my back teeth and stay clenched, or should I just keep my back teeth lightly touching during the imaging?
One more question on the topic of imaging, if I may...
When doing a CBCT for TMJ, do you suggest the CBCT be done without a bite block? Basically, for the same reason as the MRI, in order to see the location/position of the condyle while the teeth are in normal occlusion. And do you have any other suggestions about the CBCT (like the FOV, or the zoom, or anything)?
I hope you reply. Thank you :)
Thank you for the information. Very interesting that you mentioned a malocclusion can lead to internal derangement. I developed an open bite because of braces in only the upper teeth and since 2 years after its more open. I did an cbct and mri and nobody said that there is arthritis, is it possible that in the early development they dont see arthritis? I have slighty forward discs in both joint but not totally displaced. I want to close my bite with braces, would you recommend that to prevent further damage?
I can't really make any recommendations without reviewing the specifics, but having an oral maxillofacial radiologist review your CBCT and MRI might be worthwhile. I use the great folks over at Beam Readers to do mine. Some people see the patterns in the structures a little differently.
Also, before proceeding with braces, it would be wise to make sure your joints are stable, and you can do this by tracking wear patterns on a permissive splint.
Hi Doc, say I have had some teeth removed / pulled and an implant put in for one of them. I believe that my bite is completely different. Is this something that could cause some or many of the symptoms you talk about in this video?
I think i forced too much my tmj while eating,.I never had the pop sound without having my fingers touching my ears but now I'm hearing a pop sound on my left ear when i'm chewing on the left side i thought it would've gone away by now but it's been 5 days and still the same, I'm not feeling any pain but you think i should be worried? this really bothers me. Ty doctor.
Did your TMJD go away?
@@sweatyice97 still there sometimes, but alot less, i think mostly because i stopped applying too much pressure on the side of the noise, keeping the jaw relaxed when chewing makes it a bit better, gotta get used to that until it becomes natural. Ty for asking. take care.
When you said “some people do EXTRA stuff” with what I perceived as a bit of a winky face, I side eyed because don’t mention my s*x life online. 😂😭
Hi there, is there anyway to contact you via email. Also can TMJ cause forward falling dizziness too Thanks a lot
You can visit my website at buffalotmj.com and use the contact page.
I don't believe TMJ is usually the CAUSE of dizziness, but the two can be related, and SOMETIMES we see improvements in balance when we stabilize the bite. My new TMJ Rehab App will be available in the next couple weeks, and there are a few specific balance exercises on there.
Doctor doesn't mean Teacher. Doctor means an overpaid referral position. "Next patient please"
Don’t buy this guys book. Try DTR therapy. Disclusion Time reduction. Thank me later. This guy doesn’t have a clue and trusts what he was taught in whatever school that cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars. But it’s all to make money. No actual solution.
What about pain in your ears , I went to ent they said my ear ache pain stabing pain is from tmj im going to tmj doc soon, also I had all top teeth removed a year ago but denture never fit right so never wore it , could that have caused this usually my ear ether one can feel full and a slight pain in it one or the other.. I was getting stabbing pains not anymore but still clogged feeling , they also said I have inner ear exema ???
I relate to everything you’ve just described.😧
Definitely been having the ear fullness and stabbing pain of the inner ear.
@@iamaleo247did it go away the ear fullness? I’m having it and is hell