Treatment and Theraphy for Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) disorder

Hello everyone! My name is Charisse. I’m 29 yrs old and will be needing treatment and therapy for my Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) disorder. I woke up one morning with an odd clicking on my right jaw and thought that maybe it’s just the position of how I slept the night before. But as the days go by, little by little it’s been swelling until I could no longer open my mouth. Ive been cutting my food into smaller pieces just to be able to fit in my mouth to make eating a little easier. I am, however, thankful that I can still eat. Lucky enough, one of my friends knew someone that specializes in this area. I immediately set an appointment to meet her and hoping so much that im okay and this would just go away in a couple of days. A trip to a dentist or to any doctor has always been nerve racking to me because I know how expensive treatments are. I am saddened to find out that I have more than 1 problem and that this problem if not fixed could end up having more and more problems.

I recently had an appointment with my TMJ specialist presenting all the x-rays and molds that she required. In my x-rays you can see that my jaw is not well placed and my bite isn’t well. My neck and skull is not aligned and most of my bottom teeth are now blunt. I’ve been experiencing more clicking sound on my left jaw which is a very bad sign. I’ve been having migranes, soreness in the back of my eyes, tones in my right ear are louder, itching in my ears (even if I’ve just cleaned them) and etc. I dont know all the scientific and dentist terms that she used to explain to me why this is happened as well as the possible treatments to fix my problem and avoid further damage. I’ll just try to explain my own understanding of my case.

I am required to wear an upper and lower splint or appliance for 6 months to adjust the spacing in both palates. She mentioned that there has already been trauma or stress in both my palates due to the braces I had when I was 12yrs old. The way that my teeth were pushed back before cause a lot of trauma now the reason why I have been having all these pain.

I know there’s quite a few details missing about my situation. It so hard to explain as im not a doctor or a dentist to explain in perfect detail. But as a summary, this splint or appliance is a start and a phase 2 of orthodontics could correct and save me from future damages.

To be honest, I didn’t want to post here coz I was so embarrassed to ask people for money but the amount to have my problem fixed is way more than I can afford considering that my family just moved and starting fresh. I am still thankful everyday that I am alive and breathing. And I am forever thankful to anyone who can donate any amount, whether small or big, I thank you.