We want to help you promote TMJ awareness among your friends and family. Please check out the following ways you can bring aWEARness to temporomandibular disorders!
The Voices of TMJ
Sometimes a TMJ patient needs inspiration just to get through each day. We have received thousands of real life stories over the years and you can read some of them right now here below. We invite any involved in the life of a TMJ sufferer to share their story in whatever format you think best. Drop us a line, share a story on Facebook, record an audio or video message. The point is: if you have a story, SHOUT IT OUT!
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These are just a few of the many stories that will move you and those you know to become active in this vital movement. Repost these stories on your facebook or Myspace page. Tweet about them. Let everyone know there is something THEY CAN DO to help. Above all, give generously to the effort to eliminate TMJ Disorders.
We only present five or six stories here, for more stories check out the archive at More Voices of TMJ. Above all, give generously, to support the mission of The TMJ Association.
Debbie's Story
I have been a diagnosed TMJ sufferer for more than 26 years. My story is a rather lengthy one. But the short version is, I still have pain and now I have severe nerve damage. I always tried to do the least invasive treatments and they seemed to work but only for a short while. So, in the past 11 years I have had 4 surgeries to my jaw. The first to just the left side in 2000 was to repair a dislocated and torn disc. I was pretty much pain free for 5 years when the “warranty” ran out.
Graeme's Story
I am a 39 year old TMJD sufferer living in Sydney, Australia.
I was first diagnosed with TMJD in approximately 2003 after being concerned about my frequent headaches in the temple region. I suffered with debilitating headaches as a child and then from adolescence through to adulthood. When I was about 6 years old, I fell from the top of a 20ft waterfall onto rocks below. I now wonder if that or other childhood injuries were a contributing factor to my TMJD. Incidentally I was a teeth grinder when I was young and I believe I still clench at night.
Katie's Story
Pain - My TMJ pain comes in many forms. It starts with soreness in my jaw, usually one side or the other, not both at the same time. As it worsens it feels like tooth pain. Terrible tooth pain that moves from tooth to tooth so you can’t tell which it is. When it’s really bad the entire side of my face is in pain. My teeth, my cheeks, my jaw, my ear. It can feel like an earache, or a headache. It can feel like my teeth are going to fall out of my head. My neck hurts, my back hurts, my shoulders hurt. I think that I will die before the pain goes away.
Sally's Story
My TMJ issues have been present for the last 10 years. It started as migraine headaches and progressed into neck and shoulder pain. Doctors sent me to physical therapy and treated the headaches with numerous medications. We started narrowing down the pain to the jaw area. One day my physical therapist tried to loosen up my jaw for some stretching and didn't like what she felt. She stopped immediately and told me I should go see an oral surgeon. At first I didn't understand but I was willing to try anything to treat the pain issues I was facing on a daily basis.
Karen: My Long and Endless Journey
In 2007, I underwent arthroscopic surgery on my right joint to try and correct a dislocated disc and attempt to increase my range of motion which was about 15mm at the time. The surgery went well and I was able to increase my jaw opening to 40mm, but the celebration was short lived as two days after the surgery my ROM decreased to about 15mm again. Boy I can remember those two days of having 40mm and having the pain completely gone. It felt like I was reborn and was even able to eat an apple which I hadn’t been able to do since before the jaw surgery in June of 2005. It was like a blind person being able to see for the first time in years.
Self-help Tips that are Working for Daniel
I have had TMJ issues for the past 3 years. I have been diagnosed and treated by over 7 different doctors ranging from family doctors, multipe dentists to oral facial pain specialists and surgeons. I have not has any surgeries. I have read many books and articles regarding TMJ. Now the good news. I still have TMJ with the limited opening but have taken my pain leels from 90% all the time to almost 1% very occassionally. I have done most of this on my own by doing a few simple things. Facial and head pain with TMJ can be unbearable at times. I hope the followign advice can help you.
Jenny: A Soldier Battles TMJ Disorders
In 2003 while in the Army, I was given the opportunity to get braces. Since I wanted braces from the time I was a kid I thought why not, they're free. Little did I know that I would need corrective surgery to complete my treatment plan.
Terri: A Light at the End of the Tunnel
At the tender age of 19, I was forced in to a marriage with a man 16 years older than myself. He brutally abused me every single day. Beatings, emotional abuse, rapes, you name it I got it. One day he sucker punched my left jaw 3 times and broke my jaw immediately. Refusing to take me to the hospital and knowing he would be arrested my jaw had no choice but to heal on its own.
John: The Importance of Education
John had experienced TMJ long enough to cause serious strains on his family. When he began to seek relief from his TMJ pain in 2001– he spent well over $10,000 on treatments that were ineffective. Only to discover in the end that more interdisciplinary research could have helped his doctors find the underlying systemic cause of his TMJ much sooner.
Terrie: Intended or Unintended, the Unforgivable Injury
We have been listening to TMJ patients since 1986. Our conversations and letters have run the gamut from simple questions to in-depth descriptions of what this disorder has done to our lives. Even for those whose short bout with TMJ ended in "life back to normal," the episode has left them questioning this disease that put them into a period of pain and dysfunction, thankful to be better, and somewhat apprehensive regarding recurrence.
We hope this article, based on thousands of phone calls and letters, will shed some light on how TMJ has affected the lives of those afflicted. We share with you the concerns, events, and life decisions that people face in their TMJ battles. Some will recognize themselves in the paragraphs that follow; others will feel fortunate to have had few of these experiences. The importance of this article is that The TMJ Association has listened and learned and is compelled to share this information with you.
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This website is for general informational purposes only. It does not constitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This website is not a substitute for such advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You should always consult your doctor if you have questions about your health condition or before starting any treatment. The TMJA is unable to provide doctor referrals and does not endorse any particular health care professional or organization. Reliance on any information provided by TMJA, TMJA employees, others appearing on the website at the invitation of TMJA, or other visitors to the website is solely at your own risk.
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