To recap my TMJ problem and treatment, it started with a dental appointment to have my teeth deep cleaned. I was given a shot with pain killer into my jaw and spent about two hours in the dental chair. It seemed to me like my jaw was never the same after that. I thought it was just the effects of the shot in my jaw. After about two weeks it was not any better and just kept getting worse and I was having a problem even getting a straw into my mouth without pain. I could not open my mouth. I did not know what the problem was, but several people mentioned TMJ. I did not know what that was. Wikipedia says this about it:
Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD, TMJ or TMD), or TMJ syndrome, is an umbrella term covering acute or chronic inflammation of the temporomandibular joint, which connects the mandible to the skull.
When my sister Karen told me my jaw was out and that I needed to see a chiropractor; I thought maybe I could pop it back in myself, (bad idea) so one night I opened my mouth real wide forcing it open and I heard something tear or pop. It was very painful. Then a huge knot raised up on my temple and I panicked thinking my brain was about to explode or something.
A trip to the emergency room and a cat scan revealed there was no infection on that side. They did not see anything wrong with my jaw and did not know what the knot was. So much for traditional medicine. At least they ruled out my brain exploding and infection.
They sent me home with some prescriptions for pain and antibiotics for an abscess they discovered on the left side of my mouth that has been there for years. It is a sealed abscess in a dead tooth and does not give me any problem so I did not buy their expensive antibiotics which would have set me back a hundred or more dollars. Neither did I buy the pain pills which were Celebrex because I told him I can’t take Codeine and other related pain killers. The Celebrex is also hugely expensive. I can deal with the pain using Aleve.
I am now feeling stressed and desperate as to how I am going to get this fixed so I turn to the Internet for information. Thank God for the Internet. I had learned the common term for the problem from several people during the course of my experience. They kept saying “Oh you have TMJ.” I had never heard of that before. I looked it up and found a lot of great information about it and that the best treatment is physical therapy and chiropractic adjustment and there are even exercises to correct the condition. I ordered a book recommended by a woman who had a website about her own TMJ problem and how she corrected it completely.
I got an appointment with a Kinesiologist in my area and so far I have had two treatments from him. I am making gradual improvements and on the road to recovery and starting to feel more normal again. My mouth still does not open as wide as it should but it is working better already. The knot has gone down a lot and the bruise on my chin is fading. I am sleeping on a water pillow that supports my head and I love it. My neck on the opposite side of the jaw problem is very tight and stiff since the adjustments but I am working it with some stretching exercises.
I did not go back to see the doctor who ordered the cat scan and prescribed the expensive drugs. I don’t think he can help me. I remember a time when chiropractic medicine was looked on as quackery. I am very thankful there are good chiropractors who can help you when traditional medical professionals say “we can’t find anything wrong” or “we don’t know what is wrong” or “It may require surgery.”
Yes this chiropractor took x-rays and that was not cheap, but I would have been throwing my money away on those expensive drugs the medical doctor had prescribed. There are cheaper generic drugs out there but for some reason he prescribed the most expensive drugs possible and he knew I was on a limited income with no insurance.
Here are some before and after pictures, after two adjustments from the chiropractor.
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