TMJ Support Group
Temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJ syndrome, is an acute or chronic inflammation of the temporomandibular joint, which connects the lower jaw to the skull. The disorder and resultant dysfunction can result in significant pain and impairment.
Hi, new here....I have been diagnosed with TMJ by my dentist after my md said I had this. I have been suffering with jaw, joint, ear and face pain on rt side for more than a month. 18 years ago, while having my bottom wisdom teeth removed, the dentist broke two of the teeth directly next to my wisdom tooth. At that time I was seeing a dentist at an office that is known to use practicing dental students and unfortunately for me the dentist messed me up. I lost 3 teeth in my rt side and had a big hole in my jaw...recovery took months after which the dental office offered to put in dentures..I was so traumatized that I did not want anymore surgery and said no. I have been living with having to chew on my left side for 18 years. My current dentist believes this caused misalignment of my jaw and says that the cartilage in my rt jaw is completely worn, he cannot fix it. He said he was sorry that I've had to live like this for so long and that I need major repair to my jaw and after that tooth replacement so that I can use my jaw properly. He referred me to UCLA and Loma Linda dental schools stating that they specialize in extreme TMJ and jaw work. I asked my MD if there was a way to see a doctor for a second opinion like a facial bone specialist and get a MRI and cone ct scan...my md said it is a dental issue and no dr in their network would deal with it.
I have been calling UCLA for more than a week...I leave messages as that what office says to do with no response thus far. I called Loma Linda who informed me that it is a medical issue that they can help me with but I would have to pay $800 for a consultation and X-rays.....of course I don't have that kind of money, they do not take my medical insurance...so much for a caring Christian based hospital that is suppose to help...I guess they can only help those with money.
Ok, so here's my dilemma....what do I do???? I am in pain can barely open my mouth, dentist said to immediately go on soft food/liquid diet. If I talk too much it hurts, and forget about yawning or laughing, ouch!
UCLA is not calling me back, my medical insurance dr said there's no one in that network that can deal with this...what am I suppose to do? I have other medical problems and not eating is not an option...if I go on liquid soft diet I know I will lose wait and I don't want to. I also have osteoporosis and MGUS...
Any suggestions as to where I can get help? I live in los Angeles ...this is really terrifying to me. If I don't get help my bones are going to get worse in my jaw and the pain is terrible.... My dentist even went as far as to say he was sorry for me cause this condition and my case is so severe...he said pain is horrific. Please anyone out there that knows of a facility that can help and won't require thousands of dollars let me know. I have both medical and dental insurance, who is supposed to pay?
I need major reconstruction and I don't understand how my medical provider does not have drs that reconstruct jaws???
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
R6
I have been calling UCLA for more than a week...I leave messages as that what office says to do with no response thus far. I called Loma Linda who informed me that it is a medical issue that they can help me with but I would have to pay $800 for a consultation and X-rays.....of course I don't have that kind of money, they do not take my medical insurance...so much for a caring Christian based hospital that is suppose to help...I guess they can only help those with money.
Ok, so here's my dilemma....what do I do???? I am in pain can barely open my mouth, dentist said to immediately go on soft food/liquid diet. If I talk too much it hurts, and forget about yawning or laughing, ouch!
UCLA is not calling me back, my medical insurance dr said there's no one in that network that can deal with this...what am I suppose to do? I have other medical problems and not eating is not an option...if I go on liquid soft diet I know I will lose wait and I don't want to. I also have osteoporosis and MGUS...
Any suggestions as to where I can get help? I live in los Angeles ...this is really terrifying to me. If I don't get help my bones are going to get worse in my jaw and the pain is terrible.... My dentist even went as far as to say he was sorry for me cause this condition and my case is so severe...he said pain is horrific. Please anyone out there that knows of a facility that can help and won't require thousands of dollars let me know. I have both medical and dental insurance, who is supposed to pay?
I need major reconstruction and I don't understand how my medical provider does not have drs that reconstruct jaws???
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
R6
As for the medical/dental thing, this is considered medical BUT a lot of insurance companies do NOT cover this, nor does dental. As for doctors, that is a hard one, most do NOT accept insurance due to the difficulty of insurance companies always denying coverage. there such a thing as care credit used in a lot of dental facilities but this is a loan and comes with high interest for many. This is a HUGE problem within the TMJ community, medical just doesn't want to pay. A lot of times medical will end up approving and then after the procedues they retroactively deny and patients are left with nothing. It's a sad state for us TMJ pateints.
The doctor that I saw was over $1,000 for a diagnosis, so I understand how you feel.
As for what to do right now, I would recommend reading a few articles from TMJ HOPE and then maybe talking with people on there support group page on facebook.
http://www.tmjhope.org/self-care/
http://www.tmjhope.org/mri-vs-ct-scan/
If you are in a lot of pain please consider asking your doctor for pain management and physical therapy. Physical therapy and pain management really can help A LOT. It did me and my joints are both dislocated.
http://www.tmjhope.org/tmj-treatment/pain-management/
https://www.facebook.com/tmjhope?ref=hl