In Treatment for TMJ, Woke Up Today with Some Relief.

[Weswhat]

Hey everyone. I have TMJ as well as tinnitus going on 4 years now.
Just started treatment for TMJ 2 months & 1 day ago.
Today I woke up & my T is about half the volume as it normally is. Its very bearable now.
Just wanted to let those know who have jaw problems like me ( jaw pain, popping, clicking, ear muscle spasms, TTTS, etc) might be worth while to see a TMJ specialist.
My TMJ is 'mild' so my treatment just includes braces & a dental mouthguard for those who are curious.

Ill be keeping this thread updated as I continue treatment.

 

[glynis]

@Weswhat ,
Great you are having treatment for TMJ and hope your tinnitus keeps on improving ..lots of love glynis

 

[Reem]

Hi! You haven't posted anything in a few months. I'm wondering how your TMJ treatment is going. I've had TMJD and tinnitus for the past couple months and I've already seen my dentist and a TMJ specialists whom both said my tinnitus is coming from the TMJD. I'll be starting treatment soon and I want to know if your tinnitus has resolved or decreased by a lot!

 

[alleycat]

Hi Reem,
I've noticed my volume get lower with a splint I got for my TMJ 8 days ago, I still have spikes of it going back to normal volume, but I can definitely tell it's going down sometimes now and it's only been 8 days! So I'm hoping it keeps getting better. I've heard the ear issues are the last to go for TMJ treatment, but so far I'm hopefully I will be one of the fast healers!

 

[Reem]

Hey!!! That's awesome news!
I just got my dental impressions to get a night guard made for me. I've been doing Botox and muscle relaxation techniques because they found that my actual tmj is fine but I have bruxism at night and that's what's causing my problem. Since doing Botox my tinnitus has calmed down a lot but I still hear it every night, sometimes soft and sometimes loud. So I'm hoping the guard will help me out as Ive been on a plateau w my current treatment. The tinnitus doesn't bother me like it use too, I'm able to get a full nights rest. There were times when I would wake up w it "screaming" in my ear and once I put cold compress on my cheeks and neck to try and relax them then it would calm down. I had terrible headaches too and those are gone. The ears are, like you said, are taking a long time. I'm hopeful but I'm also adapting. Just in case

 

[alleycat]

That's great news you're getting a night guard! I currently have like I said a repositioning splint, I clench my jaw at night (That's how this all started). I currently wear my splint 24/7. I'm also on muscle relaxants and light dosage of prednisone, before I got my splint they really didn't do anything. However 6 days in with the splint I noticed a drop in volume when I take the muscle relaxant which makes me thing my jaw has moved in the right direction a bit! I also considered the injections if this didn't work, gonna stick this out longer though. I'm happy you're doing better and am hopeful the guard will help you! I'm confident this will go away our bodies just need time to heal

 

[Daisymay]

So good to hear that you guys are doing better with the TMJ splint/mouth guard! I got fitted recently for one and should get it on the 25th of this month. I hope that I will have success like you guys are having! My T started with a loud concert but I believe became worse due to extreme stress, anxiety and TMJ/bruxism issues. I remain positive that the splint will make my tinnitus improve. I wish you all continued success with your recovery!

 

[alleycat]

Hi daisymay,

Yes I really believe that having TMJ issues is a huge contributor, it's crazy how many nerves/muscles/joints can be affects when our TMJ is out of whack. I just got my mouth splint adjusted today (next adjustment is in 3 weeks). So I'm hoping to see even more improvement after this adjustment !

 

[Reem]

I only got the injections first because that was what my insurance would cover. At the time I couldn't afford a custom night guard so I went with the injections. I had injections in my cheeks, temples, forehead and eventually I had to get them in my neck and shoulders but I only needed one injection session for those. I've so far have had a total of 3 Botox series for my facial area. I took pictures the first day I got them and now and a huge difference. My face was so swollen from all the clenching, it's not a wonder why everything else has been acting up. Try to see if you can have physical therapy, my insurance covered 12 sessions and that too helped a lot, and they teach you techniques to relax your muscles and jaw.

 

[alleycat]

Yes I really want to do physical therapy combined with my mouth splint! I will look up some good options in my area to get started on that soon. I go on vacation this Sunday, when this first started happening I wasn't looking forward to vacation anymore, but I'm so hopeful again with the small improvements I've seen already that I'm excited again!


Yeah mouth/night guards are super expensive, my treatment which is 6 months-1 year, depending on how I do, is $8,800 total... i'm lucky to be able to pay for it. but it's unfair how many can't.

 

[Daisymay]

I know it's early and I have only been wearing the TMJ splint for three nights, but I do notice a slight difference in my tinnitus in the mornings. It doesn't seem as loud. I am being optomistic and hoping that with continued use, it will continue to improve over the next few weeks. I don't care for the splint much when I first put it on, but after a while it's not so bad. As far as improvement, i will take anything I can get. My hyperacusis also seems to be improving somewhat as I expose myself to noisy environments little by little. However, for some reason there are still some noises that my ears don't like such as dishes clanking together. I was exposed to a siren as we walked down the street the other day and my ears were fine after which surprised me.
I keep trying to stay positive even though some days my T spikes a little bit. There are some days though that my anxiety goes up, but I have found that I can can control it more now than I could at the beginning just by my attitude. I have been trying to use the advise many people on here have given about accepting T as part of my life at the moment and that I know it's there but I'm trying not to let it bother me. Right now I am sitting in my living room with the TV off and I hear the T but I'm trying to ignore it. I try to do this every day and I've handled it pretty well so far for short periods of time. I just came back from a happy hour and had a few drinks which for many months I was avoiding as people said alcohol can make T worse. I have had drinks three times in the past month and it does spike my T slightly but it's so worth it to be going out with friends and enjoying life again. I so want my life back that I had before this began. I have been been able to go to noisy restaurants lately and tolerate it pretty well. If it gets too loud I just put my ear plugs in or leave. I went to a movie with my daughter a few weeks back and had to wear ear plugs. Although it wasn't as enjoyable with the ear plugs it was so nice to spend time with my daughter and go to a movie which I love doing. The only difficult part was that I could hear my tinnitus more with the ear plugs in and it was hard to hear some parts of the movie. I also went to very loud musical the other night with my daughter and wore my ear plugs the whole time. My ears were fine after, but if I weren't wearing the ear plugs I do believe I would have had an issue. I am hoping to go to the music/guitar store to get better ear plugs for occasions like those.
I hope to keep improving and can get back to person I was before. I was easy going and always happy, smiling and laughing with a positive attitude. I was a fun person to be around. My T and H messed me up for a few months but I am very slowly trying to get my life back to where it was before. I still avoid many things that I used to do for fear of making my T and H worse. Some day I hope I won't have to avoid the things I love to do. Coming here has helped me so much because everyone on here can relate to how I feel. I am very grateful for everyones continued support.

 

[hans01]

I only got the injections first because that was what my insurance would cover. At the time I couldn't afford a custom night guard so I went with the injections. I had injections in my cheeks, temples, forehead and eventually I had to get them in my neck and shoulders but I only needed one injection session for those. I've so far have had a total of 3 Botox series for my facial area. I took pictures the first day I got them and now and a huge difference. My face was so swollen from all the clenching, it's not a wonder why everything else has been acting up. Try to see if you can have physical therapy, my insurance covered 12 sessions and that too helped a lot, and they teach you techniques to relax your muscles and jaw.

Hi Reem, did the botox injections cause some kind of ototocity or bad reaction on your T ? I'm really interested in this as my bruxism and sleep apneas drive my T to a crazy level. thanks

 

[Reem]

Hi, no they did not. I've actually haven't had any reactions at all so far to the Botox injections. I now have a nightguard and I can tell a difference in the mornings when I've used my guard and when I haven't. Honestly, I can't tell if my T has gotten better. Some mornings it's really low and others (especially when I don't use my night guard)it's really high.