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Re: TMJ / Jaw pain

Author: connie
Date: 2007-07-11 17:20

I don't think my dentist was very helpful. He made an $800 splint to wear at night, which may have helped a little.

Here's what worked for me: two books.

1. "Taking Control of TMJ" by Robert Upgaard. The exercises he gives helped a lot, as did the insights into what I was doing that made it worse.

2. The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Claire Davies. Chapter 4 in particular addresses trigger points in the head and neck. I think working on those trigger points are what helped the most.

I don't think there's anything in those books that will cause harm, but certainly run it by your parents or your dentist.

I still have some discomfort when I open really wide, but how often do you do that? (Just when I go to the dentist!) When it acts up, I start the trigger point massage again. And stop clenching my jaw. Although I did stop playing for a couple of months, I found that I was missing my best stress-reliever and had to pick it up again; lo and behold, I didn't get worse.

Hope this helps. At your age, you should heal much faster than I did!

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