For the past 2 years or so, I've been feeling a lot of discomfort in my nape & shoulder muscles. I initially thought I was just stressed in my previous work because I usually kept long hours in the office. I thought it was just a simple muscle pain. I've tried going to a spa (sosyal eh) to have it massaged...I even went to a hospital for therapy, but the pain remained persistent.
I was totally oblivious to it since I thought it was just a product of the strain of working long hours, but that was until I started hearing clicking sounds whenever I open & close my mouth. It wasn't until I went to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned when she pointed out that I had TMJ or Temporomandibular joint disorder. During the process, I couldn't open my mouth wide for a long period of time because I experienced that one time when I did that and I thought my jaws wouldn't close no matter how hard I tried. Needless to say, I didn't get my teeth cleaned that thoroughly because of that.
The grossest thing to ever happen to your jaw
I consulted a friend who was a dentist and also sought the opinion of another one and confirmed that I really had TMJ. I was supposed to get some x-rays and eventually an occlusal splint. Thing is, those things cost a lot and money isn't exactly an abundant resource right now. It sucks, but I may have to live with the discomfort, perhaps at least until I've saved a few bucks to get those things done.
My only worry is that I don't know if getting a splint will eliminate the discomfort. The orthodontist says that I may have to get some braces to correct the malalignment of the teeth, but I dunno. I'm a bit adamant to fork over such an exorbitant amount that's not going to permanently get rid of this discomfort.
I was totally oblivious to it since I thought it was just a product of the strain of working long hours, but that was until I started hearing clicking sounds whenever I open & close my mouth. It wasn't until I went to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned when she pointed out that I had TMJ or Temporomandibular joint disorder. During the process, I couldn't open my mouth wide for a long period of time because I experienced that one time when I did that and I thought my jaws wouldn't close no matter how hard I tried. Needless to say, I didn't get my teeth cleaned that thoroughly because of that.
The grossest thing to ever happen to your jaw
I consulted a friend who was a dentist and also sought the opinion of another one and confirmed that I really had TMJ. I was supposed to get some x-rays and eventually an occlusal splint. Thing is, those things cost a lot and money isn't exactly an abundant resource right now. It sucks, but I may have to live with the discomfort, perhaps at least until I've saved a few bucks to get those things done.
My only worry is that I don't know if getting a splint will eliminate the discomfort. The orthodontist says that I may have to get some braces to correct the malalignment of the teeth, but I dunno. I'm a bit adamant to fork over such an exorbitant amount that's not going to permanently get rid of this discomfort.
