Most TMJ joint area pain is from chronic bruxism. Mine was the silent clenching. I have had every scan, deviation study, orthotic, surgeries for jaws, ears, and nose. Any treatment you have heard of, I tried it. the majority of people with TMjoint area pain, nothing helped more than briefly (including Botox and muscle relaxants). But I kept up with the studies, and found an iPod sized unit for EMG and CES. I am convinced that no one should spend money until they use the most effective diagnostic of EMG studies. I like optional CES to stop the bruxing and disordered sleep. It gave me back some quality of life, which none of the other treatments did, even after I spent a house worth of money on the outdated stuff that still reigns on the internet and in USA dental offices. At least the Mayo Clinic and some other places with integrity admit that replacement is no substitute for stopping the pain. Google TMD, EMG, CES for the latest studies.

I go to the chiropractor often for my neck and they started adjusting my jaw. It does wonders.

Tried many, many treatments from ibuprofen to mouth guards, you name it nothing helped with this awful pain. I wanted to and quite often would just curl up in a ball and cry! Finally under the advice of coworker I went to see a chiropractor. What a MIRACLE these adjustments were on my jaw! The manual manipulations were uncomfortable at first HOWEVER instant relief (and still is) a miracle treatment for me and I would recommend to anyone who suffers from TMJ! Good Luck!

I am a 52 year old female and I been living with TMJ for over 20 years. I have no life because the pain never stops. The headaches never stop. The cold weather brings on the pain, the ear aches, and the pain that runs down my neck. The left side kills me all winter. I have to make myself go out sometimes, and the pain just brings me back home to my bed.

I have had little relief from the botulism injections that my doctor has done. He has me on 15mg of Roxicodone every 6-8 hours combined with a mild muscle relaxer and that seems to help the pain subside. I still have pain but the meds he has me on are a definite help. I have also tried the mouth guards at night to help with jaw placement so I don't grind my teeth at night or clench my jaw. I read about a brace that can be implanted/placed and I will talk to my doctor about that option. This is a very helpful site and I am grateful to know I am not the only one out there suffering from chronic pain. It is hard for people who don't have TMJ to understand what we go through. Thanks again.

I have been treated for TMJ with the use of a splint. I've worn it for two and half months and I'm still in pain.

Our 14 year old daughter has TMJ and is being treated by a TMJ specialist in Winnipeg. With retainers the problem has been fixed. However, after being weaned off of the retainers the problems have returned. Our next option is to have braces installed so her teeth can be moved around to manipulate the jaw bones. He has a 100% success rate so we are hoping this will solve the problems for good.

I am 61 years old and have had TMJ since I was in my early 30s. The beginning pain was unbearable and I couldn't open my mouth very wide at all to eat or talk. Sometimes laughing was painful. I didn't go to a plastic surgeon until I was in my mid 50s and he suggested that he give me injections in the jaw joint of botulism with a very, very tiny diabetic needle. He put three injections of 15 units on each side in and around the muscle and the bone all the way in to the muscle. To my surprise the botulism worked miracles and completely relaxed my jaw muscles and I had no more pain or grinding of my teeth for a little over four months. I had severe eye pain and headaches before from the TMJ and now I am pain free. The Dr. could only promise me 3 months of relief but it lasted much longer than that. It is now time to make another appointment which I intend to do today. Call around where you live and find a good plastic surgeon and ask if he will give you botulism shots in your TMJ points. You will be glad that you did and wish that you had heard of this relief sooner. Good luck, now go make a phone call for relief.

I tried a mouth guard, bio-feedback, hypnosis, hot compresses with NO success. I then inadvertently used a mild prescription muscle relaxant when the symptoms appeared and it seemed to have stopped the spasms. Once the spasms abated, the pain and sensitivity started to get weaker and then I had fewer spasms. My doctor also advised taking an OTC medication like naproxen or ibuprofen to calm the inflammation in the jaw joint. It works!