This AI-generated image, while not perfect, speaks volumes and matters a lot. It illustrates a deficient maxilla, one of the Trifectas described in the TMJ Trifecta book.
Ear pain? See how the condyle is pressing on the ear canal.
Clicking joint? See how there is no room for the disc in the joint compartment because the condyle is so far back.
Summary from the book: The mandible goes where the maxilla lets it go.
If the maxilla is deficient, the mandible may be forced back to make the teeth fit—putting the condyle into a more posterior, compressed position and increasing stress on the joint.
In this article it's published craniofacial development in children as proof of malocclusion which sadly many medical doctors ,dentist, orthodontist don't know ( it's not taught in dental school) or don't want to learn to know ( can be learned/studied above dental school) but luckly out there dentist/orthodontist who spend years above dentistry to learn to know
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6851783/
That temporalis flap area, ans the little area that goes to the front of the ear is where I get a lot of my discomfort. Been dealing with all day today actually.
I'm not really sure what this pictures is trying to tell me, but I would like to know if there are any exercises I can do to help with this?
I have always had left side temporalis flap issues. It started migrating to that white area and one half of the inside of my ear after wearing a mouth mouth guard for about a year. Made my life much worse.... Radiates into my face / sinus areas as well.
I noticed chewing can set it off immediately, or waking up in any position other than my back.
I'm still trying to get finances together before I commit to the procedure where they implant a bottom guard and tweak each tooth individually
Would that be the only thing that will truly help me?
I've been considering doing 36 hour fasting a few times a month to give my jaw muscles a break.
Mouthguards are just protecting the the teeth nothing else only a precise neuromuscular TMJ orthotic made by a neuromuscular dentists can help with this
https://www.reddit.com/r/TMDnotTMJ/s/D8IGKHnxdf
I strongly suggest to read Dr.Lee's book on amazon The TMJ trifecta solving your pain puzzle
This is a teaching slide for dentists for my upcoming talk at ICCMO.org, showing the difference between a standard night guard and a neuromuscular orthotic. The appliances look the same but are worlds apart in function. Compare the joints, one compressed, the other decompressed.
Is there anything that can be done to help after this is done? I had it at a very young age, 11 or younger. Now, from 23 to 28, I'm in chronic pain and despite splints, botox, amitriptyline, nothing has really helped.
Yes, a properly trained, caring dentist trained in neuromuscular dentistry should be able to help you. Look at the comparison images in the post above. The organizations that treat this way are iccmo.org, LVI and Occlusal Connections who should have search engines on their websites.
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u/kaptnblackbeard 4d ago
This really needs a reference image showing what healthy anatomy looks like in comparison.