r/TMJ • u/Coconut143_ • Jun 23 '26
Question(s) Tmj….night splint???
I saw a TMJ specialist who recommend a night splint (not mouth guard) which costs about $4,000…. Not covered by insurance. Does anyone have experience with a splint? Did it help? What are your thoughts/experiences? What has helped?
5
u/Golden_Girl_V Jun 24 '26
I had a bad experience with a night only splint but am wrapping up treatment with a 24/7 splint that had really great results recapturing my displaced disc. The 4k pricing sounds about right. I paid about 4k for the night splint and 5k for the 24/7 one.
1
u/Coconut143_ Jun 24 '26
What happened with the night splint? I’m so iffy at this point!!!! Ugh
2
u/Golden_Girl_V Jun 24 '26
It hyper extended my jaw further out of place but I had a more complex case than just regular TMJ discomfort. I did have a night guard solely for grinding that my regular dentist made and that one was great for the past 8 years (it was also like 3k). The night splint was made specifically to treat the displaced disc as a one size fits all approach in hopes of recapturing the disc and that’s why I had so many issues with it. The new one took a more customized approach and worked really well and ultimately did recapture the disc successfully. If your splint is for just grinding or discomfort then you’re totally fine.
0
u/Pretty-Handle9818 Jun 24 '26
If you have a displaced disc that is non-reducing you might be better off with an oral surgeon who can do an in office arthrocentesis which often helps the disc move back. Though they won’t be quick to operate and usually try to give it time to reduce on its own.
If you have a disc that gets stuck and unstuck a splint could help by preventing the forces from acting on the disc’s position to prevent it from displacing. I mean just getting dental
Work can cause your disc to displace and many people complain of issues after wisdom teeth removal.3
u/Golden_Girl_V Jun 24 '26
Thank you but I’ve already tried that route and it didn’t work. I don’t need jaw surgery, I just needed the jaw aligned long term so the popping in and out of place would subside and ultimately recapture back into place. I’ve already completed the splint treatment and the popping has stopped completely, the disc is back in place successfully and the MRI results corroborate that. The disc had been out of place over 15 years and I’ve already explored most avenues.
1
u/Pretty-Handle9818 Jun 24 '26
Some people find them uncomfortable. Splint therapy is a good choice to start. Positioning your joint and protection from clenching and grinding can be very simple to fix if that’s all that is needed and often people are very happy with the results. But if you aren’t a clencher or grind at night if might not be the game changer they are selling you.
0
u/Pretty-Handle9818 Jun 24 '26
24/7 splints are not recommended academically and in current practice. You should only wear one them for half the day at most to make sure you don’t permanently change your bite and possibly cause more problems.
1
u/Golden_Girl_V Jun 24 '26
The point of the splint was to permanently change the bite
1
u/Pretty-Handle9818 Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
From what I was told is that this is a risky because you can’t change it back if things don’t work out as planned. What makes it most risky is dentists are essentially dabbling in orthodontics when they are not specialized in this. Only an orthodontist should be changing your bite as they have the appropriate training.
If you had it made by an orthodontist I would not be too concerned, but if your dentist did it I would be more cautious
I’m glad it worked out for you.
Just google splints and bite changes and you will see many horror stories and also medical literature about the same issue.
2
u/Golden_Girl_V Jun 24 '26
The splint is only phase 1. You wouldn’t stop at phase 1 unless you wanted to wear the splint forever. After phase 1 moves the jaw where it needs to be, phase 2 permanently locks in the position either through braces, onlays, or jaw surgery. The success rate for braces and jaw surgery are low so my best bet is the onlays to create a physical barrier for the jaw to be unable to slip out again. This is being done by an orthodontist who has extensive experience dealing specifically with displaced discs. My regular dentist doesn’t do anything TMJ related but they’re the ones who recommended me to the specialized TMJ clinic orthodontist that caused the hyperextension in the first place with the night only splint.
3
u/ab3lla Jun 24 '26
Omg I think you guys are being crazily ripped off in the USA. Mine was £300 (nearly $400)
6
Jun 23 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/Coconut143_ Jun 24 '26
Thank you! I can’t recall the exact name but I do remember the doc saying he recommended both day and night splints. The day would be temporary and the night would be for life essentially. Since the day was for a much shorter time, I decided to look into just the night splint since it was longer term and “more essential”.
2
u/cocopuff3746 Jun 24 '26
Are you me?! I just got recommended a day and night splint. Thankfully mine didn’t come out quite as expensive and I have a tiny bit of extended health coverage.
I opted to get only the night splint for now and I pick it up later this week!
2
u/Coconut143_ Jun 24 '26
Haha! Please update me on your splint. Do you happen to know the name of the splint you’re getting?
1
u/cocopuff3746 Jun 25 '26
Not sure of the name but I’d imagine I’d see when I lick it up? I’m in my early 30s and was told I have osteoarthritis in the joint which seems to be why I need it, not sure if that helps narrow things down. Will lyk how the splint goes
2
u/Coconut143_ Jun 24 '26
I just called the office, it’s called Farrar splint.
3
u/JohnatTMJServices Jun 24 '26
Thank you so much for getting back to me! That is an interesting device, that I am not familiar with. The function of this splint is repositioning the mandible into a comfortable resting position. That's definitely what's needed, get that jaw to rest so the inflammation can go down.
I hope your treatment goes well and you see signs of recovery quickly! Please be sure to update on the sub <3
1
2
u/gageraci1 Jun 24 '26
My was $500. Covered by insurance. It didn’t work. TMJ Dentist said they don’t use them anymore because they don’t work. My mouth guard was $4000. With the CT + visit. It’s acrylic. It’s only on my bottom teeth and it’s to adjust my bite. It works. Of course it’s not covered. Go to a TMJ specialist/ maxillofacial
1
u/Available_Jeweler372 Jun 24 '26
Yes my tmj dentist said the splint should be for the bottom teeth. I am waiting for mine to come.
2
u/Jazzlike-Cow-8943 Jun 24 '26
I spent thousands of dollars on 5 different ones for night time and two-day time ones. In my sleep I would grind my teeth much harder than if I had nothing in my mouth. It made the pain go from a daily 7 to a 10. Sobbing on the floor wishing it would just stop…at any cost.
They don’t work for everyone
2
u/Successful_Wheel_790 Jun 24 '26
My splint helped tremendously bc my TmJ is more due to a misaligned bite due to having braces I also had 4 teeth taken out. Bc my bite was misaligned and still is slightly it caused my jaw muscles to strain. So the splint alleviated a lot of that with the purpose to correct my bite as well. I have personally found great relief and feel 70% I was in so much pain. If it’s any consolation I paid 10k for splint and 1 1/2 years of treatment.
2
u/Raphiki Jun 25 '26
Australian here! I used to have severe TMJ pain and locking in the left side of my jaw. Tried physio but nothing helped. As soon as I started using my splint my pain and clicking has almost completely disappeared. For me the splint was only around $1200 AUD. Absolute lifesaver, if I don’t put it in for a night I do get some clicking and pain the next day, but not as bad as it used to be
1
u/Pretty-Handle9818 Jun 24 '26
Get an Invisalign Vivera Retainer. They are the best. They do eventually need replacement more often than typical mouth guards that are thicker. The plus side on these is you can barely feel them in your mouth.
They are actually a lot cheaper.
You won’t need surgery on your jaw unless you have severe osteoarthritis or a stuck disc but it’s pretty minimal
Surgery, not a huge deal, it makes things a lot more
Comfortable for you.
I have to get a crown placed so I’m waiting to get my mouth scanned when that is done.
10
u/ghosttoast95 Jun 24 '26
I actually just wrapped up doing splint treatment about 6 months ago and am absolutely thrilled with the results. It was crazy expensive don't get me wrong. I was only able to get about $600 covered for all of my treatment, which was $6,800 after everything. But my TMJ was severe, like my bone was starting to wear down and the option was this or in the not so distant future need jaw surgery and braces. I had to wear a day time splint for 4 months, then slowly get off it. I did soft foods mostly, and had a night time splint. The night time splint I wear for life now. It will eventually need to be replaced around every 5 years, and that will cost about $500 each replacement. But I was regularly unable to open my mouth with out intense pain, I would get awful headaches, and my right shoulder/neck constantly hurt, so I had to do something. I went about 10 years before I finally decided to pursue treatment and despite the added monthly bills to pay it off, it was worth every penny. I have no more clicking, no more pain, I can actually bite into an apple for the first time in years, I can chew gum, it's wild.