Doctor’s Night Guard

Since biting down on a popcorn kernel in the early 80’s I’ve had problems with my TMJ. I had headaches all of the time and I could hardly open up my mouth. Eventually it would lead to an experimental surgery, where bilateral silastic joints were put in. And from that point on I had to wear a night guard to protect my joints and prevent grinding. Back then the night guard was specially and custom made with a dentist at the oral facial maxilla clinic at the medical college. I have also had a few made at the dentist office. But they have to be semi soft because the hard kind are not tolerated. Eventually things changed and I have been using the Doctor’s Night Guard for many years. And any time I have dental work on the upper teeth, a new one must be made to accommodate the new shape of the teeth - most recently a crown. You can now make them using a microwave, but I opted for the old fashion boiling water approach. It is quite the production but at least there is a product out there that serves the purpose. There may even be better ones but this one seems to work. The only problem is that the spaces between my front upper teeth seem to getting bigger - which makes for an awkward smile. I don’t think much can be done about it and I’m not about to get braces. And getting older makes for moveable teeth. I’m really not happy about it but will need to live with it. Luckily the TMJ surgery worked. I can’t imagine having to live with headaches and a closed mouth. 

Doctor’s Night Guard

It all started with a piece of popcorn. As soon as I bit down hard on a kernel, my jaw was never the same. Then came the headaches and clicking until I could hardly open my mouth. Almost forty years ago I had an “experimental” bilateral TMJ surgery. The physical therapy was torture and all the tests leading up to the surgery were worse. Since then I have worn a soft night guard to grind on at night. Back then I had to go to a special dentist who made custom guards. There have been occasional setbacks, swollen joints, and going to the dentist can be tricky as I need frequent rest periods and an experienced hygienist. Luckily for me the surgery worked - for the most part. Over the last couple of days my husband was complaining about teeth/jaw discomfort. The last thing we need now is a trip to the dental office. Nowadays, night guards are store bought and you custom fit it yourself. Since I always keep a spare Doctor’s Night Guard splint on hand, we thought to give it a try. I ordered another one on Amazon for my back up. First, you boil the water, then “fit” the device to your upper teeth. So he tried it last night and thinks it may have done some good. I hope it continues to do the trick. Wearing a splint at night becomes second nature but it does take a while to get used to. I keep my fingers crossed every day in hopes that the surgery holds, and try to stay away from anything that might injure my jaw. I miss popcorn in spite of it. 

A New Dentist

My dentist in the Midwest was very slow and in a single practice. When we moved to DC eleven years ago, we started going to Capitol Hill Dental Group. It's terribly convenient as it is one block from our house! And, it has three dentists, is very modern and up to date - and very busy. Our dentist is retiring this year and has been part time for at least the last year. So occasionally I have seen another dentist whenever I have needed "emergency" treatment, or something requiring little notice, like a crown replacement prior to going on vacation. What's interesting is that all three dentists in the practice are female. My husband has always said that female physicians are always better, so the same must go for female dentists. I think he is somewhat correct. And as a matter of fact I have preferred my female care givers more than the male counterparts. I guess it may depend on what the problem is, but in general, the ladies can associate with you more. So I had my first routine dental check with a very nice "younger than me" dentist yesterday. She was very professional and matter of fact, but still a good listener and cheerful at the same time. I have seen her before so she wasn't a complete stranger. It's just one of those things I don't need to worry about so much - a dentist a block away, easy to get to in this crazy town, with a modern and up to date facility. She knew I was no stranger to the dentist chair when she looked in my mouth! And having had TMJ surgery almost forty years ago puts a strain on my jaw. Luckily all went well and I left with my new toothbrush, toothpaste and floss. One of these days I need to get a new splint. I'll save that for the next time. 

Dentists, Night Guards, and Dental Splints

Over thirty years ago I had what was then known as experimental TMJ surgery. I popped my jaw joint out of whack after chomping down on a popcorn that did not pop, and it was all downhill after that. I had headaches and neck pain constantly, a popping joint, and shaved down teeth to try and realign the mess until it hardly would open anymore. Following the surgery was months of physical therapy - including increasing the number of Popsicle sticks I could pry my mouth open with on the day after surgery. For the most part, Things have been so much better with an occasional reminder now and again - I really can't or won't eat anything that is hard - so pistachios, and a lot of other favorites are off limits out of fear! Routine dental visits can be torture because I can't tolerate a lot of pressure on my jaw or keep my mouth open for long periods of time. Since the surgery, I have always had to wear a mouth guard, so as not to grind down the joint and have the misery start all over again. That required a visit to s specialist who made a form fitting custom appliance at the Medical College. Since we moved, I've been using self made products, but decided to try a splint from the dentist. They started with a harder plastic mouth guard that of course is not covered by insurance. It required two impressions of both upper and lower teeth - gag! The sad part is that because it was hard, my jaw fought with it every night and lost, creating a very sore and swollen right side. So I returned to the dentist yesterday for a less intensive "cushy" splint that needed only one impression. Hopefully it will be able to sustain the impact of nightly fights. I'll probably chew through it in no time. But as long as it works, I really don't care. I'll find out tonight! 

TMJ, Routine Dental Visits and Expensive Splints

We have insurance. Every time we go to the dentist or doctor we ask how can people afford health care because even with insurance everything is so expensive. I've been having a lot of medical tests lately and am awestruck by the cost to have just basic things done. This exclamation comes from a family of health care professionals. Without any X-rays at a routine dental visit yesterday, it cost $170.00 to have my teeth cleaned and examined. Having had TMJ surgery over thirty years ago, I am very concerned about maintaining good care of my jaw joints. In so doing I need to wear a splint at night to protect them, and me, from grinding. Since I have almost chewed through my current splint, I asked about having another one made as I used to have special splints created at the medical college of Wisconsin before we moved here. My dentist can can have one specially fit for me to the tune of about $600 - and insurance doesn't cover any of it. It supposedly should last for awhile and can be reconfigured if the upper teeth require any dental work that changes the original shape - which does happen. Now i need to make another appointment. What I like the most is the little "gift bag" that is provided at the end of the visit - toothbrush, floss, and toothpaste. This time I noticed the toothbrush no longer has the dental office logo and phone number on it - it's just a standard toothbrush. Maybe it's just too expensive to have them made anymore!