TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder) & the NHS

long story short:

my specialist has informed me that i need $14,000 worth of work to make my jaws normal. neither my current medical nor dental insurance will cover this.

I'm marrying a brit & moving to birmingham. the specialist has offered to give me names & numbers of UK specialists.

would it make sense to wait & have the treatment done once i am living in the UK & covered by NHS?

 

It doesn't look like you have much choice but to wait if you have no insurance- unless you are planning to take out a loan ?

The problem with things like this is that whilst your US specialist can get you names, the way the health service works over here is to refer you to your nearest specialist and that might not be one you had in mind and can take many many months.

I was also diagnosed with TMJ by a Dentist at Yale and I have had no luck here in the UK getting that diagnosis taken seriously, either by my GP or my dentist.  Presumably- I had/have a mild diagnosis and no-one here has seen any reason to pursue the investigation of such, but that doesn't mean that all Dr's are the same, I just want to warn you of the reality of the situation that is the NHS.

Good Luck with whatever you decide is best for you.

It doesn't look like you have much choice but to wait if you have no insurance- unless you are planning to take out a loan ?

The problem with things like this is that whilst your US specialist can get you names, the way the health service works over here is to refer you to your nearest specialist and that might not be one you had in mind and can take many many months.

I was also diagnosed with TMJ by a Dentist at Yale and I have had no luck here in the UK getting that diagnosis taken seriously, either by my GP or my dentist.  Presumably- I had/have a mild diagnosis and no-one here has seen any reason to pursue the investigation of such, but that doesn't mean that all Dr's are the same, I just want to warn you of the reality of the situation that is the NHS.

Good Luck with whatever you decide is best for you.

thanks for that.

have you had severe pain, or is yours more or less manageable? i've had a splint for a year & i'm in good shape now, but i'm terrified of ever having the profound pain i used to have again.

it seems to be a universal problem that next to no one takes TMJ seriously. the specialist i see now is a godsend. i wonder if he could be persuaded to become a brummie...

On the subject of TMJ, I was told when I was 13 I had it. I went into have braces at 14, and after I was done with them I no longer had any trouble. My teeth were realingned and all was fine. I maybe the odd one out but I had severe pain, headaches, and was merisable.

On the subject of TMJ, I was told when I was 13 I had it. I went into have braces at 14, and after I was done with them I no longer had any trouble. My teeth were realingned and all was fine. I maybe the odd one out but I had severe pain, headaches, and was merisable.

i hear you.

if i was to go the orthodontic route (still not covered by insurance) i'd be making a 2 1/2 year commitment to be here in the gunky southwest suburbs of chicago. i can't do that. so i'm looking at 6 months of bite reconstruction instead.

thanks for that.

have you had severe pain, or is yours more or less manageable? i've had a splint for a year & i'm in good shape now, but i'm terrified of ever having the profound pain i used to have again.

it seems to be a universal problem that next to no one takes TMJ seriously. the specialist i see now is a godsend. i wonder if he could be persuaded to become a brummie...

My pleasure - I just want you to have a realistic picture of what to expect here, it can be frustrating.

I have suffered from horrific headaches for YEARS and they were finally attributed to another condition, but I have never had any relief from the pain and I have had some dental problems over the last few years caused purely by what I am sure is mis-aligned jaws-=but as you said, getting people to take this seriously over here is pretty difficult- however I do intend to pursue it again when I am back in the US.

I wouldn't wish the pain on anyone and I hope you get a good referral- make sure you register with a GP as soon as you can when here and push push push for that referral

I also have TMJ and am curious about current thinking in the UK re: treatment.  I've had this since I was a teenager, and did 2 years in braces in an attempt to correct it.  No luck....bite has shifted again.  The joint on the right has deteriorated to the point where I can dislocate my jaw simply by opening my mouth.  Then I'm stuck with my mouth open until I can get my jaw reset.  (Painful AND embarrassing!!!)    I've been sleeping with a splint at night which seems to help keep me from waking up with a headache....can't wear it during the day as I have to spend a lot of time on the phone and nobody can understand me!  Surgery is out at the moment as NO TMJ treatment is covered by my insurance.  Orthodontist is not recommending another course with braces as there's a chance it will make things worse instead of better.  Has anyone actually had TMJ surgery?  Was it successful?  How about recovery times?  Anyone know what the current philosophy is on surgical treatment of TMJ?

I also have TMJ and am curious about current thinking in the UK re: treatment.  I've had this since I was a teenager, and did 2 years in braces in an attempt to correct it.  No luck....bite has shifted again.  The joint on the right has deteriorated to the point where I can dislocate my jaw simply by opening my mouth.  Then I'm stuck with my mouth open until I can get my jaw reset.  (Painful AND embarrassing!!!)    I've been sleeping with a splint at night which seems to help keep me from waking up with a headache....can't wear it during the day as I have to spend a lot of time on the phone and nobody can understand me!  Surgery is out at the moment as NO TMJ treatment is covered by my insurance.  Orthodontist is not recommending another course with braces as there's a chance it will make things worse instead of better.  Has anyone actually had TMJ surgery?  Was it successful?  How about recovery times?  Anyone know what the current philosophy is on surgical treatment of TMJ?

come here so i can hug you. 

I just did a search for TMJ in the UK and came up with only one half decent link (as a basic google search, I know if I start with the British Medical Journal site etc it will get  better) but here is the kind of overall feeling I get about it

http://www.addenbrookes.org.uk/serv/clin/surg/oral/tmj.html

the hot towel, anti depressants, resolving any stress, splints etc surgery, hardly mentioned. I am sure it *is* done, but the prevailing attitude towards it seems to be very matter of fact, almost get used to it, overcome it.

I hope someone comes along with an entirely opposite viewpoint/experience for you, because I understand the pain- although my jaw has never actually clicked out of place- I did take one bit of advice, I never chew gum and I don't open wide and eat very very chewy foods and he massaged my face and that was about it!

I am sorry it's not more positive than that, but I feel being quite pushy about being referred may get you further.

I just did a search for TMJ in the UK and came up with only one half decent link (as a basic google search, I know if I start with the British Medical Journal site etc it will get  better) but here is the kind of overall feeling I get about it

http://www.addenbrookes.org.uk/serv/clin/surg/oral/tmj.html

the hot towel, anti depressants, resolving any stress, splints etc surgery, hardly mentioned. I am sure it *is* done, but the prevailing attitude towards it seems to be very matter of fact, almost get used to it, overcome it.

I hope someone comes along with an entirely opposite viewpoint/experience for you, because I understand the pain- although my jaw has never actually clicked out of place- I did take one bit of advice, I never chew gum and I don't open wide and eat very very chewy foods and he massaged my face and that was about it!

I am sorry it's not more positive than that, but I feel being quite pushy about being referred may get you further.

you rock. 

My pleasure and thank you!

Good Luck with it, I wish you well

come here so i can hug you. 

'Virtual' hugs gratefully accepted!!!

i know this is an old thread... but i just got back from the dentist regarding some tooth pain.  that was sorted without much fuss.

but.....

she said that this dental surgery, in Higham Ferrers (near Northampton) specalize in joint/TMJ disorders.  I have a consultation with one of their doctors at the end of next month...

hopefully things will be sorted soon after.  so very excited.

this will all be private- i haven't even approached my GP with the idea. 

I was once told I had TMJ and they gave me a splint and wanted to do surgery to replace my TM joints (which I said no to because it was all very experimental at the time). Flash forward to a new dentist. Guess what - my TMJ was the symptom not the problem! Had I allowed them to do that surgery, it would have been the wrong surgery!  My real problem was my lower jaw was 9 mm too short (a significant distance in terms of jaw function but not enough to make me look unbalanced). Beacuse of this I thrust my lower jaw forward thousands of times per day in order to eat, talk etc. It was all subconscious on my part. This was creating the wear and TMJ issues I was experiencing.

I had surgery to move my lower jaw forward and it has changed my life! It was done in the US but we were able to convince insurance to pay for it on appeal, based on xrays showing the degradation to my joint caused by the sortness of the lower jaw. I would highly advise anyone with TMJ issues to visit an orthodontist for an evaluation to see if that could be experiencing a similar issue. I am so glad I did not allow the other dentist and orthodontist to proceed with the treatment that they outlined and that I was later able to get a good dentist, orthodontist and surgeon that were able to see the TMJ as the symptom and treat the true cause of it.

Best of luck to everyone suffering - I know what that is like and it is not fun to have the pain and headaches all the time.

I have a grinding problem and have two splints...
I have been being seen by and oral surgeon... maybe it would be worth it to get some advice from them.
My mother works for an oral surgeon and they have tmj patients....