Anyone with bad TMJ issues using elastics?

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#1 Post by **BracedBelle** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 7:45 pm

Can anyone tell me if elastics exacerbated a bad TMJ problem?

My bite has changed recently and right now I'm biting up higher than normal on the left, causing an open space in the front and a slight lisp. I've been emailing back and forth with my ortho and he doesn't think it will improve until we move to elastics (in 2 months, as he planned). Because of the lisp I was hoping to get these teeth "corrected" ASAP, but he's hesitant to put me in elastics earlier due to an awful TMJ episode that I had last week--> viewtopic.php?p=152985&highlight=#152985

He thinks the elastics will cause another similar situation.

Does anyone have TMJ and elastics? Does it cause a lot of jaw pain and headaches? Any opinion/advice would be greatly appreciated!

#2 Post by **bracedintx** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:47 pm

I got braces to fix my bite and hopefully reduce my TMJ. I've been in a variety of elastic box formations for the last few months (one elastic that goes on 2 uppers and 2 lowers) . Sometimes I've had to wear an elastic on just one side, then sometimes the other side, and now both. While I have noticed some mild ear pain lately, it's nothing compared to the constant pain I was in prior to the braces. Hope things work out well with your elastics

#3 Post by **Dramagyrl** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 7:40 pm

Hi Belle
I don't have elastics, but I do have TMJ. What I have found is that treatment with braces, no matter what, has its moments that are both good for and not good for TMJ.
I'm still in bite plates (I thought they were coming off sooner) and my ortho seems to be aggressively trying to move my bite while moving teeth. Some of this has been more painful than the actual tooth movement, other times the bite is sitting comfortably and I am scared for another adjustment because I was just getting used to finally feeling some relief!
For a while, I had a tooth banging against a lower bracket. Not only did it chip the tooth, I started holding my jaw differently to compensate and that didn't feel good. This all affected my speech and comfort, but it had to be the case until that tooth passed the hump it was banging on.

I don't know if any of this helps, but I hope there's at least some reassurance in knowing there's other TMJ patients feeling your pain.

#4 Post by **Chris** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 10:29 am

The TMJ pain may come and go during your ortho treatment. Mine did. Normally, its because your bite is constantly changing. That will happen with elastics as well. All I can say is try to keep your teeth apart and your jaws relaxed during the DAY as much as you can. This will help during the night hours. Don't keep putting your teeth together to see "how your bite is".

#5 Post by **BracedBelle** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 6:33 pm

Thanks for the comments and advice. I'm going to make an appt with my ortho to move to elastics in the coming week or so.

#6 Post by **BracedBelle** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 4:24 pm

I went to the ortho today and got elastics for the first time... check out my post in "Our Braces Stories" for an update: viewtopic.php?p=157338#157338