Jaw surgery require TMJ surgery at the same time?

[Jbird]

My doctor had MRI done and although I never had any pain or clicking wants to replace my TMJs.

Does jaw surgery automatically require TMJ work done?
He says it will be 3 mm upper and 9 mm lower.

I'm having a hard time getting answers to my questions. Is that unusual?

Jbird

[Luciangreuceanu]

I would definitely consult another surgeon. TMJ is a very serios disease and the success rate on joint surgery is very low. Good luck

[Jbird]

But does having jaw surgery necessitate TMJ surgery in and of itself?

In other words, do you think jaw surgery will mess up your TMJs as time goes on?

[EWUgal15]

My doctor had MRI done and although I never had any pain or clicking wants to replace my TMJs.

Like hip replacement surgery? Except in your face? I've never heard of this. Not to say that it isn't possible, I've just never heard of it.

But does having jaw surgery necessitate TMJ surgery in and of itself?

In other words, do you think jaw surgery will mess up your TMJs as time goes on?

Jaw surgery (like BSSO) can be considered experimental treatment for relief of TMJ disorders, but, typically speaking, BSSO does not require any operation on the actual temporomandibular joint. In my case, the clicking and locking I had in my TMJs got better after surgery and hasn't been a problem since. My surgeon and my orthodontist both said "We can't guarantee that surgery will fix the problems in your joints, but we've never had a case where things have gotten worse."

[Jbird]

Thank you so much! That's what I was hoping. Why replace a joint that is not giving any pain or noise? If it's a problem I could always get it done later.

[BrooklynsOwn]

Jaw surgery (like BSSO) can be considered experimental treatment for relief of TMJ disorders, but, typically speaking, BSSO does not require any operation on the actual temporomandibular joint. In my case, the clicking and locking I had in my TMJs got better after surgery and hasn't been a problem since. My surgeon and my orthodontist both said "We can't guarantee that surgery will fix the problems in your joints, but we've never had a case where things have gotten worse.

If you dont mind me asking who was your surgeon? If you dont want to publicly say it you can PM me. The reason I'm asking is, most surgeons and people that have spoken with surgeons, all say that double jaw surgery can actually make TMJ problems worse, sometimes better, or no difference at all. Its still pretty common for surgeons to say that double jaw surgery can have a negative effect on the TMJ.

[Jbird]

I would like to pm you but haven't figured out how. Could you pm me and I will reply? I haven't had surgery yet, just been told I need it. It's for sleep apnea. My TMJs have never bothered me so I don't understand why he would want to do anything to them. I have ttied to talk to this guy but not much luck. His office manager shields him. To me it's a red flag about this surgeon. I will get other opinions.

[EWUgal15]

If you dont mind me asking who was your surgeon? If you dont want to publicly say it you can PM me. The reason I'm asking is, most surgeons and people that have spoken with surgeons, all say that double jaw surgery can actually make TMJ problems worse, sometimes better, or no difference at all. Its still pretty common for surgeons to say that double jaw surgery can have a negative effect on the TMJ.

It was actually my insurance that said the treatment was considered experimental. My surgeon never made promises that my TMJ issues would be fixed. He was totally honest with me and said "I've never had a case where it's gotten worse, but I can't guarantee that it will get better." Double jaw surgery was never on the table for me, so I don't really know what his opinion was on the TMJ issues. I know my surgeon had double jaw surgery but it never came up during appointments.

I think I got lucky: before surgery, in order to make my back teeth meet correctly, I had to pop my jaw back onto its plate and then push everything back. At rest, my jaw was off the plates in the joint. So in order for the surgery to fix my bite and for me to fit into my surgical splint, my jaw had to be popped back onto its disc. And now, I can't really slide my jaw backwards like I could before. I call it a win since I don't have pain in the joints or terrible popping any more.