Please help me! I am depressed and worried!

[xyz2008]

Two weeks ago I had my braces off without retainers due to constriction and TMJ pain.

It was a big mistake as my bite is completely off. Chewing is difficult because it causes me jaw pain.

Now, I have been interviewing orthodontists again. I have the following options (I have a class II occlusion. Overjet and I didn't have TMJ problems before braces started).

1. lower jaw surgery to get a perfect bite. Jaw surgery is so risky and could further damage the jaw joint. I don't want to do it.

2. go back to "original state" where I didn't have TMJ problem. This ortho proposed using Invisalign 12-18 months to bring my teeth approximately back. Since there is no teeth model, only a few pre-ortho pics, it would be a wild guess. However, my back teeth bite might be fixed. And that could be the most conservative approach. On the other hand, Once you commit to Invisalign, there is no way back. What if the result model was wrong?

3. treatment with a TMJ specialist-orthodontist. He claims that my bite position is incorrect. He would use a splint to move the jaw forward and then put braces back on. Problem with that approach is that: a) another reputable TMJ specialist who did a more thorough exam thinks that I have only muscle pain, and that bite position is not a problem; b) since my arch was narrowed and bite is completely off, it would mean for me to not able to chew for 3-4 years since that's the normal treatment time.

What can I do now? Before I started orthodontics work, I only had cosmetic problem. Now, my problem is so big that I costantly worry about it. On the other hand, I tend to believe in the TMJ specialist more than the TMJ-orthodontist, because my jaw pain only started in the recent month when my bite became completely off, and the other only symptom with my TMJ is my ear pain.

Any advice that you can give me? Appreciate it!