TMJ Patients Share Horrifying Treatment Ordeals in Ongoing Battle Against Jaw Disorders

TMJ patients endure a series of ineffective treatments, including surgeries and implants, due to the misunderstood and mismanaged disorder.

Throughout the United States, TMJ patients experience frightening ordeals that lead them to undergo multiple surgeries in a desperate quest for relief. These heartbreaking stories include a woman in Maine who underwent six surgeries to replace parts of her jaw, another woman in California who resorted to using a screwdriver to lengthen her jawbone, and a woman in New York who had bone and fat grafted into her jaw joint, in addition to prosthetic eyeballs being surgically inserted as a placeholder. These tales reflect the excruciating struggles endured by many TMJ patients.

TMJ Disorders

TMJ, also known as TMD, afflicts up to 33 million Americans, with severe symptoms being more common in women. Despite almost a century of dental care attempts to heal TMJ patients, the disorders remain widely misunderstood, under-researched, and ineffectively treated.

Lack of Effective Treatments

Patients suffering from TMJ endure a spiral of futile surgeries that often culminate in their jaw joints being replaced with metal hinges. Traditional treatments such as splints and orthodontics, based on "strongly held beliefs" and "inadequate research," do not offer compelling scientific evidence of consistent results. Many TMJ patients express deep regrets about the care they have received, as their pain worsens throughout the treatment process.

Gender Disparities

Scientific studies reveal that TMJ disorders are up to nine times more prevalent in women, particularly those in their 20s and 30s, leading to theories that the cause may be linked to reproductive hormones. However, a true understanding of TMJ disorders remains elusive. Female patients have reported feeling patronized or trivialized by male health care providers at various stages of their treatment, adding to the challenges associated with TMJ disorders.

The Quest for Effective Treatments

While dental splints, the most common TMJ treatment, offer mixed results, the belief that misaligned bites cause TMJ disorders lacks sufficient evidence, according to comprehensive findings. The lack of proven treatments has led many patients to endure fruitless surgeries, prompting calls for better education about TMJ disorders and increased research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Total Jaw Replacements

As a last resort, some TMJ patients opt for total joint replacement surgery, which involves replacing the jaw joint with synthetic implants. However, these implants have a disturbing history, with several disk implants being recalled or discontinued in the '90s due to dangerous failures. The success rate of total jaw replacement surgeries is considered low, and many patients have had to live without a jaw hinge after their implants were removed due to malfunction, infection, or metal allergies.

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