On Tuesday I had my first appointment with Dr. Kaplan, a TMJ specialist. She was very thorough in my examination, taking multiple measurements, listening to my jaw with a stethoscope, asking many questions about my history of trauma/injuries, and taking a tomogram. She also took an impression of my bite so that she could examine it and also use it if I needed splint therapy.
Well, I got a call from her late last night and she found some significant distortion in my left TMJ. She was surprised that I wasn't in more pain. This is something that has been going on for a while, and the orthodontic work made it flare up.
I am happy that I now know what the problem is. Her recommendation is splint therapy on my bottom arch. Planning to run this by my dentist before I go forward with it, but I don't think there are any other alternatives out there.
I came across this blog while searching Google about whether Invisalign can exacerbate TMJ issues. I believe this may be what happened to me. I am 35, have been in Invisalign for about a year, and have been having pain issues for 5 months now. I'm currently attempting to get a solid and accurate diagnosis. The problem is that the dentist who started me with the Invisalign sold her practice and moved out of state (without even notifying me!!!), so I have to essentially start from scratch with a new dental specialist. I noticed that you live in the DC metro area, as do I, so I was wondering if you had any recommendations about who to see (or NOT to see) in regards to this situation. Thanks so much! I hope you are starting to feel better!
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