“Should I get surgery for TMJ?”
I am a 30 year old female and I have TMJ. Should I get surgery for TMJ?
7 Answers
If arthritis is involved in the joint, yes. If it is to correct a disc displacement, yes. However, most TMJ surgeries have a high risk of failure since it is impossible not to use the joint after surgery
That depends on your specific diagnosis and symptoms. Your condition would need to be one that surgery would be able to fix, and your symptoms to the point of interfering with your life on a daily basis. Someone should have gone through a full evaluation with you and gotten an MRI of the TMJ to be able to diagnose you appropriately. You should have tried and failed all non-surgical management options before having surgery.
There are very few “TMJ” problems that should be treated surgically. You should seek care from experienced health professionals who can recommend nonsurgical therapies.
TMJ surgery is always the last solution, if all the non invasive therapies failed, and unless you are in constant pain to the point that becomes non functional . I would recommend a 2nd opinion from another OMFS before considering surgery.
Have your tried wearing an occlusal splint to reposition your bite? Do that first, then possibly an occlusal equilibration. Find a dentist who has specialty training in bite adjustments. if that doesn’t work, then maybe surgery is the answer. But not the first choice.
That would depend on the diagnosis and radiographic evidence. Surgery is very often the last step if the joint cannot be comfortable.
Surgery is traditionally the last option if the symptoms cannot be resolved with other therapeutic means. I’d suggest that you see a dentist that specializes in Dental Sleep Medicine. Look at the AADSM website for one near you.
