Rather than add any new medicines into the mix, he suggested that the Aleve that Lisa sometimes takes could be stepped up as tolerated to help with her jaw, face, head and ear pain caused by the TMJ inflammation, and they made molds so to be sent off to a lab so that a "bite splint" can be made.
Bite splints are clear plastic appliances -- like a retainer you get when you're done with braces or a custom tooth whitener tray -- that fit over the upper or lower teeth and provide a surface for the dentist to control how the teeth opposite the splint will hit. By doing this, the dentist can control the positioning of the jaw so that the splint reduces forces to the affected temporomandibular joints,and thus relax muscles and reduce inflammation over time. Lisa's will snap in over her upper back teeth. She is to at least wear it at night, but can wear it anytime she likes and just take it out when she's eating. He said almost everyone with her condition gets relief from this kind of device. It should be here sometime next week, and we'll have to go in for another appointment to have the fit fine-tuned.
