Pre-Op Splint and TMJ problem

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

I'm going to be having a Leforte III and BSSO, with possible genio,

done next month. I have some " degenerative " condyles in that they

are pretty small and flat, but I've never had any jaw problems, no

pain, no popping, no headaches, no locking, etc.

In preparation for the surgery, my ortho had me start wearing a

splint nightly to get my jaw positioned. After wearing the splint

for 3 weeks, I noticed that in the mornings, I could only open my jaw

about a half inch before I would feel pain in my left jaw joint. I

told my ortho, and he said that the splint was probably too thick so

he grinded it down, and I wore it again on a nightly basis. It felt

better, but then after about a week, I couldn't open my jaw more than

an inch and a half in the mornings. This would last about two hours,

then my lower jaw would " move " back to it's original positions and I

could open and close my mouth as before. The only way I could

describe it was that it felt like my jaw was being obstructed. There

was no real pain, only when I moved my mouth a certain way or if I

was chewing. I saw my ortho again, and he said that the splint is

probably causing my left jaw joint to push against my cartilege. So,

he grinded it again once more, making sure that my back teeth weren't

touching. Anyways, within 24 hours, I had the same problem. My

ortho consulted with other dentists and my OS. He concluded that the

splint was moving my jaw in a position that was pushing against the

cartilege. Since my joints are already in a degenerative state, that

could be causing this problem.

My ortho said it was against standard " protocol " in not wearing the

splint prior to operation, but he was concerned about my jaw joint so

I'm no longer wearing that splint. He said he would consult with the

OS and make sure the OS was aware of the situation, so that during

the operation he would make sure there was enough " play " for the

joint so that it wouldn't be placed in the position that the splint

pushed it into.

Anyways, long story short.....has anyone had similar experiences, and

did you have any jaw joint problems AFTER surgery? I expressed my

concerns to my ortho about this because I didn't have any problems

with my jaw before. And I didn't want to come out the surgery with

new jaw joint issues. I even said to him that at the expense of

having my midline not aligned, I'd rather have my open bite fixed,

rather than having my jaws lined up perfectly. And he agreed.

I will have plates and screws so I don't think I'm going to be

wired. I don't recall if I'm going to be wearing a splint post-op,

but I will definitely ask my OS when I see him later this month.

But, I wonder if the splint will cause me the same problems I'm

having now.

Oh boy......

Thanks!

Vivian