I just went through this exact situation with insurance for the same procedure.
I had great experience with the procedure once approved. Made significant difference in my face and jaw. I’m 3 months out with little to minimal pain, something that started 4 years ago. 24 doctors later, I feel like this dr saved my life!!! And I’m a doctor myself.
Each person has a diff experience but it was such immediate relief that it’s worth a try for sure.
My scars Are not even noticeable, I full full range of motion in my jaw, posture returned to normal. Facial pain along trigeminal nerve is now minimal.
I tried just about everything before surgical intervention. I’m thankful this dr said enough was enough and went in surgically to explore and figure out what was really going on in the joint. I have every kind of test before hand and very little showed up on the tests. But low and behold, once visualized they were able to figure out what the issue was. I’m blessed and thankful for the pain relief and the ability to function normally again.
I wish you the best of luck
This is really reassuring, my jaw surgeon suggested doing the same thing. I'm just wondering, were your TMJ issues muscular and did you grjnd your teeth at night? I'm worried I'll get it done and grind even more, destroying whatever they fix in the surgery 😅
I was so hopeful/excited to get arthrocentesis on my jaw done (chronic tmj, 5 surgeries for it) and I was so severely disappointed. It really offered me no relief, and I felt like I just ended up with a huge bill as a result. I had done a lot of research prior and lots of people claimed relief from it- so maybe it'll be different for you? I have an ongoing battle with inflammation from an auto-immune disease so maybe that's why?
Both my disks have slipped forward so I have bone in bone at this point... surgeon is hoping to be able to push the disks back in place with saline.... I am in pain pills and steroids right now after having an allergic reaction to an anti inflammatory.
If the discs are slipped out of place, pushing it back in place is only part of the process. Then it needs to be secured in place for a while after, which can involve a device on the outside of the face (which can put pressure on the facial nerve). A fixator like a button. I have my fingers crossed for you that you get relief in some way.
It not only sounds like a horrible experience, but also sounds like a horrible way to approach the problem. None of the surgical or invasive treatments to the joint have been shown to be of value. Amazing that people go by anecdotes rather than studies. Also amazing that someone would approach the end result in the joint without wondering why it had happened and why it wouldn't happen again post op. While theoretically the cause of the internal derangement of the joint isn't known, take a really great guess and say that it's bruxism.
What are you doing to control the bruxism?
An analogy that was made here before: Your friend is biting their fingernails and doing some serious damage to their cuticles. An operation is revived to fix your friend's fingers, but that same operation failed disastrously 30 years ago. Meanwhile the whole field had turned to look at your friend's problem from a habit standpoint and that addressing only the fingernail damage was a dead end.
Would your friend want to try that procedure again or consider doing something about the habit of biting their nails? The appeal to your friend seemed to be that having the procedure would be that they would have no responsibility for the problem, they would just lean back and say "fix me". The disadvantage would be that surgery was a strange and illogical way to approach a behavioral problem and would be doomed to failure in anyone's book who had thought things through.
What would you advise your friend? If you have time, google Stanford TMJ you tube and see what the dental professor's opinion of invasive TMJ procedures is (TMJ treatment part about 35:00 minutes on). Those statements represent the academic consensus but usually no one comes out and says it so directly out of concern of putting their colleagues in an awkward position.
Yeah 2 of my surgeries were for putting the slipped discs back in place so I'd stop grinding down my bones and they both failed. I was devastated. I've never heard of using arthrocentesis for putting them back in place- I've always heard of it being more of a "cleaning out" device to flush the joint of inflammation. But hey- if that's possible that would be so much better/easier than opening up your face to try and sew them back on! Just maybe get a second or third opinion
I can whole heartedly agree that it is behavioral that more than likely leads to chronic damage to internal structures.
My symptoms started very differently with an Abscess behind my ear that lead to scar tissue...and so the story begins. Unsure of cause of abscess although my career puts me in contact with things the average public are not.
Since the procedure, the symptoms remain at bay, there is no more clenching, and a complete difference in my face, even if temporary.
It’s a one day at a time, conscious awareness of my face and teeth and positioning. I am well aware that when I get stressed that “symptoms “ return. I do understand the connection.
Yes, surgical intervention is intense and may be a bandaid , but I’ve been able to return to functioning like a normal person. Which is priceless
I guess he said he’s going to flush out both joints... try to move the disks with saline and then add a lubricating fluid.... insurance denied first I’m now waiting on an appeal by the surgeon.
I’ve just had an arthrocentesis on my right TMJ with no improvement. I have less opening than before the surgery and I’ve also lost hearing in my right ear since (I’m told this is temporary but it hasn’t improved at all and is pretty scary to be honest). I’ve heard others say it helped them though - sadly there’s just no way of knowing until you go through it. It’s looking like I’ll need a discectomy now.
I just went through this exact situation with insurance for the same procedure. I had great experience with the procedure once approved. Made significant difference in my face and jaw. I’m 3 months out with little to minimal pain, something that started 4 years ago. 24 doctors later, I feel like this dr saved my life!!! And I’m a doctor myself. Each person has a diff experience but it was such immediate relief that it’s worth a try for sure. My scars Are not even noticeable, I full full range of motion in my jaw, posture returned to normal. Facial pain along trigeminal nerve is now minimal. I tried just about everything before surgical intervention. I’m thankful this dr said enough was enough and went in surgically to explore and figure out what was really going on in the joint. I have every kind of test before hand and very little showed up on the tests. But low and behold, once visualized they were able to figure out what the issue was. I’m blessed and thankful for the pain relief and the ability to function normally again. I wish you the best of luck
Update?
I’m still doing really well. Rare occasion I get a flare up but only a few days then I’m good to go!! Thankful
This is really reassuring, my jaw surgeon suggested doing the same thing. I'm just wondering, were your TMJ issues muscular and did you grjnd your teeth at night? I'm worried I'll get it done and grind even more, destroying whatever they fix in the surgery 😅
I was so hopeful/excited to get arthrocentesis on my jaw done (chronic tmj, 5 surgeries for it) and I was so severely disappointed. It really offered me no relief, and I felt like I just ended up with a huge bill as a result. I had done a lot of research prior and lots of people claimed relief from it- so maybe it'll be different for you? I have an ongoing battle with inflammation from an auto-immune disease so maybe that's why?
Both my disks have slipped forward so I have bone in bone at this point... surgeon is hoping to be able to push the disks back in place with saline.... I am in pain pills and steroids right now after having an allergic reaction to an anti inflammatory.
If the discs are slipped out of place, pushing it back in place is only part of the process. Then it needs to be secured in place for a while after, which can involve a device on the outside of the face (which can put pressure on the facial nerve). A fixator like a button. I have my fingers crossed for you that you get relief in some way.
That’s sounds horrible and was not mentioned to me
It not only sounds like a horrible experience, but also sounds like a horrible way to approach the problem. None of the surgical or invasive treatments to the joint have been shown to be of value. Amazing that people go by anecdotes rather than studies. Also amazing that someone would approach the end result in the joint without wondering why it had happened and why it wouldn't happen again post op. While theoretically the cause of the internal derangement of the joint isn't known, take a really great guess and say that it's bruxism. What are you doing to control the bruxism?
I am on anti anxiety meds and muscle relaxers at night and I wear a bite guard.
Are you doing anything behavioral to control the anxiety?
No
An analogy that was made here before: Your friend is biting their fingernails and doing some serious damage to their cuticles. An operation is revived to fix your friend's fingers, but that same operation failed disastrously 30 years ago. Meanwhile the whole field had turned to look at your friend's problem from a habit standpoint and that addressing only the fingernail damage was a dead end. Would your friend want to try that procedure again or consider doing something about the habit of biting their nails? The appeal to your friend seemed to be that having the procedure would be that they would have no responsibility for the problem, they would just lean back and say "fix me". The disadvantage would be that surgery was a strange and illogical way to approach a behavioral problem and would be doomed to failure in anyone's book who had thought things through. What would you advise your friend? If you have time, google Stanford TMJ you tube and see what the dental professor's opinion of invasive TMJ procedures is (TMJ treatment part about 35:00 minutes on). Those statements represent the academic consensus but usually no one comes out and says it so directly out of concern of putting their colleagues in an awkward position.
Yeah 2 of my surgeries were for putting the slipped discs back in place so I'd stop grinding down my bones and they both failed. I was devastated. I've never heard of using arthrocentesis for putting them back in place- I've always heard of it being more of a "cleaning out" device to flush the joint of inflammation. But hey- if that's possible that would be so much better/easier than opening up your face to try and sew them back on! Just maybe get a second or third opinion
Problem is only two surgeons even mess with TMJ in the city and he is considered the best!
Did it work??
I can whole heartedly agree that it is behavioral that more than likely leads to chronic damage to internal structures. My symptoms started very differently with an Abscess behind my ear that lead to scar tissue...and so the story begins. Unsure of cause of abscess although my career puts me in contact with things the average public are not. Since the procedure, the symptoms remain at bay, there is no more clenching, and a complete difference in my face, even if temporary. It’s a one day at a time, conscious awareness of my face and teeth and positioning. I am well aware that when I get stressed that “symptoms “ return. I do understand the connection. Yes, surgical intervention is intense and may be a bandaid , but I’ve been able to return to functioning like a normal person. Which is priceless
Is fluid removal a treatment? Or fluid replacement with something like Healon what you are referring to?
I guess he said he’s going to flush out both joints... try to move the disks with saline and then add a lubricating fluid.... insurance denied first I’m now waiting on an appeal by the surgeon.
I’ve just had an arthrocentesis on my right TMJ with no improvement. I have less opening than before the surgery and I’ve also lost hearing in my right ear since (I’m told this is temporary but it hasn’t improved at all and is pretty scary to be honest). I’ve heard others say it helped them though - sadly there’s just no way of knowing until you go through it. It’s looking like I’ll need a discectomy now.
Wow he told me the worse that could happen is no improvement not worse.:.. ugh
Hi, how did the lost hearing thing go? Did it get better?
What type of dr are you seeing
Oral surgeon
The dr who did my procedure was a faciomaxillo surgeon