TMJ comorbidity

[lynninnj]

There has been talk here and I notice there are quite a few people here with TMJ.

Last night I got up to use the bathroom and my AHI on the machine was .5 (by that hour it was a total of 2 apneas). My partner's snoring makes it a challenge to go back to sleep so I put in earplugs. By the time I got up this morning the AHI was up over 2. (15 total apneas-13 of them during a small 4 hour window).

The consensus seems to be that ear plugs can indeed make TMJ worse, but I wondered how much it buggers the apnea.

Also, I found this article https://www.medicaldevice-network.com/n ... r-4343866/
These are custom fit ear appliances to help with TMJ. As one who suffers horribly from TMJ it certainly piqued my interest and I wondered:

Does anyone else find the apnea is worse after wearing earplugs?
Does anyone else find the TMJ is worse after earplugs?
Does anyone have any first hand experience with these devices?
Does anyone have a modified earplug they use? (smaller maybe than one might expect to wear that maybe arent so tight?) I have some that fit the ear but more sound gets in, but they are "looser".

Thanks if anyone has insights or suggestions.

[Jlfinkels]

I do not have TMJ but wear earplugs almost nightly due to a similar situation with a spouse snoring like a drunken sailor. I have not seen any change in AHI with or without ear plugs. I can imagine the change in ear pressure may affect some folks, but we’ll need experts to weigh in.

I use these earplugs whenever I need them for sleep. Nice and soft, but they still work up to around 33dB so good for snoring.

https://amzn.to/3jeRuzn

[jlsmithseven]

I’ve slept with earplugs for a while now, also have a snoring partner. I’m such a light sleeper that I can still hear everhtjjng usually even with the earplugs but my own breathing and heart rate are more prominent so I enjoy that and sleep well. I’ve tried many pairs but these purple ones I’ve been using for years and they’re the most comfortable I could find. Do a great job too. No jaw pain for me.

Flents Foam Ear Plugs
https://a.co/d/6PKZC1U

[lynninnj]

Thanks. thats a good start but I need to compare these to the ones I wear now. They may be about the same.

I am still curious about the devices in the article so if anyone knows…..

[chunkyfrog]

Musicians often wear custom molded ear plugs to preserve their hearing during
performances/practice. Check with an audiologist for this option.
I had a colleague who was profoundly deaf, from being a drummer in his youth.
It's costly, but comfortable.

[lynninnj]

the snoring isn’t *that loud - just hard to fall back to sleep with the saw a’cutting at the wood.

This week I saw a mesh that folks stick up thier noses to hold their throats open, so devices fit in the ear to hold the ears open just seems intriguing.

[readingteacher]

I have a severe TMJ disorder caused by a faulty TMJ implant that was recalled by the FDA in 1990. I sleep with earplugs, and have for years.

As far as I know, the only way that earplugs can "make TMJ worse" is if they push or put pressure against the joint. This can cause pain/discomfort but does not actually affect the structure of the joint. I cannot wear foam earplugs because they expand and push against my joint and hurt.

I use Mack's soft silicone putty earplugs. They are like a soft wax. You can mold and model them with your fingers to adjust the fit exactly as you need it. They can even be cut smaller if you need to (I do). Just don't push them into the ear canal because then it is hard to get them out! I used them before I started CPAP and just continued with the CPAP with no issues. It never occurred to me that there would be any issue with CPAP and earplugs. My ears sometimes "pop" or plug up with the CPAP, but they always clear and there is no pain or problem. Mack's earplugs mute sound sufficiently to be effective for me. I would recommend giving these a try before pursuing a custom earplug --- MUCH cheaper!

I have never heard of the "TMJ NextGeneration hollow ear canal inserts" you posted a link to. Sounds like an unproven therapy to me. It certainly would do absolutely nothing for a severe TMJ problem such as mine, and given what I know about TMJ anatomy, I don't see how they would help. They are supposed to "apply subtle pressure against the walls of the ear canal and by proximity to the TMJ and surrounding muscle and nerve tissue". For me, that equals pain. Since these are hollow, they are not intended to deaden sound. Here is a link to one dentist's review of the device:
https://tanenbaumtmj.com/2015/09/22/doe ... vice-work/

[lynninnj]

I use Mack's soft silicone putty earplugs. They are like a soft wax. You can mold and model them with your fingers to adjust the fit exactly as you need it. They can even be cut smaller if you need to (I do). Just don't push them into the ear canal because then it is hard to get them out! I used them before I started CPAP and just continued with the CPAP with no issues. It never occurred to me that there would be any issue with CPAP and earplugs. My ears sometimes "pop" or plug up with the CPAP, but they always clear and there is no pain or problem. Mack's earplugs mute sound sufficiently to be effective for me. I would recommend giving these a try before pursuing a custom earplug --- MUCH cheaper!

THANK YOU for that! I think I have some of the waxy stuff somewhere (don’t ask me where) and if I can’t find it I will find a place to buy them.

Much gratitude.

The linked article was interesting as well. I’m slowly coming off my suffering after breaking a tooth about 6-7 wks ago followed by 2 hrs for 2 days a week apart in the dentist chair getting root canal and crown. Then 2 weeks after that was my cleaning.

I think it’s settled now- at least til the next cleaning in 2 months.

Thanks again! GL with your own tmj struggles.

One more thing- do you wear a mouth guar (upper or lower) and do you feel it works/helps? I find it hurts and makes me chew harder but I am curious the experience of others.

ty

[readingteacher]

I wear a dental appliance on my top teeth 24/7. The only time it is out of my mouth is when I brush my teeth. This has been true for about 30 years. The damage that the TMJ implants did to my joints radically changed my occlusion (bite), and only a few of my teeth touch when I bite down. I have to have an appliance to be able to chew and to live without severe, disabling headaches. I have too much pain with any dental procedure to even consider orthodontics, and I'd probably have to have my jaw broken and repositioned to get my teeth to meet again. NO WAY am I ever going to do that!

A properly fitted and adjusted appliance should not hurt.

Do you mean it gives you muscle pain or headaches? That means that it is not adjusted properly to balance your bite. You need to see your dentist and have it adjusted.

Do you mean that it hurts your teeth? This is a little more nuanced. A new appliance may put some pressure on a few teeth and make them sore, because even an excellent molding process cannot be perfect. As you adjust to a new appliance, those teeth will actually shift a tiny bit (like braces on your teeth) and then there should be no more pain. If the pain is severe or does not improve after a few days, that means you should contact your dentist. It may be that the dentist can make some adjustments to relieve that problem. I once got a new appliance that was simply too tight, and unbearable to wear. The dentist tried to adjust it, but I ended up having to get new molds and another new appliance. Something apparently went awry in the molding process of making that appliance, and we had to start over.

It sounds like maybe you don't wear your appliance all the time? It takes time for your muscles, your tongue, and your brain to get used to an appliance. This includes chewing and talking. If you just wear it now and then, your body may not truly adjust to it. Are you supposed to be wearing it 24/7? If you don't wear it because of pain, then you need to contact your dentist and see if this can be fixed. A TMJ appliance is supposed to bring you relief and comfort (after the initial getting-used-to-it period), not pain.

[lynninnj]

I have a silicone type material molded to fit my teeth. I only wear at night and not lately anymore.

When I wear it it’s like chomping at the bit. Tension builds in muscles at the tm joint.

It’s a work in progress.

I just wonder what other people were doing.