Everyone:
Avoid surgery at all costs???? No way.
Botched wisdom teeth extraction? YES that occurs and my oral surgeon would not allow anyone else to extract my wisdom teeth but him, to keep my tmjs adjusted... yes physical therapy and jaw exercises are a must...
If you have tried everything and it hasn't solved the problem...
You obviously need surgery... and the longer you wait the more involved it will be and the longer the recovery because you've developed bad habits trying to counter it.
I know... I had to wait 2 years for the disability insurance to authorize and pay for my bilateral TMJ surgeries.
BUT I went to the best in the world (he travelled to train other surgeons around the world)...
AND I DID EVERYTHING TO THE LETTER before and after the surgery.
That's important to follow the "rules" as most people who have TMJ surgery have to have it two or three times BECAUSE THEY DON"T LISTEN AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS.
The instructions are limiting but not difficult: don't chew tough meat, don't eat nuts, don't chew bread crust (anything that "springs back" essentially), DO your jaw exercises, work on good posture, wear your splint when you're supposed to, learn to deal with your stress (so you don't grind your teeth)
etc.
BUT I followed all the instructions, and am careful today still (and I can now eat meat, nuts, etc in moderation) AND I have NOT had to have any more surgeries for TMD in over 25 years!
Yes, you can do something to limit the pain---the TENS works great on the tmjs--but it doesn't solve the problem. If you continue to exacerbate the TMJ problem of disk wear, you also wear off your teeth and then have to have crowns or veneers (like I have) which is very expensive...and if you don't then you have failing health because you can't eat right anyway.
Please PM me and I will give you the name of my oral surgeon and they probably will give you the name of a respectable oral surgeon in your area that you can trust to do the very best work for you!
Don't delay, you deserve to live without this problem!