Muscle pain with micro02

Hi! I have received the micro 02 appliance just recently. It is starting off advancing very little so I know the problem is not that it is extended too far. My question is, I wake up with no soreness and actually feel pretty good. Throughout the day my jaw soreness gets worse and worse. Until I get headaches. It’s almost as if my jaw doesn’t really know “where to land“ if that makes sense. I find my jaw protruding forward to the exact position of appliance when it is not in! I use a jaw repositioner in the morning. Of course, I have only used it for 2 nights. I dread wearing it again. I do have TMJ problems and have worn a nightguatd at night to control clenching/grinding, so wearing something at night doesn’t bother me. But the progressive muscle tension through the day does! Help! Will it go away as muscles lengthen?

Hi Adgrey,

Wow. You might want to scroll down to the "problems/trouble with appliances" post and reenter with your problem there. There are some very qualified dentists who will try to answer your question during their working hours.

I'm a fellow sufferer with TMJ disorder, which is now resolved by 1 year of wearing a 2 part appliance, called crozats, during the day (which brought my lower jaw forward permanently) plus a single-piece nighttime device that I wear every night (2 years later and counting) to maintain the new "bite". I will wear this nighttime device for the rest of my life. It must be maintained biannually. And thus, my jaw and bite have been permanently rearranged. It has improved my appearance. My face now appears more relaxed, probably because I'm pain-free. The treatment improved my apnea a little, but I'm still being treated simultaneously with CPAP for my severe sleep apnea. It has completely resolved my jaw pain which was brought about by the treatment pressures of my CPAP treatment. It was expensive, but I don't regret a penny of it.

My TMJ dentist has told me that the problem with most if not all of the appliances used for sleep apnea is that they move the jaw into a new position each night and then, when taken out, the muscles have to recover to the old position. And that really hurts. He says that those of us with pre-existing TMJ problems are not likely to adjust well to these appliances. He also said that most dentists are not aware of the problems that these appliances can cause to those of us with TMJ.

Try finding that sleep dentist post. I wish you well.

Thank you so much for your reply! I have heard of the “system” you did for your tmj... I am wondering if I need to go that route. Cause my jaw feels better forward, but during the day, if I don’t wear anything, it hurts. I just don’t know if I want to go down that route! Did you wear the daytime appliance full time for a year? Did you have to get braces to maintain you to that spot? Or do you do fine during the day now that you wore it for a year and only wear the nighttime appliance to Keep it forward at night? I have seen a neuromuscular dentist and I found I clenched real bad on the appliance he gave me. Thanks again for your reply! I am really wondering if this is the route I should look in to!

Ps- what were your jaw symptoms that made you begin that treatment?

Yes, I wore the "crozats" (an upper appliance with a lower appliance) for a full year. I was told to wear them at all times during the day, taking them out only to clean my mouth and teeth after eating and to pop them back in again ASAP. I had been in such pain before then - excruciating - and much worse when I would try to talk or eat. Any movement of my jaw was tortuous. My pain vanished immediately with my special appliances on the first day of treatment.

The crozats brought my lower jaw forward into a relaxed, natural position. My teeth were sore at first, just like they would have been had I had braces, but this passed after the first week or two. I had to relearn how to talk around my devices. I had to force myself to wear them while I ate. At night, I wore a one-piece appliance similar to a "twin block" to hold my jaw in the daytime position. Your dentist specializing in TMJ disorders will know what that is. I will wear this night time appliance from here on out. I was told not to wear the daytime appliances at night because the upper one especially could become dislodged and be swallowed. Braces were not used in this treatment.

Your neuromuscular dentist sounds like he is the right man for what you need. Take care. I wish you the best.