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Thank you for your reply Dr. Luisi!
I was fitted with a custom oral appliance by a doctor to treat my moderate sleep apnea. Over the course of about 5 months the appliance was adjusted using flexible plastic straps to bring my lower jaw further forward. Around the 5 month mark the appliance fit was very tight and my teeth were a bit sore in the morning. Even after doing the exercises to re-align my jaw, I started to experience pain while chewing. After a few weeks the pain subsided which I attribute to the appliance straps stretching.
At the 6 month mark I had a sleep study performed with the appliance in and my apneas had improved to the point where the doctor said I was treated. Shortly afterward I got a new strap for the appliance as they need to be replaced regularly due to stretching. Right after putting on the new strap I started to experience pain again in the left side of my jaw the next day when chewing. I tried backing off one step and using a larger/looser strap. The appliance was less tight but I still experienced pain chewing. Within a week the pain in my left side while chewing was too much to handle and I could not eat solid food. I now had a "click" or "pop" feeling near my ear when I chewed. I discontinued use of the appliance. Pain while chewing finally subsided about 2 weeks later but now I can hear and feel clicking in my left and right sides (near my ear) when I chew. I don't feel pain but the clicking is somewhat annoying. Prior to using the appliance I never had any jaw issues or pops.
The doctor recommended putting the appliance back in and starting over at the beginning setting and slowing working my way back to where I was. The question I have is: now that my jaw clicks when it used to be quiet and because I experienced a lot of pain chewing, is it safe or even a good idea to use the appliance? Could my jaw be weakened or prone to getting injured again due to this?
