Mouthguard is making my TMJ worse

[IgiveUp]

Hi

Im looking for a bit of advice. There seems to be lots of problems going on surrounding my teeth. 1 being TMJ, another the fact that i have no bottom molars on my right side, and i am now missing a molar from my left lower side also.

I have been to see my dentist today, as the nightguard i have to apparently help with my tmj was making me feel 100 times worse my teeth feel bruised my front ones more so, and i seem to have a habit of kicking the nightguard out in the middle of the night without realising. My dentist told me today that the nightguard no longer fits as my front teeth have begun to shift (they have always been quite overlapping but its become significantly noticeable in the last 10/11 months), i would love to know whats causing this is it normal and if they are going to continue shifting so that 1 tooth is almost completely overlapping the other then surely i need something to be done?
I have had ALOT of dental issues in the last 12 months and im almost sure that my dentist does not want to carry out any work because of this. For instance i was told that i should have a bridge fitted to fill the gap on my left side but today my dentist told me that i should just leave it.... so my question here is, will this be making my TMJ worse, will it affect my bite etc and what damage will just leaving it do?

My TMJ seems to take the blame for any pain i suffer from in my mouth regardless of sides, (i feel that it was stronger in the right side it is now being blamed for pain on the left hand side of my face to the point where i feel as though my jaw is going to crack on many occasions). Im curious about treatment options etc as no one has ever really covered them with me i was given jaw excersises which did nothing, infact at times it seemed worse, another problem forced me to eat liquidised food for almost a yr and only then did the pain become marginally easier. Am i right in thinking that there must be more i can do to help myself put a stop to this pain which has been goin on for probably over 5 years.

Thank you for your replies in advance

[Dr Pav Khaira]

Jaw joint based problems are complex in their nature. You would need a full consultation in order to be given any advice. Unfortunately jaw joint problem management is something not taught very well at university and as a consequence is not managed well in practice.

It does sound like all of your issues may be related, and with correct management it should be possible to stabilise the situation and deliver pain relief

I hope this helps