Dear Diary,
For a moment I forgot where I putted my occlusal splint. I panicked because I thought I left it at my boyfriend house. Luckily it was in the pocket of the long shirt I use like a jacket.
During this period everything is going wrong, it certainly could be worst, but it's a miserable situation. Only one thing is gone for the right way: my occlusal splint. I love it.
Since I was a child I have had problems at temporomandibular joint, and no one was able to fix it without an invasive and dangerous surgery. I sow the surgery and I prefer the pain.
I was in pain for years, but with the stress of lockdowns I started also to grind and groan my teeth, and the pain became intolerable, until my jaw blocked.
I became desperate and I went to the dentist and he told me that he could not help me, except for the surgery: two years of orthodontic therapy presurgery, then the surgery with an high risk of facial paralysis and relapses, then two years of postsurgery orthodontic therapy. I would have finish at 30 years old, with the risk of not resolving anything, with 15.000€ (that I don't have) spent in tortures and an incredible amount of pain because of the detachment of the facial nerve.
I watched the dentist, he watched me, I watched him badly, and he watched me sorry.
I said: "Blody hell! No!"
He said: "Ok, let's do a try. I don't think it will work, but we will try anyway."
And he made me the occlusal splint, a plaque of resin to put on the upper teeth. It's big, it's goofy, it makes me talk weird and it totally works!
I'm fine! No jaw blocks, no oral pain, and also no back pain, neck pain, shoulders pain! I'm totally fine! It works even more than I expected, it solved problems that I didn't figure out was related with the jaws disorder!
When people realize that I'm 26 and I'm wearing a mobile dental brace and I have to wear it for the rest of my life, they look at me with pity, but I don't feel embarrassed or miserable, I'm just happy of not being in pain! I love my splint, and when I have to remove it (like when I eat or when people around me are embarrassed by it, I don't know why) I actually feel uncomfortable.
I simply love my occlusal splint! It's the only thing I can onestly say I'm happy and grateful about.