[Trombone-l] tmj problems

[Simon Bailey]

hi all,

just looking for some advice here. for some reason i managed to get an inflamed
temporomandibular joint sometime at the beginning of september. basically i woke
up with a locked jaw which i couldn't open. the doctor gave me an immediate ban
on playing until it clears up totally, also saying that it might take up to a
year. gave me some anti-inflammatory tablets and that was it. they helped some,
but i still can't play without pain right now. 

i went for a second opinion to a different oral surgeon who has decided that --
while not 100% definite -- my off-canter wisdom teeth might be the root cause,
and they need to be removed. [they should have been removed about 10 years ago].
all this said and done, she's not totally sure that that will sort out my jaw
problems though, but the wisdom teeth will cause more problems if i don't have
them removed.

has anyone been through the process of having all 4 wisdom teeth removed? i'll
be having them out two at a time. 

another question: has anyone ever been through tmj disorders
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temporomandibular_joint_disorder) and how did it
work out for you? [i'd like to able to play again _before_ next september :)]

regards,
sb