diving and TMJ

[bigred177]

my mom is taking her OW classes right now and her TMJ is really bothering her. her instructor said that there are a few things that she could do to help it but not many. i was wondering if anyone here knew of any ways to help this. also, would her TMJ affect her ability to equalize or is that something else? either way, im going to show her that video on equalization.
thank you

 

[Jasonmh]

I have a TMJ problem too. When you first start diving there is a tendancy to bite way harder than required to hold on to that mouthpiece. I tried several different mouthpieces, including the Seacure, before finding one that worked best for me. If there is a constant feeling of the reg being pulled from her mouth, she might want to look at hose lenght/routing.
For me, getting more comfortable with diving helped, because I was able to relax more.
Focusing on griping that mouthpiece just firmly enough so that it doesn't fall out, trying some different mouthpieces (they are relatively cheap and easy to swap out yourself), and looking at your reg hose length to make sure that there is no undue push or pull on the second stage as you turn your head, might help her.
Good Luck.

BTW - the one that I finally settled on that works great for me is this one:
ComfoBite Mouthpiece
If has a small ridge that sits behind the teeth, helping it stay in place better without needing to bite down as hard. There are many others too, ritebite, manta, secure, etc.

 

[String]

What is a "tmj" ?

 

[Jasonmh]

What is a "tmj" ?

It is kind of a generic problem with the joint in your jaw. Some people have trouble chewing, clicking and cracking noises, pain, sometimes your jaw can lock open or closed, etc.

Temporomandibular joint disorder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Firefyter]

BTW - the one that I finally settled on that works great for me is this one:
ComfoBite Mouthpiece
If has a small ridge that sits behind the teeth, helping it stay in place better without needing to bite down as hard. There are many others too, ritebite, manta, secure, etc.

I have the same problem, but to a much lesser degree. I also use the Comfobite. The key to using this mouthpiece is that you don't have to bite down at all. The ridge sits right behind your top row of teeth. It's very relaxed, with no pressure at all. There are times now that I have to remind myself to keep my mouth closed or risk getting a mouthful of water...LOL.

BTW, it has no effect at all on equalization.....

 

[redrover]

I’m sure gaining experience hence comfort underwater will lessen the grip force.

I was bothered by the tugging, felt more like pulling out to me. I had to hang onto the regulator even with a hand at times so one of the reasons I got an Atomic with Swivel. Just adjust the position to my personal angle and with no biting down at all, I forget there is a regulator at my mouth.

 

[highdesert]

I have no personal experience with TMJ in me or my family, but I would think a custom molded mouthpiece like SeaCure or similar would almost be a mandatory first step to alleviate it.

 

[Boomer1]

I have TMJ and expected to have issues with it and diving, but never had had any issues. I've always been very aware of how I'm biting on the mouthpiece so perhaps I'm just being so careful it's not a problem.

My husband doesn't have it, but would get a sore jaw with the mouthpiece that came with his reg. He got one of those that you fit to your bite and it helped him out. That might be something to suggest to your Mom. Wow..cool. I wish my Mom would go diving with me. That's awesome.

 

[bigred177]

thanks everyone for being so quick to reply. ill send her this and see what she can workout.

 

[PM-Performance]

I have TMJ bad and under went all kinds of treatment.
Yes it will likely cause you equalization problems. It did for me big time. My right side of my jaw was the main problem. Low and behold, my right ear would always fight me to equalize.

I got a Seacure mouth piece now. I didnt dive with it yet, but in my mouth it feels like night and day.
The less strain and fatigue on your jaw the better it will be.