TMD or TMJ as some people say, is one of those things that you hear of people having, but never would’ve imagined you’d be amongst those people one day. TMD stands for Temporomandibular Joint Disorders. TMJ stands for your temporomandibular joint. It's the hinge that connects your jaw to the temporal bones of your skull, located in front of each ear. It allows you to move your jaw up and down and side to side, so you can talk, chew, and yawn. Being able to do these things is truly mindless. So mindless that you indeed begin to feel entitled to being able to do them. It’s your body right? So you should be able to do what you want… That is, until you can’t anymore.
The first time I woke up with lockjaw was shortly after my twenty-third birthday, and it was one of the scariest realizations of my life. Even though I hadn’t yet realized I was experiencing TBD. It was the type of inconvenience that was so concerning, I couldn’t think about it too hard unless I was prepared to have a panic attack. So I did what any "anti-panic Googler" would've done, and waited to see if it would heal naturally. I was already immensely worried, and didn't need google telling me I was going to die. So I waited over the course or the next 2-3 days, and saw no improvement. It literally felt like my jaw was sewn shut. Truly one of the strangest most frightening sensations in my life, thus far. I was in excruciating pain anytime I ate, drank, talked, yawned, sneezed, or laughed. So basically anything I did that involved my jaw. It was time to take action because it was progressively getting worse. None the less, a very eye opening experience to how much we as humans use our jaws, without even realizing. I think a jaw dropping experience is more fitting.
I posted on Facebook about what was going on, because that's better than google right?An old neighbor from my hometown who is a dentist reached out. Gotta love the power of social media! He instructed me to take tylenol, use heated compresses, and massage the area. Then there came the hard to swallow pill. He told me, "Typically once people experience this they will most likely always have it. You can always opt for surgery if you are deemed a candidate, but that’s if you can’t get it under control naturally." "Great" I thought. Could it get any worse? "Oh yeah, and stick to a liquid diet for the next month." He added. Well apparently the universe heard my question, and it's answer was, "Why yes, yes it can." No i'm just exaggerating, it wasn't that bad. Especially since i'm obsessed with soup and smoothies, but it did get old fast.
He explained to me why this probably happened, and that most people are unconscious clinchers. Typically this stems from stress. Something that I couldn’t deny having from time to time. Especially since I was out of my CBD at the moment. I immediately ordered more so I didn’t have to regularly take medicine to manage or should I say, mask this pain. As I waited on my CBD to come in the mail I opted for botox in the masseter muscle.
Botox can be placed in the masseter muscle, in the jaw area to contour the lower face and help with TMJ related pain. This helped while I waited on my CBD to come in, since my pain and lockjaw were continually getting worse. The stress of having to deal with the TMD is probably the factor of things getting worse. The masseter treatment got me through the beginning of this journey, and definitely helped to ease things up. Considering the mobility in my jaw was lessened, making it near impossible for me to clench at all.
The only reason I wouldn’t do it again is because my face is already extremely narrow, so I don’t need any additional contour to my jaw. As my face is not square shaped, but more of an oval shape. Also with singing in our band, Good Mourning Dew, I need all of the mouth and jaw mobility I can get! So it was really just something to get me through until my CBD came in. I highly recommend it though if you don’t mind your face being slimmed a little, and your mobility being slightly lessened! I saw Barbie at Head to Toe Med Spa, in Wilmington NC for this service! She is amazing, and I highly recommend her if this is a treatment you are interested in.
I take my CBD every morning and night now religiously, so I really don’t need this anymore. It tremendously helped get me through the pain at first by weakening the muscle, so that I couldn’t make things worse than they already were. I mean, my jaw wasn’t just shut it was shut shut. Being instructed to stay on a liquid diet was sad enough, and even that was barely possible.
By the time my CBD was here, and registered in my body due to my consistent morning and evening use, things started to look up. Miraculously, I could eat what I pleased, laugh as hard as I wanted, and talk with expression again! This God created plant was truly a heaven sent, in a time of desperation. I could chew gum again. I could laugh at my Mom's silly jokes! Feelings of mental and physical freedom all flooding back into my aura. I was free, and feeling amazing for the first time in what felt like a decade of dealing with this.
For those of you that don’t know, CBD stands for cannabidiol. CBD derives directly from the hemp plant, which is a cousin of the marijuana plant. The difference is CBD contains less than 0.3% of THC. Meaning there are no psychoactive properties being that the measly percentage of THC is not enough to get you high. According to a report from the World Health Organization, “In humans, CBD exhibits no effects indicative of any abuse or dependence potential…. To date, there is no evidence of public health related problems associated with the use of pure CBD.” This brings me to my next point. Are you sure that your CBD is pure?
CBD can help a variety of problems; mentally and physically, but it can also just act as a placebo liquid if your source isn’t pure. Many people haven’t a clue that 80% of hemp actually comes from China, and is sprayed with herbicides and pesticides during cultivation. Also, 90% of what is on the market is currently mislabeled! If you want CBD to help aid in healing your TMJ, anxiety, headaches, depression, insomnia, back pain, seizures, etc. Or at least make them better, it’s important you know your source.
I am an advocate for Green Compass Global because I believe in their products, and personally use them myself. My company’s hemp is grown under strict cultivation and sustainability practices. Our products are crafted to meet our customer’s high standards. The quality begins in the soil, and hemp is no easy plant to tend to. Especially when growing standards are as strict as Green Compass's. I love this about our company. It makes me feel like I am giving my body the best of the best.
You see, each of our body’s have something called an endocannabinoid system, including animals! ECS for short. The ECS regulates many bodily functions, such as sleep, mood, pain, appetite, and responses from the immune system. CBD helps block harmful compounds from entering our ECS receptors, or helps guide helpful compounds into these receptors.
If you are someone like me that experiences TMD, just know that I am sorry! This isn’t something we bargained for, but with proper care it can certainly be managed. I hope you find comfort in knowing you are also not alone. I can still tell that I have it, but because of my vigorous care I am still able to do everything I was able to do and eat anything I was able to eat, before being diagnosed. Thank God. Life royally sucked for those first two weeks I experienced lockjaw as a side effect.
Below I am going to link everything that I use on a daily basis. These products basically help me forget that I am one amongst millions who suffer from this. The CBD I take every morning and evening is the cinnamon flavored 750mg from Green Compass Global. You can contact me directly with questions regarding products and dosing. I have also linked both the facial massaging tool I use every morning around my jaw area with the oil. The oil is to help the tool glide easier, and they're good for your skin. It's a win win, and this feels like heaven! Lastly I have linked the pillow I use to help me sleep on my back instead of on my side. Many people aren’t aware, but this can either cause or make your TMD worse. This is due to the lateral pressure it puts on your jaw.
This link above is for my CBD. Please contact me directly if you have any questions regarding the product, dosing, or business- (910)-273-3470. If you don't have any questions and you would like to go ahead and place an order, I personally recommend clicking the button at checkout, "add to autoship". This is completely free to sign up for, and can be canceled at anytime. The benefit is that you will receive 20% off, which is actually the same discount I get for being an advocate! If you don't cancel your autoship, it will be set to run every 30 days. You will get an email notifying you prior. You can always skip the month by pushing it out another 30-60 days, keep or change your order!
These two links above are for the facial stones, oils, and back-sleeper pillow that I personally use to help my TMJ. These compliment my CBD regimen beautifully. I always say, "if you have the option to make something better, why wouldn't you?" Food for thought. Make sure to download the LikeToKnowIt app to keep up with the direct links for anything I am posting. I typically post all things style, decor, health, beauty, and kitchen essentials!
Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMJ & TMD): Overview, https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/temporomandibular-disorders-tmd, WebMD
Brad Dixon DMD, https://www.smilesbydixon.com/what-is-the-difference-between-tmj-tmd#:~:text=TMJ%20versus%20TMD,or%20misalignment%20of%20the%20TMJs., Brad Dixon, DMD
Masseter Botox: About, Procedure, Side Effects & More, https://www.healthline.com/health/masseter-botox#uses, Healthline, January 07, 2021
Our Story, https://carliesturtz.greencompassglobal.com/home/about, Green Compass, Inc
7 Benefits and Uses of CBD Oil (Plus Side Effects), https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cbd-oil-benefits#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3, Healthline, February 26, 2018