u/-fancy_

About 5 years ago I had two molars pulled and it became the beginning of my tmj journey. I only had clicking for about a year or so then it staryed to hurt. It got so bad I could only do soft food and even talking hurt too much sometimes. Constant daily pain that rarley felt relief. Heat cold cyclos and cbd helped a little bit. My dr and dentist where of no help to me. Physio and IMS help a little. I eventually saved the money to go to an occlusal rehabilitation specialist who ended up giving me a repositioning splint that I wear 24/7 on my bottom teeth. Ive had this for about a year and it has helped immensely. Im told this isn't supposed to be a long term solution and that it will eventually stop working and what im supposed to do now is get braces to repositioning my teeth to match my new bite.

The problem im having now is that ive recently been diagnosed with a rare metabolic degenerative genetic condition called hypophosphatasia that effect the bones and teeth among other things. Ive always had dental problems and am missing 3 teeth. I also have a bunch of chronically loose teeth (maybe half of them) which i didnt realize wasn't normal. Anyways, some people with hypophosphatasia have an ok time with braces but some people end up with the braces pulling their teeth out and doing lots of damage and I am worried that since my teeth are loose already that braces will do more harm than good.

All this to say... im curious if there's anyone whose had a repositioning splint and didnt get braces afterwards, what was you're experience? Right now I feel like I don't have any good options and don't want to drop a bunch of money I don't have on braces if they are going to make things worse. Also very scared of going back to the pain I was in before my splint. Since hypophosphatasia is so rare, none of my practitioners (besides the rheumatologist who diagnosed me) have heard of it and they all just write it off as not important.

Any thoughts/advice/experience would be greatly appreciated.