How painful is tmj surgery afterwards?

It depends: As with all pain, your pain after TMJ surgery is multifactorial and depends on a lot of factors, including how much pain you are in before surgery and how you handle pain in general. After TMJ arthroscopy there is very little pain for only a few days. Open joint surgery, or arthroplasty, will result in more pain for a longer period of time. But for most patients that need TMJ surgery it's worth it.

Not bad: Like any surgery, there is discomfort for several days aftwerward. The doctor should prescribe a pain medication and give you post op instructions to follow to keep you as comfortable as possible following the procedure. You should feel gradual improvement every day following the surgery, if not, see your doctor.

What type of surgery: Less invasive surgery (flushing out the joint) may not bee too painful. Invasive joint surgery can be almost debilitating and it is especially important to also remember to treat why the joints were compromised in the first place. You must treat both the causes (why it went bad) as well as the tissue injury (joint injury equals the effect).

Depends: Depends on the type of surgery. Arthrocentesis (flushing out the joint) - minimal pain. Arhroscopic surgery (with a scope) mild pain. Arthroplasty (open surgery) moderate-marked pain.