Your dentist checked your bite, made impressions, and charged you $500 for a guard. But did anyone test if you're part of the 22% with magnesium deficiency? The NIH warns splints can worsen pain, yet dentists keep making them. People wear guards for years with no improvement, never knowing their muscles are mineral-starved. Every TMJ forum has someone who's tried everything - guards, physical therapy, Botox, considering surgery. Almost none say their doctor checked magnesium levels. When you fix the actual deficiency instead of managing symptoms, you stop talking about coping strategies. You talk about eating burgers without dismantling them first, having steak for the first time in years, and forgetting you even have TMJ. Your mouth moves over 2000 times daily. Feed those muscles what they need and food stops being your enemy.