I read some literature on this a while back and my takeaway was that surgery often doesn't work (and sometimes makes it worse), and most dentists and maxillofacial surgeons have no good answers. Of course, I didn't read everything ever. That was just my impression.

My medical approach if I had this issue:

My first exploration would be light physical therapy if there is any, inflammation reduction, and addressing what's irritating that area so much if possible. A mouth guard is a good start. Wearing your splint more often may actually help with that.

No gum chewing or other tough foods for a while. Probably forever, as joint problems tend to come back once you have them.

Periodically relax all the muscles in your upper body. Like you're melting into whatever you're sitting or laying on. Let your jaw completely relax. Your lips will probably part and you'll probably start feeling a tingling/vibration in your entire head as you travel down to the next, relaxing all muscles. I do this for neck pain and headaches and they've improved a lot.

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I’ve completely stopped chewing on that side which has been quite an adjustment but agreed I don’t want to go super invasive. Light therapy is a good idea, been keen to try and no risks.

Bob and Brad on YT are great. I've followed them for years and they've always seemed evidence based and knowledgeable. They helped with some of my own chronic joint pains.

https://m.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEA&search_query=Bob+and+brad+tmj

Nostr right now will probably yield more useless bullshit than anything, unfortunately. There's a lot of quackery on here.

Relaxing your jaw like this may close your airway a bit, so use a recliner or something similar to breathe better if necessary.