So you know where this information comes from, like the other posters,
I am not an expert, however, my husband is - he's an orthodontist.
There are various causes of TMD, so depending on what the cause of
your instance of TMD is, it can affect you in many different ways. In
addressing your questions, I'm going to answer based on TMD "in general".
1)how it affects ones "vocal life" (is it necessarily a death sentence
for a vocalist??) :(
There are varying degrees of severity of TMD. The more severe your
pain, the more it will affect you. It does not have to be a death
sentence. My husband said that it should not really affect your sound
unless it prohibits you from opening your jaw as much as you normally
would.
2)is there relief insight in overcoming it and getting back to some
degree of vocal ease, and healthy voice production (short of wearing
those appliances or retainers)
TMD is a disorder affecting your joints. My voice teacher always
reminds me to keep my jaw relaxed. If I am staying relaxed as
instructed, then unless I'm in constant severe pain from the TMD, it
should not affect vocal ease or healthy voice production at all.
I'm not sure which poster it was (maybe Naomi?) who said she wears an
appliance at night, but I did for several years. Like her, I used it
to keep from grinding my teeth into dust. As it was, when I stopped
wearing it, I had almost ground all the way through the bite guard.
The day I stopped wearing it, I got braces. I wasn't singing at the
time, so I can't tell you how the change in the shape of my mouth may
have affected my voice, but I can tell you that I no longer have any
pain in my jaw, and my teeth have stopped wearing away.
3) does one need to seek the advice of a speech pathologist to help
in the process of recovery and better use of the jaw/mouth?
I don't really know about this one. I suppose it would depend on
what's causing the TMD in your case and the severity in the limitation
of opening your jaw. If alignment is the problem, I really don't see
how a speech pathologist would help - you'd be better off consulting
an orthodontist. If it's caused by something else, a speech
pathologist might be appropriate, but again, I don't know the cause of
the TMD in your case.
I hope all this helps!
Miki
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