Probably not, you can legally stick a TM symbol on just about anything without submitting any paperwork. There's a joke that TM stands for Totally Meaningless because it offers zero protection.
Yeah, if memory serves you have to have a registered trademark (the kind that gives you the circled "R") to have any real protection.
I think the plain TM might help you if it is published on paper (like in some well-known dated publication) and you are later fighting someone else for the registered trademark, but it might be only slightly better than no help whatsoever.