All too often in dentistry has focused on the treatment of symptoms only. Examples of symptoms would be “My tooth broke,” “I lost my filling,” “I’m concerned about my receding gums.” Many of us treat our patients based on our foundational education in dental school and while this is helping to alleviate immediate pain and discomfort, this type of treatment does not address the
“root” cause.
Admittedly, I have followed this approach to patient care and have felt I can raise the level of care to achieve more predictable long term results. The decision has been made to pursue advanced training to focus achieving long term results and be pain free. This level will be offered to our new and existing patients seeking a higher level of treatment that ultimately is more conservative in nature.
The objective of our approach will be to restore the system associated with digestion, breathing, speech, smiling and best of all kissing! Any disharmony in this system affects our ability to perform any of these aforementioned functions, in addition to pain throughout your body.
The following information is arranged partly as outline and as report. The idea is to introduce new information formatted in a manner easy to understand and refer to in the future:
Many of our new and existing patients have chronic pain in the following areas:
These are just some of the areas often associated with temporal mandibular disorder or TMD. This type of disorder is associated with the temporal mandibular joint and the pain can be quite intense. Due to the complexity of the temporal mandibular joint, many dentists have and continue to refer their patients to a “TMD Specialist” for treatment.
Graphic Of System
As our practice continues to evolve, we are now treating the entire system associated with chewing, not just your teeth.
The “system” is called the stomatognathic system and involves 3 components:
When these 3 components are not in harmony, problems may arise, including some or all of the following signs:
How do we get to the bottom of this?
Our ability to adapt to any disharmony in the system may mask any symptoms until a catastrophic event happens, for example a piece of your tooth breaks off. For this reason, we are one of the few dental practices recommending what is called a “Comprehensive Oral Evaluation” for any of our new and existing patients displaying any of the above 6 signs.
A comprehensive oral evaluation consists of:
The burning question…
Depending on your particular circumstance this exam may broken down to approximately 2-3 appointments and the cost is as follows:
“WOW that’s alot of money!” “Geez doc that seems a bit expensive,” “There’s no way I’m paying that much for an exam.”
These are actual responses from those without a perceived problem. It’s not for everyone, we understand and it’s ok. If you don’t have a perceived value then you may not be ready for this level of treatment. The majority of patients accepting this level care are seeking to get out of pain, “dentally disabled” and hobbled by chronic pain. Living in pain is not an option for those willing to take charge of their circumstance, tired of being depressed, tired of talking about pain and looking to re-energize their lives.
Depending on your particular insurance there will be coverage for components of the evaluation and this something we can help you with. The information derived from the comprehensive oral evaluation helps to determine the treatment plan designed to achieve harmony between the joint, muscles and teeth.
The types of treatment plans may involve one or more of the following:
Your Next Step
When harmony is achieved more conservative treatment is now possible! For example after an equilibration a tooth that would “normally” need a crown would only need a filling.
If you are interested in learning more about this topic, schedule an appointment for a consultation and interview. Our staff is dedicated to helping all within our community achieve healthy gums, comfortable bite and smile that truly reflects who you are!
Please call 978-630-1702 and either Angel or Waleska will help schedule you at a convenient time to start the process of recovery.