800.297.2804
I am frequently asked about the indications for use of “nightguards” and what type of nightguard I recommend. A few years ago I was asked this question during a presentation I was making at the Washington State Dental Hygiene Association annual meeting. My tongue and cheek response was that in most cases the #1 indication […]
Last October, my wife Anna and I attended the 22nd Annual Bernard Jankelson Memorial Lecture Forum in Tempe, Arizona. Dr. Jankelson was internationally known as the father of Neuromuscular Dentistry. The International College of Cranio-mandibular Orthopedics (ICCMO) holds this annual conference in honor of Dr. Jankelson who died in 1987. The speakers were primarily from the […]
Saturday was beautiful in Seattle and normally I would be hiking, biking, or working in my garden. However, on this particular Saturday I was presenting to the Washington State Dental Hygiene Association on the topic “TMJ Facts and Fallacies”.My presentation offered a primer on current craniofacial pain (CFP) diagnosis and treatment as well as information […]
Our experience with headache patients is typified by our patient Beth (the facts of this case are true, only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.) Beth was referred to me by a neighbor for evaluation of chronic jaw dysfunction including clicking and popping jaw joints, jaw-locking open and closed, and jaw muscle […]
Patients frequently present with mysterious pain or other symptoms in the head and jaws, which they do not associate with jaw dysfunction (TMJ-TMD). Recently a woman presented with the primary complaint of ear pain. Thinking she had an ear infection, she sought care from her primary physician and an ENT (ear, nose, and throat physician). […]
Recently, several studies have demonstrated a relationship between bacterial infections and degenerative TMJ disease. A study by Drs. Hughs, Hudson and Wolford published in the Journal of Maxillofacial Surgery (2000) found the bacteria, Chlamydia trachomatis, associated with the sexually transmitted disease Chlamydia, were present in 65% of a TMJ surgery patient group. Other studies have […]