Gorgeous IS Healthy!

By Jeffrey L. Brown, DDS

Did you know that part of treating TMD cases involves making that person feel prettier or more handsome? Well, now you know – it most certainly DOES matter! We have all heard that if we look good, then we feel good. And vice versa as well. In the world of treating TMJ disorders, it is important to recognize the psychological aspects of that treatment as well.

Consistently when a TMD patients enters the office their faces do not look good. The person simply does not look healthy at all. More often than not, there are circles under their eyes from lack of sleep due to the pain they are experiencing or in combination with OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea). They often are slouching over because this helps take the pressure off the slipped jaw joints discs- the articular discs. Their eyes are not bright or widely open. Oftentimes these people are dressed in a very dreary fashion- dark or saggy clothing that matches how they feel. It is so obvious these people do not feel well.

So here is begins. After an initial examination and discussion of what is going on, most of the time an order for a TMJ MRI is written and a CBCT x-ray is taken. In many cases, an HST (Home Sleep Test) and an order to perform a Vit D₃ analysis is also done. With all these data points, it now becomes much easier to diagnose the person’s condition and come up with a plan for treatment. Oftentimes, the list of problems is quite long, unfortunately. In almost all cases the person has a narrow airway that is making their breathing difficult, along with a distorted cervical spine, and most of the cranial bones are out of alignment, and to top it all off, the TMJ discs are displaced. Diagnosis: OUCH! Outcome: I feel lousy!

When a person begins treatment, in almost all cases they start to sleep a bit better because appliance therapy opens the vertical in their mouth which opens the airway and takes pressure off the slipped discs in the TM joints. Now the circles under their eyes start to go away because they are sleeping better. As the TMD appliances start to work, the pain in the joints starts to abate and they now sleep even deeper with better restorative sleep.

When ALF appliances are the course of treatment, oftentimes dizziness reduces because the skull is lined up straighter and the eyes line up better as well. In so many cases, tinnitus reduces as the skull aligns and the pain reduces. It is a process, and it does take time, but with so many people the treatment is effective and worth every penny.

Back to being gorgeous. When you sleep better, you feel better. When there is less pain, you feel better. Less dizziness, less tinnitus, less headaches, etc. You feel better. And when you feel better you look better, you look healthier, you look gorgeous!