#100 Is There One Cause or Many Causes for TMD/TMJ?

Is TMD/TMJ Multifactorial of Unifactorial?

When you Google “what causes TMJ” this is what comes up from the Mayo Clinic.

• The disk erodes or moves out of its proper alignment
• The joint’s cartilage is damaged by arthritis
• The joint is damaged by a blow or other impact

In many cases, however, the cause of TMJ disorders isn’t clear.

This is what pops up from John’s Hopkins.

In many cases, the actual cause of this disorder may not be clear. Sometimes the main cause is excessive strain on the jaw joints and the muscle group that controls chewing, swallowing, and speech. This strain may be a result of bruxism. This is the habitual, involuntary clenching or grinding of the teeth. But trauma to the jaw, the head, or the neck may cause TMD. Arthritis and displacement of the jaw joint disks can also cause TMD pain. In other cases, another painful medical condition such as fibromyalgia or irritable bowel syndrome may overlap with or worsen the pain of TMD. A recent study by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research identified clinical, psychological, sensory, genetic, and nervous system factors that may put a person at higher risk of developing chronic TMD.

And here is what the Cleveland Clinic has to say about the cause of TMD/TMJ.

There’s no singular cause of TMD. Rather, it can be a result of many different factors or a combination of factors.

TMJ causes may include:

• Jaw injury (like a broken or dislocated jaw).
• Teeth grinding or clenching (bruxism).
• Arthritisin your jaw joint.
• Malocclusion (when your teeth don’t fit together exactly as they should).
• Stress.

These are the published statements from three of the most respected medical organizations on the planet.  Take a moment and carefully read all three again.

Did you notice that all three state the actual cause of TMD/TMJ is “unclear and there are many causes”.  Actually, this statement is consistent throughout the medical and dental literature regarding the cause of TMD/TMJ. The medical and dental professionals believe there are multiple causes. No wonder there is such confusion regarding this problem.  Everyone admits that the cause is unclear.  The result is that everyone just focuses on the symptoms and not the cause.  They didn’t and can’t pin down the cause so there is nothing left to do but treat symptoms.

But what if someone had the ability and took the time to study and do the research necessary to sort out this conundrum to find the real cause of all the symptoms?  What if this cause was the common denominator for all the symptoms?  What if this common denominator cause for all the symptoms was relatively easy to address, limit, and fix?  Would treating the cause be superior to just treating symptoms?

That is exactly what occurred 12 years ago when my first patient said, “It feels better if I place a pencil eraser between my teeth and gently bite down”.  From that simple beginning the Urbanek Device and Protocol was developed.  That first patient concurred with 10 more who all said if I place something between my front teeth and bite gently it feels better.  That turned into 30 cases responding favorably to a device and protocol that encourages anterior occlusion and separates the posterior teeth.  That turned into 100 cases with the same result.  That turned into 4000 cases with the same result. And now there are a growing number of doctors from practices in 19 states using the Urbanek Device and Protocol who obtain similar results.

The common denominator that creates the symptoms is chronic inflammation within the jaw joints.  It’s also chronic inflammation that drives fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome.  Fortunately, the easiest way to decrease chronic inflammation in a joint, knee, hip, elbow, or TMJ is to unload and rest the joint.

That is exactly how the Urbanek Device and Protocol works.  It rests the joint and allows the chronic inflammation to decrease to the point where the symptoms diminish.

Read the first three paragraphs again.  You will see they all describe the various ways to create chronic inflammation in the jaw joint.  Actually, there are many more.   But there is only one factor (unifactorial) which creates all the symptoms.