#126 Protocol and Device are Both Necessary and Work Together.

One Without the Other is Not as Effective. 

The Urbanek Device and Protocol is the result of a thorough and independent investigation about the mechanisms within the body responsible for the disparate symptoms of TMD/TMJ, (Frequent and/or recurring headache, earache, jaw pain, neck pain, facial pain, ringing in the ears, subjective hearing loss, vertigo, upper back and shoulder pain and tightness, arm/hand/finger tingling and numbness, and various kinds of jaw locking). 

That investigation was begun after 36 years and over 2000 surgical cases for the treatment of TMD attempting to figure out why 1/3 of the surgical cases resulted in less than acceptable results. At that point in time, everyone knew there was no solution for TMD.  Most dentists wanted nothing to do with the problem because they thought it was a “black hole”.  If they did anything about the problem, they did what they were taught in dental school and delivered the patient a night guard which protected the teeth from the damage of bruxism but did nothing to treat the disease.  The physicians were so confused about the symptoms some called their patients crazy.  The best they could do was prescribe pharmaceuticals in an attempt to handle the pain.  Some simply said, “Go see your dentist”.  Neither dentist nor physician wanted to treat the problem, and the patients were run around in circles looking for help, many for decades. 

Having considerable experience doing research, having been a research fellow with the National Institutes of Health/National Institutes of Dental and Craniofacial Research for two years I knew how to do an independent study. My intent was to start from the beginning and exclude all forms of previous bias regarding the problem, especially my own.  All the prior information about TMD/TMJ, whether it was in textbooks, journal articles, lectures, Specialty Congresses, or information from dental and medical colleagues always had built in biases.  To exclude any bias, the investigation needed to start with the patients who had the symptoms.  Information from the patients would contain no bias regarding cause.  Their only bias would be in the form of what, if anything, was useful in alleviating the symptoms.  I had plenty of patients to interview. 

On interview, half of the first 24 patients said if they placed various objects between their front teeth and closed them together the painful symptoms decreased.  Following the patients lead, instead of the biased information originating from my colleagues, I designed a device that fits between the front teeth.  It was designed so the patient could talk with it easily, wear 24/7 if necessary, and drink hot and cold fluids.  They did need to take it out to eat. 

The first patient to use the device returned in 3 weeks and reported that her painful symptoms were gone.  It took 20 patients with similar results to determine that a protocol for use was necessary to get the best results.  That protocol turned out to be 24/7, (day and night, except during meals) for 2 months, followed by nighttime, (sleep time), the rest of the patient’s life.  Wearing the device in any other way produced only moderate inconsistent results.  Wearing the device 24/7 for two months, followed by nighttime indefinitely produced excellent, predictable results with patients consistently reporting 90% to 100% of their symptoms were relieved permanently.  These included the non-painful symptoms of tinnitus, subjective hearing loss, vertigo, and jaw locking. 

The Urbanek Device and Protocol were thus born. 

The Urbanek Device and Protocol work as a team.  It was found that patients must follow the protocol to get the best results.  That was proven time and time again when patients who were not protocol compliant did not achieve full recovery, who then followed the protocol correctly and achieved the 90-100% symptom relief. 

The device and protocol are both necessary to achieve the results promised.