#176 Why Treat Symptoms Instead of the Cause

Over the past 200 years the healing professions have discovered the solution for a variety of diseases. Tuberculosis which filled hospitals in the 19th century is almost unheard of today because of the discovery that Isoniazid effectively kills tuberculum bacillus bacteria. The scourge of polio filling entire hospital wards with iron lungs has been almost entirely eradicated worldwide because of the discovery of the Salk polio vaccine and its elimination of the polio virus. In 1890 Dr. Willoughby D. Miller, often called the first oral microbiologist, proposed the “chemico-parasitic” theory in his landmark work, “The Micro-organisms of the Human Mouth.” He demonstrated that bacteria in the mouth ferment dietary carbohydrates (like sugars) into lactic acid, which then dissolves tooth enamel to create cavities. After Miller’s discovery, oral hygiene evolved from a focus on pain relief (pulling teeth) to prevention (keeping them). This shift transformed dentistry into a science-based profession and introduced the daily habits we follow today. Before the 1900s, dentists only treated existing problems. In 1907, Dr. Alfred Fones realized that regular cleaning could reduce the bacteria Miller identified. Bacteria caused dental decay and if you routinely removed the bacteria and bacterial plaque by brushing the teeth the symptoms of dental decay and dental pain would not occur.

What do tuberculosis, polio, and dental decay have in common? Eventually, someone discovered the cause of the disease which eliminated the need to treat the symptoms of lung consumption, lung paralysis, and dental pain.

So why do 21st century dentists insist on continuing to treat the symptoms of Temporomandibular Joint Disorder, (TMD), instead of the cause. It has been conclusively demonstrated that chronic inflammation within the Temporomandibular Joint, (TMJ), creates all of the disparate symptoms of TMD.

The answer may surprise the reader. The short answer is the lack of the application of science and critical thinking on the part of the dental educators and practicing dentists.

It has been scientifically and statistically proven that decreasing chronic inflammation within the TMJ will decrease the symptoms. Chronic inflammation causes the symptoms. Make the chronic inflammation go away and the symptoms will go away. This information has been in the scientific orthopedic literature for over 50 years, but dentists continue to treat the symptoms with drugs to decrease pain and suppress the nervous system, botulinum toxin A (Botox) to paralyze muscles that are painful, night guards that protect the teeth from fracturing due to clenching and grinding, (Bruxism) and dry needling to relax painful muscles. These are just four of the most prominent examples of treating symptoms instead of eliminating the cause, chronic inflammation.

Fifteen years ago, Dr. Tony Urbanek discovered removing the functional loads on the TMJ using a simple oral device and protocol decreases the chronic inflammation within the TMJ, thus decreasing the symptoms. The Urbanek Device and Protocol eliminate the cause of TMD like eliminating the cause of tuberculosis, polio, and dental decay eliminates their symptoms.

Dentists have been limited to treating symptoms for decades and it’s hard-to-get doctors to change their professional biases and habits. Oral Surgeons want to do surgery, and dentists want to do what they were taught in dental school even though it is scientifically indefensible. Then there is the influence of pharmaceutical companies with their unlimited marketing dollars convincing doctors that drugs are the answer. I’m sure you know of several examples of that recently which have turned out badly.

It is an enigma why most dentists prefer to treat the symptoms of TMD rather than the cause. If you know of a dentist who treats TMD symptoms rather than the cause, you might consider asking why.