#36 TMJ is NOT a Dirty Word

What do you think of when you hear the word “TMJ”?  Do you think pleasant thoughts? Or do you think confused thoughts and vague ideas? Does it make you think of a disease that is easy to treat?  Or does it make you think of a big black hole that no one understands and once you fall into it you never get out?  Do you have friends and family that suffer from symptoms associated with TMJ/TMD that go from doctor to doctor looking for symptom relief. Does the word itself make you wonder why no-one has a good explanation for it or a successful treatment.

If so, you are not alone.  Patients usually have nothing good to say about TMJ/TMD.  Just about everyone has heard of “TMJ”.  But TMJ is the name of the joint, not the disease.  The confusion starts out with the name of the disease.

Furthermore, dentists and physicians who diagnose and treat the symptoms of TMJ/TMD would rather spend their time treating problems which have a known and quantitative solution rather than a vague concept with poorly understood symptoms.   Both patients and doctors avoid TMJ/TMD like they avoid using a dirty word.

What happens when you fully understand a problem?  When you fully understand the problem the solution to the problem becomes obvious.  If you have no hot water in your house and you understand everything about hot water heaters and plumbing, the solution will be obvious.  Knowledge is power.

Unfortunately, very few dentists and no physicians fully understand the problems associated with TMJ/TMD.  That is the problem with TMJ/TMD.  Dentists and Physicians don’t understand the problem.  How can you understand or practice the solution when you don’t understand the problem.

Here at TMJ Services we fully understand the problem.  Forty-six years of study and familiarization with patients who have TMJ/TMD.  In fact, it was the patients who gave me the key that opened the door to the solution.

We fully understand the problem and have the solution.

I did not think TMJ was a dirty word and confronted and learned about the problem in order to find the solution.

If you want to learn about the solution for TMJ/TMD give us a call.  We are here to help.