#58 “How Come No One Ever Told Me About this Before?” (Part 6)

“How Come No One Ever Told Me About this Before?” (Part 6)

This is the sixth in a series of articles designed to answer the most common question asked by our patients after years or even decades of suffering life altering TMD/TMJ symptoms.  We often hear, “How come no one ever told me about this before?”  This question is often mirrored by their statement, “The only thing I regret is not knowing about this device and protocol much sooner.”

This article will focus on the government and its disinterest in this highly prevalent health care problem.

For the first 36 years of my career as an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon I did not pay much attention to the prevalence of TMD/TMJ. When a patient presented with TMD/TMJ symptoms I verified the diagnosis and applied what surgical procedure that was touted as most effective.  I constantly read the literature and knew that several studies showed the prevalence throughout the world at between 15% and 30% which varied between the countries studied and the symptoms included in the study.  I found out that the actual prevalence was much higher when I quit performing surgery for TMD/TMJ and applied what I found out about the actual root cause of the problem.

When “Migraine Headaches” and “Meniere’s Disease” (Ringing, Subjective hearing Loss, and Vertigo) are included in the symptom list the prevalence expands to 45% of females in the United States have TMD/TMJ.

That is a huge portion of the population. Roughly 76million females in the USA suffer from symptoms of TMD/TMJ and a much smaller number of males. TMD/TMJ is primarily a female disease because ESTROGEN EXACERBATES INFALMMATION. This fact, present in the scientific literature for over 50 years, is unknown to the dental establishment. And I placed Migraine headaches and Meniere’s Disease in quotes because the medical establishment constantly misdiagnose TMD/TMJ as Migraines and Meniere’s.

By the time I established TMJ Services in 2014 for the purpose of treating TMD/TMJ non-surgically I was certain that both the dental and medical establishments would jump at the chance to finally have a scientifically verified solution for the problem, based on the fact inflammation within the TMJ is the root cause of all the symptoms.  I was certain that those in government who monitor, financially support, and encourage investigation in health care problems would be quite pleased that someone had discovered the root cause of TMD/TMJ and figured out a predictable, successful, non-surgical treatment. I was wrong.

In March of 2019 I traveled to Washington DC to attend the much-promoted meeting of the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) called to bring together a panel of the best minds in the county who had interest in studying and solving the TMD/TMJ conundrum. With some difficulty I was allowed to present my findings to the august group of scientists and researchers present.  In my brief seven-minute presentation I outlined my research based on 3000 successfully treated patients. My presentation was followed by perfunctory hand clapping.  Present in the audience were several of my dental and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery colleges who commented afterward regarding the astounding revelation of the root cause of TMD/TMJ.  With great anticipation I waited for an email or call from members of the panel wanting to follow up with more information and questions about the information presented.  After six months of anticipation, I decided that the call was not coming.  When the proceedings of the three-day meeting finally was published 2 years later, any reference to my presentation was omitted. More disappointing, having read the entire 280-page book-bound document, no mention was made regarding inflammation and its relationship to TMD/TMJ.

Present during that three-day meeting were representatives from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institutes of Dentistry and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), FDA, American Dental Association, and American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons among others.

So, when our patients ask, “How come no one has ever told me about this before?” I can refer them to the seven-minute video available presenting my findings before the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine and the fact that the government dropped the ball.

If you think your symptoms may be due to TMD/TMJ schedule a consultation with either myself or my associate Dr. Ed Urbina.  We can confirm or rule out the diagnosis of TMD/TMJ with a comprehensive history, and simple examination and x-ray.

We are here to help you.