Part 5: Resolving Your Chronic Dental Issues, TMJ/TMD Pain and Migraine Headaches
Individuals suffering from chronic pain issues understand the frustration associated with finding solutions to chronic pain. Medicine and dentistry have made many advances over the last few decades, aiding in treatment and cure of human illness and trauma. Unfortunately, when it comes to chronic, nagging issues of pain, fatigue and malaise, we still have a long way to go to better understand and create systems to manage and care for sufferers. Medical and dental models are most successful at treating isolated acute issues that are easily resolved within short durations and by localized care practitioners. With the advent of improved communications, easily transferable, integrated, digital patient records and a greater focus on collaborative care, we are now entering an era in which dental and medical providers can work better both individually and collaboratively to manage issues of a chronic nature.
Like medical models, dental models of care also work best to manage quickly resolved issues. Not all dental issues are simple in nature. The Advanced Prosthetics Institute (API) of Prescott focuses on management of patients with chronic dental issues and issues of chronic facial pain such as Temporal Mandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ/TMD), neuromuscular pain and dysfunction, and migraine associated headaches.
Importance of Medical/Dental Collaborative Care
As this focus of API was developed, the biggest obstacle to overcome was crossing the communications barrier of collaborative patient care between dental and medical professionals. Complex chronic dental issues often have underlying contributing medical conditions, and, conversely, chronic dental issues can have adverse effects on general wellness and health. We have worked hard and continue to work at building relationships between API and our medical and supporting health care providers to build a team approach to care for patients suffering with chronic facial and dental pain issues. We are working to access and build better collaborative communication systems to get patients the access to providers and treatment needed when both dental and medical practices are required to help patients resolve issues.
Diagnosing Chronic Dental Issues
Chronic dental issues resulting in a collapsing dentition are often the result of tooth decay and gum disease. When addressing chronic dental issues, a dentist who is a diagnostician first (before being a clinician) is key, because chronic dental issues may have other, more serious, contributing factors. For example, acid is what causes tooth decay. Many Americans suffer from digestive issues, resulting in overproduction of stomach acids (i.e., heartburn, acid reflux, GERD), which, in turn, can acidify the mouth and oral saliva. An individual with such problems will suffer from tooth decay, as well as melting enamel and tooth minerals, despite good home and professional care. Additionally, a collapsing dental environment may not be the result of decay or gum disease at all. It may be the result of biomechanical stress resulting from tooth or jaw misalignment, creating negative forces on teeth that weaken or break them over time. TMD and migraine headaches are often the result of the combination of systemic acid or inflammation that preemptively irritated or fatigued facial muscles, combined with tooth/jaw misalignment, resulting in a patient desire to grind or clench teeth while sleeping. Pain arises, as already acidified damaged muscles become fatigued, inflamed and possibly spasm.
Treatment Options
Treatment requires care and input from multiple care modalities in both dentistry and medicine. “Biofunctional Disorders” require treatment with an interdisciplinary care approach, addressing the negative interaction of the hard and soft tissues of the mouth/jaw system that results in myofascial and/or neuromuscular pain of head and neck regions, possibly in conjunction with the deterioration of or damage to teeth, gums and temporomandibular joints.
To learn more, join me at our upcoming FREE informational seminar in collaboration with the Senior Connection Speakers Bureau:
TOPIC: “Secrets to Maintaining Your Dental Health: Preventive Methods To
Avoid Losing Teeth And Options For Replacing Them, If Necessary”
WHERE: Las Fuentes Resort Village, 1035 Scott Dr., Prescott
WHEN: Aug. 20th, 12-1 PM
RSVP: Online at www.APIDentalRehab.com/Register or by calling
928-776-0239
Eligible attendees will receive A FREE New Patient and 7 Series Bite Wing X-Rays.
If you would like to schedule a consultation immediately, please bring in our QCBN coupon, which provides you with a New Patient Consultation and 7 Series Bite Wing X-Rays for $29.99. ALL PROCEEDS received by the practices of Dr. Jason C Campbell DDS Cosmetic and Family Dentistry and the Advanced Prosthetics Institute will be contributed to Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters and go towards the cost of matching a Big and a Little. Call 928-776-0239 to schedule your appointment and support our Quad Cities community kids. QCBN
Dr. Jason C Campbell, DDS, of the Advanced Prosthetics Institute and Jason C Campbell, DDS, Cosmetic & Family Dentistry. Both offices are located at 139 W. Whipple St., Prescott. Learn more at www.APIDentalRehab.com and www.MyPrescottDentist.com.