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TMJ conditions and/or Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) have been referred to as "the Great Impostor Disease". This is because TMJ/TMD are conditions that are commonly associated with other areas of the body and can therefore be overlooked as the source of headaches, ear problems, and/or upper cervical issues. Understanding these complex relationships and how they relate to dysfunction of the jaw, head, and neck is vital to an accurate diagnosis and treatment outcome. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Health(NIH), classifies TMJ/TMD by the following criteria:
TMD (Temporomandibular Disorder) occurs when the muscles that support and stabilize the jaw become dysfunctional. These muscles are closely related to the neck and shoulder muscles.
Internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint describes a dislocation or displacement of the articular disk, which is the fibrocartilaginous pad between the bony parts of the joint. This condition can vary widely in the degree of severity ranging from a mild displacement to complete dislocations.
A variety of bony changes can be seen from severe osteoarthritic remodeling to mild flattening/beaking of the condyles.
Our expertise is in first making the correct diagnosis and then tailoring treatment that is appropriate to the level and degree of each individual's need. It is common for most patients to have a combination of problems that must be assessed and treated accordingly. Each patient and case is unique. Our ability to evaluate and treat on an individual basis is what sets our practice apart.
Contrary to mainstream medical belief which is that important nutrients are readily available from a normal, balanced diet and that supplementing the diet with vitamins and minerals is a waste of money; we believe that the modern diet is inadequate to supply vital biologically active nutrients. That mainstream belief system doesn’t take into account the quality of the food sources that are mostly available today and how heavily those foods are processed prior to consumption. Perhaps, in an earlier time, when our population was less urbanized and closer to locally grown food sources that may have been more true than today when soils are depleted and heavily laced with all manner of chemicals, foods are highly processed, frozen, canned and often sit in warehouses and shelves for who knows how long and then steamed, heated and microwaved before consumption. Without going on a screed, it must also be considered that our foods are becoming more and more genetically modified for purposes other than their nutritional value. A recent study of TMJ patients being worked up as surgical candidates for their conditions showed that the greatest majority were deficient in a number of important and vital vitamins and minerals which made them poor candidates for post-surgical recovery. This finding likely extrapolates into the general TMJ/TMD population with important implications for their acute and chronic conditions. Therefore, we think it highly important for our patients to consider condition specific supplementation to ensure a rapid and predictable response to our individualized treatment plans. We have recommended four important formulas that are designed to be specific for their intended usage and have the ingredients combined in the correct manner to remove any guesswork as to amounts, ratios and synergism for optimum response.
We have selected Mountain Peak Nutritional as our suppliers for several important reasons: one is that our experience in working with Dr. Jim Massey the founder and his condition specific formulas have proven to be successful in helping our patients recover from their TMJ/TMD conditions. They are a local company with locally sourced, pharmaceutical grade high quality ingredients. Those ingredients are carefully combined into the correct amounts, ratios and combined with synergism herbs for their intended purposes: hence “condition specific”. Because these formulas are condition specific and the ingredients are of a high quality pharmaceutical grade, they are only available through a doctor.
© 2021 Dr. Priya Mistry, DDS, Arthur L Parker, DMD- All Rights Reserved