Recent courses

I think of the pursuit of knowledge  as a ladder to be climbed.  Every so often I’ll take a course and realize how far I’ve climbed up that ladder in 33 years of dental practice and continuing education.  In February, I took a 3 day course on occlusion, the study of problems relating to one’s bite.  I’ve been taking courses in this area for over 25 years, but this course was given by someone who was so knowledgeable and whose knowledge and presentation were so superbly organized, that my knowledge leapt much further up that ladder.  I now have a better understanding of bite-related problems than ever before.

Some personal highlights:

---Many people have GERD (also known as acid reflux) and have no symptoms whatsoever.  The only sign may be erosion of  your teeth from stomach acid literally eating away and dissolving tooth structure.  I talked to my internist and received the recommendation of an excellent GI specialist.  By the time you read this, I will have sat down with him for a “coffee and learning” session.  He’ll be my mentor in this area so I can help identify undiagnosed GERD in my patients BEFORE they get severe damage to  their GI systems.  I’ll tell him what dental materials are available that are most resistant to the effects of acid reflux, such as gold and certain ceramics.

---Since 1991, part of my comprehensive examination process has been to check for what is known as centric relation and compare it to my patients’ actual bites.  Here’s a way to understand centric relation:  imagine that you had a cup with a rounded bottom, and you  dropped a round ball into the cup.  Where would the cup tend to come to rest?---in the bottom of the cup, of course.  Well, your TMJ is the same type of structure turned upside down;  the jaw has a “ball” on either side that wants to nestle up into the top of the “cup” in your TMJ.  Sometimes, your chewing muscles, your bite, or a problem within the joint itself will prevent the ball from seating fully into the cup.  When that happens, the muscles may “brace” your jaw in an artificial position along the wall of the cup.  The muscles have to become hyperactive to hold the jaw in this unnatural position.  If the muscles tire, you get TMJ muscle tension headaches, which can refer pain to your temples, forehead, behind the eyes, or other location in the head and neck.  If the muscles don’t tire, you get chronic and excessive pressure on your teeth.  This may lead to broken teeth, fractured fillings or cracked porcelain on crowns, loosening of teeth, tender teeth, or severe wear on your teeth.

I now possess far superior knowledge than ever before in diagnosing and treating this type of problem.  For those of you whose muscles were “too tight” for me to accurately check your bite initially, I now have two advanced methods of relaxing the hyperactive muscles to check where your bite would function best.  I am also much better equipped to diagnose and treat situations in which the teeth are severely and prematurely worn.

Welcome, Gavin!

Our treatment coordinator Peggy gave birth to  7 lb., 8 oz. Gavin Mitchell Henry at 5:30 AM on March 29.  Congratulation to Peggy and Kevin!