More Smiles Dental Spa Dentistry Blog | James A. Moreau, Jr., D.D.S.

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Enthusiasm, Energy and Passion

It's hard to imagine too many other professional organizations or associations where participants are literally moved to tears by their leaders at a national conference. I just can't picture a bunch of insurance execs standing around wiping their eyes over revolutionary developments in premium collections or exclusions. No offense intended guys...maybe you all are just more macho than a bunch of sappy dentists.

For the group that we met with this week, the International Association of Comprehensive Aesthetics, this is exactly what happened. Dr. Bill Dickerson, the founder of the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, has very literally helped start a revolution in some of the very basic ways that dentists can help their patients, not only through aesthetics, but also through neuromuscular dentistry. He has taken a lot of heat along the way from within organized dentistry. Many reasonable dentists who have listened to Bill have come to understand the rationale of NM dentistry and have studied it at LVI (between 7,000-8,000 dentists). Others who have based their careers on a different approach to occlusion in dentistry hold strong to their beliefs and have closed their minds to the idea of doing the right thing to help patients. But perhaps the greater majority of dentists in the U.S. are completely oblivious and stiflingly complacent with their status quo dentistry. (see learning rules below).

So at the ripe age of 55, our mentor and a true hero of dentistry, Bill Dickerson has decided to retire from public speaking outside of LVI. His address to IACA on Saturday morning was his last. For four hours he infused the room of a couple thousand doctors, their families (including young children) and team members with his particular brand of inspiration and energy. It was an amazing experience...most of all because without his leadership, many of those dentists would have long ago lost their enthusiasm for dentistry. Wonder how many of them would have completely burned out and just quietly moved on to some other career?

He helped develop and bring together the concepts and science of neuromuscular dentistry. He paved the way for what many of us believe is the future of dentistry, and in so doing gave us a better way to help people and a better way to do dentistry. Most of us would not practice dentistry the way we do had it not been for his courageous leadership, and the combined talent, intellect and curiosity of his extraordinary team of scientists, instructors, researchers, and practitioners such as Drs. Norm Thomas, Clayton Chan, Michael Miyasaki, Bernie Jankelsen. And on a personal basis, I can attest to the character of a man who, with Dr. Edmund Suh, spearheaded an incredible effort by LVI doctors to offer assistance and support to those of us who experienced any level of displacement after Hurricane Katrina. Love and gratitude...forever.

Labels: Dr. Bill Dickerson, IACA, LVI, neuromuscular dentistry

posted by MoreSmiles at 8:05 PM 0 comments

Friday, July 18, 2008

Back to Dentistry - K7 Scans, My Firsthand Account

Back in the office at full strength this week, I had Dr. Moreau hook me up to the K7 unit out of curiosity to see how it would read my jaw joint vibrations and track the open/close patterns of my lower jaw. While the photo at right may cause you to flinch a little, the only thing that was actually hurting here was my earrings. I should have taken them off first. The headgear sits comfortably balanced on the bridge of my nose and strapped around my head. The wires lead to electrodes that will pulse my muscles into relaxation with electrical stimulation and then measure the movements of my muscles, tension and fatigue. Pretty amazing science! (And, no, I am not asleep. I was reading a book while Dr. Moreau was interpreting the computer data.)

We already knew that I have an overbite, which means that when I bite on my back teeth, my front teeth completely close down over my lowers so you don't see the lowers at all. While I don't have the headaches and loud clicking and popping noises in my jaw joint that are frequently associated with his, I am a clencher and can tell that my front teeth (anteriors) are beginning to wear on each other since they touch well before my back teeth touch. We have been discussing my options for opening my vertical occlusion, but I suspected that my lack of obvious symptoms was masking the true urgency of my situation.

Experiencing the K7 for the first time as a patient, I was almost stunned by the insight rendered by a computer program relying on electrical impulses, electro-magnetic technology, and precision synchronicity. It truly goes beyond subjective and provides indisputable scientific proof of how the teeth, jaw joints and muscles work together for good or bad.

With electrodes strategically placed on the relevant muscles, I could watch on a computer monitor as the K7 accurately tracked the movements of my muscles under various circumstances and then translated that data into graphs that looked like a lie-detector test in 4 different colors.

Among other things, it confirmed that we will need to open the vertical dimension of my bite by probably about 4 mm instead of the 1 mm we previously suspected. And to tell you the truth, that feels about right to me. That's where my jaw feels most relaxed and comfortable and the fact that I tend to let my jaw rest there most of the time when I'm not talking or eating has probably saved me from more serious symptoms which will inevitably begin to manifest themselves in the future if left untreated.

So what now? We will repeat the scans and TENS me into a comfortable, relaxed bite. Then we'll make an orthotic for me to wear for several months to verify that we have the correct bite modeled and decide on the best way to stabilize that bite in a more vertical and permanent way, probably using a combination of onlays and orthodontics. So, stay tuned...

I'm excited that we have this technology at MoreSmiles...the very first in St. Tammany Parish for sure, and one of only a handful in the whole state. I know that we will be able to help more patients resolve TMJ disorders, get rid of headaches and neck aches, eliminate excessive wear of teeth, prevent breaking and chipping of natural teeth and restorations, and precisely complete full mouth restorations in a bite that will not only function properly and comfortably but will last a long time.

Labels: bad bite, headaches, K7, neuromuscular dentistry, occlusion, TENSing

posted by MoreSmiles at 9:45 AM 0 comments

Sunday, June 01, 2008

What is an LVI smile?

There is a national advertising campaign on television and in magazines promoting the LVI smile and LVI dentists. Dr. Moreau is proud to be a part of this small group of about 800 dentists nationwide who were invited to participate in this campaign.

The LVI dentists are a select group of doctors who have completed post-doctorate education in functional aesthetics at the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies (LVI). Their skill in cosmetic dentistry is supported by their understanding of proper occlusion (the way the teeth bite together) and healthy neuromuscular relationship between muscles, joints and jaws.

The Las Vegas Insititute was founded in the late '90s and has become world renowed as a premier center for advanced dental studies well beyond dental school. Dr. Bill Dickerson, the founder of LVI, created a program dedicated to cosmetic dentistry. His journey lead him to focus not only on the cosmetic aspects of smile restorations and recontruction, but on the functional aspects as well. This has become the hallmark of LVI dentistry--the skill, technique, and artistry of creating beautiful smiles, combined with proper function that will allow long-lasting, durable, comfortable and life-changing smiles.

Labels: LVI dentist, LVI smile, neuromuscular dentistry

posted by MoreSmiles at 7:45 AM 0 comments

Friday, May 30, 2008

Signs and Symptoms of TMJ

Thousands and thousands of people live their lives every single day with uncomfortable symptoms of TMD, Temporomandibular Disorder, yet don't realize that this isn't "normal" and would certainly never think to report this to their dentist.

One of our own family members, who had previously worn an NTItss device for jaw joint symptoms, was in the office today for her periodic exam and professional cleaning. She casually mentioned that she had experienced some numbness in her face and that she was going to see an ENT for an ear infection. Dr. Moreau asked her if she had still been wearing her NTItss, and the answer was no. He did a few preliminary palpitations and screening and suspects that the symptoms she is assigning to ear infection are actually radiating from her TMJ. TENSing and EMG in our office next week will confirm or rule that out.

The point is that someone even this close to dentistry can easily misdiagnose, or BE misdiagnosed because they simply didn't think to tell their dentist what they were feeling.

Some Signs and Symptoms that you should definitely report to your dentist, if he or she is trained in neuromuscular dentistry (NM dentistry), are:

Headaches
Dizziness
Neck, shoulder or upper back pain
Jaw Joint pain or clicking/popping noises
Facial pain or numbness
Ear pain or congestion
Sensitive teeth
Clenching or grinding of the teeth, habitually
Ringing in the ears
Limited opening of the jaws

If you've experienced these symptoms, and HAVE mentioned this to your dentist or physician, without proactive response on his or her part, you should consider finding a dentist who has some background in neuromuscular dentistry and ask for evaluation and screening for TMD. An NM dentist won't hesitate to apply the proper protocol for accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Labels: neuromuscular dentistry, NM dentist, NM dentistry, TMD, TMJ

posted by MoreSmiles at 5:47 AM 0 comments

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Orthotic Used to Relieve TMJ Pain

In the presence of TMJ pain, once we've documented signs and symptoms, we use special technology to help the teeth, jaw and muscles find their most comfortable, relaxed position. Then an orthotic device, a one-piece prosthesis, is temporarily bonded to the natural teeth surfaces, creating a new biting surface for the patient to try for several months. Symptoms should be relieved and then options are considered for the best long-term solution. This patient is wearing an orthotic in this photo. The upper teeth have already been restored by Dr. Moreau after establishing her new, pain-free "bite" with crowns and veneers. The orthotic proved that her new bite was comfortable and helped guide us in restoring the lower teeth as well. Look closely on the lower teeth and you'll be able to detect a line of shade variation between the top half and lower half of the teeth. The upper half is a bonded orthotic which this patient wore for a period of several months.

As a TMJ doctor, we can focus on the neuromuscular aspects that contribute to painful jaw, muscle and teeth pain, including headaches, and apply principles of neuromuscular dentistry to get rid of pain and restore comfort for the patient.

Labels: neuromuscular dentistry, orthotic, TMJ

posted by MoreSmiles at 6:38 PM 0 comments

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Electronic Stimulation Relaxes Jaw Muscles to Find a Comfortable Bite

If you wake up in the morning with sore jaw muscles or tense neck pain, or if you develop headaches through the day, the cause may be traced to an improper occlusion, or how your teeth come together when you bite down.

Further evidence of a bad bite can also be flat, worn teeth, frequently on the lower front. This wear on the teeth is caused by teeth that hit against each other too hard or by grinding (bruxism). Some people grind their teeth at night and are not even aware they're doing it, yet they wonder why they have sensitive teeth, TMJ (temporamandibular joint) pain, sore muscles at their temples and tender muscles on the side of their face.

This can be diagnosed through a neuromuscular exam in our office, followed by the use of a low-frequency TENS unit (transcutaneous electronic nerve stiumlation). These harmless electronic waves, the same that have been used in physical therapy and chiropractic for decades, do three things: 1) They relieve pain caused by muscle tension as the muscles "fight" with the teeth over where the proper position of your jaws should be. 2) The pulsing of

these muscles brings blood to the area which provides oxygen to heal the inflamed muscle cells. It also flushes out toxins caused by metabolic waste of muscle spasm. 3) Finally, while the muscles are relaxed and comfortable, this pulsing allows the jaws to move into their most relaxed, natural position. Here is where they can feel comfortable and function without causing muscle tension and stress to the TMJ.

Options for the proper final treatement to maintain this new bite can be chosen by you, the patient.

Labels: headaches, neuromuscular dentistry, TMJ

posted by MoreSmiles at 7:14 AM 0 comments