Neuromuscular Dentistry is incredibly successful in helping migraine and chronic daily headache for patients as well as other TMJ disorders. Why is such an effective treatment so controversial. The history of Neuromuscular Dentistry is important.
Neuromuscular Dentistry was the brain child of Dr Barney Jankelson a Seattle Prosthodontist Specialist who studied the physiology of normal muscles and how ULF TENS could relax muscles to their physiologic resting position.
I had the privilege of studying with with Barney "Dr J" and I remember asking a couple of questions during his lecture. He put his arm on my shoulder and said "great question" and I spent the next two days discussing neuromuscular dentistry, physiology and his philosophy. He loved the science of Neuromuscular Dentistry.
I have been enthralled with the underlying science of Neuromuscular Dentistry for years. As new research on migraines, chronic daily headache is published it always fit the paradigm the Dr J imagined.
This was a giant leap in dentistry and it created many adversaries.
The biggest contention was the use of biomedical devices to measure what was actually happening during function. When these measurements showed old theories were flawed there was a tendency to attack the measurements. Those who had based their careers these theories were critical of neuromuscular dentistry
The idea of Centric Relation was an old mechanical viewpoint of where the jaws functioned. Measurement showed that these assumptions were wrong. The definition of Centric Relation went thru at least 26 revisions over time many because new technology showed that the definition was not physiologically functional.
Doctors who believed in Centric Relation attacked the science of measurement because they like the the fact that it did not agree with their theories.
Dr J stated "If it is measured it is a fact otherwise it is an opinion"
In spite of numerous attacks on neuromuscular measurement devices including some that extended into illegal and unscrupulous dealings within the FDA the ability and right to measure accurately survived. The neuromuscular instrumentation has been shown to be safe and effective by the ADA and FDA. More importantly, patients have experienced life changing improvements in their quality of lives directly because of Neuromuscular Dentistry.
An entire FDA panel was suspended and several unscrupulous characters are no longer involved with the FDA after an internal investigation showed evidence of malfeasance.
The real winners from neuromuscular dentistry are patients whose lives are vastly improved by elimination of chronic pain, headaches migraines and other problems thru the use of Neuromuscular Dentistry.
Neuromuscular Dentistry was the brain child of Dr Barney Jankelson a Seattle Prosthodontist Specialist who studied the physiology of normal muscles and how ULF TENS could relax muscles to their physiologic resting position.
I had the privilege of studying with with Barney "Dr J" and I remember asking a couple of questions during his lecture. He put his arm on my shoulder and said "great question" and I spent the next two days discussing neuromuscular dentistry, physiology and his philosophy. He loved the science of Neuromuscular Dentistry.
I have been enthralled with the underlying science of Neuromuscular Dentistry for years. As new research on migraines, chronic daily headache is published it always fit the paradigm the Dr J imagined.
This was a giant leap in dentistry and it created many adversaries.
The biggest contention was the use of biomedical devices to measure what was actually happening during function. When these measurements showed old theories were flawed there was a tendency to attack the measurements. Those who had based their careers these theories were critical of neuromuscular dentistry
The idea of Centric Relation was an old mechanical viewpoint of where the jaws functioned. Measurement showed that these assumptions were wrong. The definition of Centric Relation went thru at least 26 revisions over time many because new technology showed that the definition was not physiologically functional.
Doctors who believed in Centric Relation attacked the science of measurement because they like the the fact that it did not agree with their theories.
Dr J stated "If it is measured it is a fact otherwise it is an opinion"
In spite of numerous attacks on neuromuscular measurement devices including some that extended into illegal and unscrupulous dealings within the FDA the ability and right to measure accurately survived. The neuromuscular instrumentation has been shown to be safe and effective by the ADA and FDA. More importantly, patients have experienced life changing improvements in their quality of lives directly because of Neuromuscular Dentistry.
An entire FDA panel was suspended and several unscrupulous characters are no longer involved with the FDA after an internal investigation showed evidence of malfeasance.
The real winners from neuromuscular dentistry are patients whose lives are vastly improved by elimination of chronic pain, headaches migraines and other problems thru the use of Neuromuscular Dentistry.
