How to choose a specialist who treats TMJ disorders
Many dentists avoid treating temporomandibular joint disorders, and this is understandable. At the same time, the number of people affected is increasing due to changes occurring as a result of modern lifestyles. This creates a need for dental practices that approach these cases in depth and comprehensively, and can provide their patients with lasting effective treatment.
COLDY DENT Functional Atelier offers a holistic approach to the treatment of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ disorders). Our specialists are trained by world-class practitioners and have specialised in countries such as the USA, Brazil, South Korea, Austria, etc. Our dentists also conduct trainings for colleagues, introducing them to the principles and practice of functional dentistry and complex dental cases.
The reason why cases are increasing
The TMJ – like every joint in the human body – has its own unique and key role: it is responsible for important functions such as speaking, chewing, opening and closing the mouth.
In addition to genetic factors and trauma, the joint can also suffer from all our bad lifestyle choices: we live under more stress, we spend longer periods of time in unnatural positions, we sleep less, we eat processed foods. The latter do not contain many nutrients, require less chewing, and so our jaw muscles weaken and cannot hold the temporomandibular joint in the correct position. No wonder the cases of complaints are increasing.
Stress, on the other hand, often leads to involuntary clenching of the jaw or grinding of the teeth – one of the main factors for TMD problems.
Last but not least, some dental services also give rise to an increasing number of new cases of temporomandibular joint disorders. Many modern practices offer quick 1–2 step solutions or cosmetic teeth that the patient pays for with their dental health. The misaligned bites of “Hollywood smiles” often lead to TMJ problems.
Where is the challenge
Treating TMD is very complex and requires lots of knowledge, skills, and experience of the doctor, and extra visits, longer conversations and examinations, and hands-on interventions from the patient. It is not a day or two job and is not carried out quickly and easily. In some severe cases, TMD might require surgery, which brings its own set of risks and unknowns.
Not within the power of just one specialist
In patients with TMJ disorders, specialists are faced with complex cases and rarely can a single dentist solve them alone from the first to the last step. We need a team of orthodontists, physiotherapists and other specialists trained in TMJ problems, which makes the work more complex, expensive and time- and resource consuming, Dr Manol Ivchev, one of the leading specialists in this field in our country and abroad, says.
Difficult to predict
“One of the hardest aspects of treating TMJ disorders is that it is not always possible to predict how the therapy will progress. Even when patients follow the treatment plan to the letter, there is still a chance they might feel pain or face other problems. Patients might feel that they’re stuck in a loop, going round and round without getting anywhere. At the same time, dentists might feel like they’re not making any real progress, which can be discouraging and frustrating,” Dr Ivchev explains.
In other words, treating TMD is a serious medical endeavour without easy answers and fast solutions, incomparably more complicated than aesthetics or routine procedures, he summarises.
Patients may be more problematic
Last but not least, patients with TMD are often more difficult to manage than other patients due to the prolonged discomfort resulting from the pain in the jaw and other parts of the body. Such prolonged discomfort affects the person’s mental state and may cause anxiety, irritability, stress, chronic fatigue due to sleep problems.
Financial burden for both parties
The financial aspect of treatment is also not to be ignored. Sometimes it can last for months or require repeating a previous treatment cycle.
“It is financially often very draining for the patient – but also for the doctor, who could make more money from quicker treatments that are less complicated and come with fewer headaches.
Most dentists are drawn to the quicker, easier procedures that bring in more money without the extra mental, emotional, and financial stress that are part of the TMD treatments,” Dr Manol Ivchev comments.
For many dentists, refusing to take on such difficult and complex cases is a way to protect themselves from burnout or financial turmoil.
The patient insists on something else, and colleagues offer it to him
We also encounter other challenges in our practice – patients understandably look for easy, quick and cheap solutions and often insist on something that is trendy or has been extensively advertised. This puts doctors in the unpleasant position of insisting on a sound medical approach at the risk of the patient seeking treatment elsewhere; or of agreeing with the patient for the sake of their own profitability.
The doctor’s duty is to look after the patient’s best interests, long-term health and lasting outcome of the treatment. Since this is often not to the patient’s liking, very few dentists are willing to take on the laborious field of TMJ treatment. The result is that only a small group treats most of these cases.
What to look out for
When choosing a practice and a doctor for your TMJ problems, you should ask about their experience and expertise: where were the doctors and other specialists trained, where did they specialise, what is their clinical practice, do they have solid experience with resolved cases, do they have a large enough team to carry out the complete treatment.
As patients, you have the right to request a detailed plan and diagnosis and, based on it, to have it explained to you how the treatment will proceed, what is its duration, what is the financial framework, what result to expect and how long-lasting it will be.