I bet you haven’t heard of Tardive Dyskinesia.  Unless you are a Neurologist or Psychiatrist you probably don’t know about Tardive Dyskinesia. It is kind of a medical secret.  The pharmaceutical industry doesn’t want to talk much about Tardive Dyskinesia. Most general physicians, PCP’s, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants don’t know about Tardive Dyskinesia. Most medical specialists don’t know about Tardive Dyskinesia.   I can promise you, not one in 500 dentists can tell you what Tardive Dyskinesia is, although every practicing dentist in the United States observ ..read more

It was 50 years ago, while training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Vanderbilt University Hospital, I confronted my first case of TMD/TMJ.  As a junior resident I was allowed to assist the chairman of the department operating on a patient who exhibited the disparate symptoms of this confusing and devastating disease.  Before having the privilege of assisting in surgery, the junior resident’s job was to perform the hospital admission “History and Physical Exam” the evening before surgery.  The patient in question was a bright young woman about 25 years old.  In that exa ..read more

In his book, “Mistreated, Why We Think We’re Getting Good Health Care, and Why We’re Usually Wrong”, Dr Robert Pearl M.D., retired CEO of Kaiser-Permanente Health Care System, describes why sepsis (infection) is an orphan disease even though it is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality.  Within the practice of medicine, physicians concentrate their efforts fighting cancer, heart disease, immune disorders, and many others, routinely avoiding learning to fight sepsis which is an integral result of the primary disease.  When sepsis is eventually noted as part of the parent ..read more

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder is a devastating disease.  It is a progressive disease which usually starts out with minimal symptoms, once ignored, progresses into multiple symptoms which eventually ruins the patient’s ability to continue with life’s normal functions and duties.  It has been estimated that millions of workplace hours are missed each year in the US because TMD/TMJ.  I have had several women admit to me they are ashamed of being bad mothers and not taking care of their children properly because of the symptoms associated with TMD/TMJ. And I have two documented c ..read more

Recently, I saw a patient referred to me by a general dentist for consultation for TMD/TMJ. The non-surgical treatment of TMD/TMJ is the only service our practice offers. Once I began the consultation and asked a few questions it was obvious the patient’s problem was Sleep Apnea not TMD/TMJ.  You might ask, how could that happen.  That makes no sense.  TMD and Sleep Apnea are two separate diseases with totally different symptoms.  TMD/TMJ is all about different types of facial and upper body pain and ear problems, and Sleep Apnea is all about stopping breathing while you sl ..read more

There is a growing movement in medicine and dentistry to integrate services in order to make them more efficient and convenient for the patient.  According to Robert Pearl MD, the retired CEO of Kaiser Permanente Health Systems, the largest independent healthcare system in the United Staes, research has estimated that inappropriate tests and ineffective procedures account for more than 30% of all money spent on American medical care. Having experience and training in both our medical and dental health care systems, I would like to add and agree that this same 30 percent of all money spent ..read more

This is part 4 in a series of articles focused on describing the features of “Value Based Healthcare” as it applies to the diagnosis and treatment of TMD/TMJ using the Urbanek Device and Protocol. “Value Based Healthcare” is defined by Dr. Robert Pearl, M.D., retired CEO of Kaiser-Permanente Health Care System, and author of the book “Mistreated, Why WE Think We’re Getting Good Health Care—And Why We’re Usually Wrong”.  He describes Value Based Healthcare as the solution to the current uncoordinated, generally confusing, barely stitched together, overly expensive, self-serving, and overly ..read more

This is part 2 in a series of articles focused on describing the features of “Value Based Healthcare” as it applies to the diagnosis and treatment of TMD/TMJ by using the Urbanek Device and Protocol. “Value Based Healthcare” as defined by Dr. Robert Pearl, M.D., retired CEO of Kaiser-Permanente Health Care System, and author of the book “Mistreated, Why WE Think We’re Getting Good Health Care—And Why We’re Usually Wrong”.  He describes Value Based Healthcare as the solution to the current uncoordinated, generally confusing, barely stitched together, overly expensive, self-serving, and ove ..read more

This is part 1 of a series of articles focused on describing the features of “Value Based Healthcare” as it applies to the diagnosis and treatment of TMD/TMJ by using the Urbanek Device and Protocol. “Value Based Healthcare” as defined by Dr. Robert Pearl, M.D., retired CEO of Kaiser-Permanente Health Care System, and author of the book “Mistreated, Why WE Think We’re Getting Good Health Care—And Why We’re Usually Wrong” describes Value Based Healthcare as the solution to the current uncoordinated, generally confusing, barely stitched together, overly expensive, self-serving, and overly contro ..read more

Welcome to 2024.  I write this on New Year’s Day with all the “New Year’s Day” intentions of making 2024 the best and most successful year treating patients with TMD/TMJ.  This article is the 65th in a series of articles focused on educating patients about all aspects of understanding, diagnosing, and treating the enigma/conundrum, commonly referred to as “TMJ”.  The earlier 64 installments are available under the “Meet Us” dropdown at www.tmjservicesofbrentwood.com. Our practice, which is the only Tennessee facility solely dedicated to the non-surgical treatment of TMD/TMJ, has ..read more