TMJ: THE MOST IMPORTANT PART IN YOUR BODY
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Perhaps the most important joint in the body is the occipital-atlanto-axial joint. This is the joint between the skull and the first and second vertebrae. It probably causes more problems than any other joint in the body. But certainly, a close second would have to be the temperomandibular joint (TMJ). These are the two hinge joints on either side of the jaw. |
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Some problem caused by improperly balanced jaw joints include headaches and migraines, teeth grinding, dizziness and faintness, neck and teeth pain, upper back pain, inability to think properly, memory problems, ringing in the ears, and more. And of course there are the obvious problems of clicking and pain in the jaw joints themselves.
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Today dentists are becoming more aware of the importance of this joint. And many are using splints and other devices to correct the balance in the TMJ. One of my dentist advisers stumbled onto the importance of the TMJ after coming back from a seminar. He started using his new techniques to balance this joint on some patients and was shocked to learn that he had cured longstanding headaches and migraine. This is very rewarding to the doctor, and of course the patient is overjoyed. |
Do You Suspect TMJ?
If you have some of the symptoms listed here and no one can find the cause, suspect TMJ. Rather than start out on an expensive and time consuming quest with doctors and dentists who may or may not know what they are doing, test your own TMJ yourself first. Thanks to the brilliant work of an old friend, Dr. W. B. May, DDS, this is possible and even easy.
Dr. May has passed away, but I was lucky enough to study with him in the 1970’s. And perhaps the person who understands the TMJ better today than anyone else is another of our advisors, Dr. George Goodheart. In his lectures Dr. Goodheart liked to say that the TMJ is the most dynamic joint in the body. He taught that a good portion of your entire brain is dedicated solely to the maintenance of the TMJ. So when your TMJ is not balanced properly, you can suffer from many serious problems, not the least of which is chronic pain.
If you have some of the symptoms listed here and no one can find the cause, suspect TMJ. Rather than start out on an expensive and time consuming quest with doctors and dentists who may or may not know what they are doing, test your own TMJ yourself first. Thanks to the brilliant work of an old friend, Dr. W. B. May, DDS, this is possible and even easy.
Dr. May has passed away, but I was lucky enough to study with him in the 1970’s. And perhaps the person who understands the TMJ better today than anyone else is another of our advisors, Dr. George Goodheart. In his lectures Dr. Goodheart liked to say that the TMJ is the most dynamic joint in the body. He taught that a good portion of your entire brain is dedicated solely to the maintenance of the TMJ. So when your TMJ is not balanced properly, you can suffer from many serious problems, not the least of which is chronic pain.
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The TMJ Test But back to testing your own joint. Dr. May used to say in the 1970’s that you can do this for a dime. All you need is a little red dental bite wax you can get from your dentist. Pick a time when you can have a friend help you. It is best to perform the test when you are having symptoms or a headache. Finally, when preparing for your TMJ test, make sure you have 30 minutes to relax. |
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Here are the steps:
1) Place the wax in hot water until it softens. Make two small pillows out of it-about I/4" to I/2" square. Keep the pillows warm and soft until you are ready to begin.
2) Sit down and have your friend press the pillows gently on top of your left and right first molars.
3) Bring your upper teeth down until they meet the wax and relax a second.
4) Next swallow completely, allowing your jaw joint to press your teeth naturally into the wax. Do not force anything. Simply allow your swallow to position your jaw and teeth in the wax. The reason for this is simple~the most normal position for your TMJ is achieved during swallowing. So you are in effect finding your own normal, relaxed jaw position.
5) Now simply lift your upper teeth off the wax and allow a couple minutes for the wax to begin to harden.
6) After a couple minutes, rest your upper teeth gently back onto the pillows. This will almost always open up your bite in the front.
7) Now just sit back and relax in a comfortable armchair for 10 to 20 minutes, teeth on the pillows and with your jaw comfortably in this position.
For a surprising number of people, and for anyone with a TMJ problem, this will bring profound relief–or even complete resolution of symptoms, whether they be headache, jaw pain, neck palm, or something else.
Diagnosis and Treatment
2) Sit down and have your friend press the pillows gently on top of your left and right first molars.
3) Bring your upper teeth down until they meet the wax and relax a second.
4) Next swallow completely, allowing your jaw joint to press your teeth naturally into the wax. Do not force anything. Simply allow your swallow to position your jaw and teeth in the wax. The reason for this is simple~the most normal position for your TMJ is achieved during swallowing. So you are in effect finding your own normal, relaxed jaw position.
5) Now simply lift your upper teeth off the wax and allow a couple minutes for the wax to begin to harden.
6) After a couple minutes, rest your upper teeth gently back onto the pillows. This will almost always open up your bite in the front.
7) Now just sit back and relax in a comfortable armchair for 10 to 20 minutes, teeth on the pillows and with your jaw comfortably in this position.
For a surprising number of people, and for anyone with a TMJ problem, this will bring profound relief–or even complete resolution of symptoms, whether they be headache, jaw pain, neck palm, or something else.
Diagnosis and Treatment
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If you experience relief, you have just made a profound diagnosis of a TMJ problem-for less than 10 cents. Many people simply continue to practice relaxation periods using their wax pillows. But most people need a plastic splint to permanently normalize the TMJ and reposition the bite. Call around to your local dentists and see who works with TMJ problems using splints.
Often a dentist will work with a kinesiologist on these cases. The splint is usually "very open" at first. As your muscles and jaw joint normalize, the splint is adjusted downward. Eventually it will be almost fully adjusted down, and your teeth will once again meet. But this time your bite and jaw joint will be in physiological normal . |
That means there is no longer muscle stress, tension, and spasm in the joint. The adjustments on the splint will have allowed your jaw joint to realign itself and to "reset" the muscles that support this joint properly. This can take weeks or months of adjusting and readjusting the splint. But the relief is worth it, and the treatment can be powerful and profound. When I first studied with Dr. May, a skeptic who had planned on airing a TV expose on quack TMJ treatments volunteered to be the subject in our class. With no former knowledge of this person's problems, Dr. May quietly and calmly repositioned her jaw with the wax pillows. After 10 minutes this formerly hostile TV reporter sat before our class of doctors quietly weeping because the headache and severe facial pain she suffered on a daily basis had disappeared.
Over the years, I have witnessed lots of patients with bizarre symptoms that resisted every other kind of treatment get relief. Brain fog often lifts. Memory can improve. Pain disappears. Chewing becomes normal again. Hearing Improves in some cases. And on and on.
Over the years, I have witnessed lots of patients with bizarre symptoms that resisted every other kind of treatment get relief. Brain fog often lifts. Memory can improve. Pain disappears. Chewing becomes normal again. Hearing Improves in some cases. And on and on.
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Surely TMJ is not always the cause of all these problems. But when it is, nothing other than correction of this joint will end the agony. So now you can test yourself easily and almost for free. You don't have to subject yourself to $5,000 worth of tests, x-rays, bite studies and more. By the way, if you do have a positive TMJ test, the treatment to resolve the problem is not very expensive. |
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Osteoporosis Compounds the Problem
If you suffer from weak bones, this will complicate a TMJ problem. Just as in the case of carpal tunnel syndrome, bones and joints must be strengthened before permanent correction can take place. If you have weak bones but no real osteoporosis, you will still need to strengthen the jaw joint (or wrist with carpal tunnel syndrome) with supplements. |
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Trailblazers
Drs. William May and George Goodheart were so very far ahead of their time. Despite skepticism by his own dental profession for his work with TMJ, Dr. May remained a warm, friendly man and a steadfast worker and researcher in the face of ridicule by ignorant "experts." And Dr. Goodheart probably knows more about the temperomandibular joint muscular-support structure than any other human being.
Today, long after Dr. May's death, enlightened dental professionals are recognizing and even teaching the diagnosis and correction of chronic TMJ problems. And kinesiologists trained by Dr. Goodheart are helping with the muscle testing and balancing sometimes used in these treatments. I am glad and honored to have been able to study with both of these men.
October 2005, Volume 22, Issue 10 HEALTH ALERT Dr Bruce West MD
Drs. William May and George Goodheart were so very far ahead of their time. Despite skepticism by his own dental profession for his work with TMJ, Dr. May remained a warm, friendly man and a steadfast worker and researcher in the face of ridicule by ignorant "experts." And Dr. Goodheart probably knows more about the temperomandibular joint muscular-support structure than any other human being.
Today, long after Dr. May's death, enlightened dental professionals are recognizing and even teaching the diagnosis and correction of chronic TMJ problems. And kinesiologists trained by Dr. Goodheart are helping with the muscle testing and balancing sometimes used in these treatments. I am glad and honored to have been able to study with both of these men.
October 2005, Volume 22, Issue 10 HEALTH ALERT Dr Bruce West MD