TMJ A Handbook I                          

Excerpt of the Introduction

This book is a step by step “How-To”.  It is not an anatomy lesson.  It is not an academic treatise.  It is a handbook, or manual,  intended for use by those dental practitioners who in the course of their usual and customary practice identify a patient with a Temporomandibular Joint disorder and choose to treat it themselves rather than refer the patient to a "specialist".

The field of TMJ treatment is fraught with controversy and an enormously wide diversity of opinion. There are those who believe it is a condition that has its etiology in psychological disorders, and should be treated by psychotherapists.  There are those who believe that if left alone and untreated the patient will do as well, as if treated.  There are those who believe it should be treated orthodontically. There are those who believe it should only be treated surgically, as well as those who believe it should be treated only pharmacologically. There are many different opinions about Orthotic design, and reams and reams have been written on how to find, and or establish, Centric. 

What I advocate in this book is really very simple.  When a patient presents in pain, and limited Jaw function everything possible within the doctor’s scope of expertise should be done to restore comfort, and an acceptable level of Jaw function as quickly as possible, as simply as possible, and as affordably as possible. I have written this book because there is no reason in the world why you, the reader, following the protocols, and procedures described in the following pages cannot enjoy the satisfaction, and the gratification, to both you and your patient, that good outcomes engender.

I have provided a CD on the inside of the back cover which contains all the illustrations used in this text, and it also includes office forms and documents that you might find useful.  All documents on the CD are provided in the cross platform PDF format allowing them to be viewed and printed on any computer system.  The CD is particularly useful for viewing the x-ray illustrations which when viewed on a computer monitor closely replicates an x-ray viewer.