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TMJ News Bites
September 2011
Volume 3, Issue 6 |
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Our Vision...And You!
The
TMJ Association envisions a time when Temporomandibular Disorders are
history. In the meantime, our goal is the advancement of scientific
research that will lead to understanding, safely and effectively
treating, curing, and ultimately preventing them.
We
can’t meet this goal without financial resources—without your
contributions to the TMJA. Though we are in tough economic times, we are
still the same community with the same values and needs.
Please
consider The TMJ Association in this fall campaign season. We offer a
number of ways that you can contribute and be a member of the TMJA
family.
Federal Employees
If you are a federal government employee, please designate The TMJ Association as your charity. Our CFC# is 12102.
We
all know one federal employee. Ask your postal carrier if they have a
special charity and if not, you may educate them about the needs of TMJ
patients and ask them to designate the TMJA, CFC# 12102.
Also, you may have family members or friends serving in the military who would welcome the opportunity to support us.
State Employees
The TMJA currently participates in the following state contribution campaigns: Arizona,
California, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey,
New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin. Please designate a gift by writing The TMJ Association on the form.
Corporate Donors/United Way
These programs are a great way to show your support for our mission. Simply write in The TMJ Association on
your donor form. Many companies have a matching charitable contribution
program. Ask if yours will match your contribution to the TMJA.
Give Directly
If you don't have the opportunity to participate in any of the campaigns listed above here are other ways you can help:
Can Drugs Help TMD Patients?
No drugs specifically targeted
to treat temporomandibular disorders (TMD) have ever been approved by
the Food and Drug Administration. Yet many drugs—analgesics,
non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS), opioids, muscle relaxants
and others—are commonly prescribed. How effective are they?
To
answer that, two dentist—Ph.D. researchers, Drs. Sharon Gordon and
Raymond Dionne, and a graduate research fellow, Archana Viswanath,
combed the medical literature published over five decades to see which
drugs showed some measure of effectiveness in reducing pain and/or
improving function in TMD patients.
In
gathering the data, Dr. Gordon, associate professor in the Department of
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at U. Maryland School of Dentistry, and
Dr. Dionne, with a Ph.D. in pharmacology and 25 years of clinical
research at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research,
selected only those articles where the level of evidence was relatively
strong, such as randomized controlled clinical trials (as opposed to
case studies, for example).
The
good news is that drugs in several categories proved effective. But the
investigators conclude that more research is needed, especially in light
of the finding that many TMD patients experience comorbid painful
conditions, necessitating new drug discoveries.
Corticosteroid Injections
Buyer Beware
Corticosteroid
injections have been used to reduce pain and improve function of
arthritic joints in various parts of the body. What about the
temporomandibular joint?
This
does not mean that steroids should never be used. But specific
guidelines are simply not available. There has been no assessment of the
various formulations of steroid available, the dosages, and variations
in injection techniques. Further complicating steroid treatment in the
jaw is the fact that there is no one cause of jaw pain and dysfunction;
and certainly not every TMD patient has degenerative joint
disease. Moreover, there are risks with steroid injections, with
the potential for damage to cartilage and fibrous tissue. All
told, The TMJ Association agrees with the conclusion of the article:
“There is just too little science evaluating short and long term
efficacy.”
In a
few selected instances, some conditions (such as juvenile rheumatoid
arthritis of the jaw and TM joint arthralgia) associated with acute
inflammation and osteoarthritis, may find relief via steroid injections,
but even here repeated injections are not recommended.
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Is It Wise To Remove Wisdom Teeth?
Over
the years we’ve heard from TMD patients whose symptoms occurred
shortly after wisdom teeth removal, while other patients have reported
to us that wisdom teeth removal was part of their TMD treatment plan.
In the September 6, 2011 New York Times article, Prudence of Having That Tooth Removed,
it states “every year, millions of young patients have healthy wisdom
teeth extracted… however scientific evidence supporting the routine
prophylactic extraction of wisdom teeth is surprisingly scant.” Also
we'd like to share two follow-up letters to the editor regarding this story.
So we'd like to know, do you still have your wisdom teeth? Please take our brief survey and we’ll report the results in our next issue. We’d love your feedback on this topic. |
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I am a
39-year-old TMD sufferer living in Sydney, Australia. I was first
diagnosed with TMD in approximately 2003 after being concerned about my
frequent headaches in the temple region.
I
suffered with debilitating headaches as a child and then from
adolescence through to adulthood. When I was about 6 years old, I fell
from the top of a 20 ft. waterfall onto rocks below. I now wonder
if that or other childhood injuries were a contributing factor to my
TMD. Incidentally I was a teeth grinder when I was young and I believe I
still clench at night. Prior to that (in 2002) I had all of my wisdom
teeth removed, thinking that was the cause of my pain.
Surprisingly
my dentist at the time didn't even suggest I had a TMD. With
debilitating migraine-style headaches continuing, I was determined to
find out more.
I
eventually had a CAT scan to remove the possibility of tumors and it was
following this that my TMD condition was diagnosed. Dental treatment
led me to trying a mouthguard, however I found this to be uncomfortable
and ineffective. Click here to read more of Graeme's story.
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Help Educate Others About Temporomandibular Disorders
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We have recently updated our brochure, A Resource Guide for Temporomandibular Disorders, which is now available as a downloadable PDF on our website. You may also request hard copies by mail.
We encourage you to share this brochure with your friends, health
care professionals and family as it is a great educational resource
for everyone.
Our
thanks to Drs. Daniel Laskin, Sharon Gordon, William Maixner, Joan
Wilentz, and our volunteers for their contributions to this brochure.
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13625 Bishop's Dr. | Brookfield, WI 53005 US |
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