Well-being and your bite

Often, Western medicine is driven by the symptoms of the patient’s complaint and does not address the root of the problem.

by Dr. Nicholas Meyer — 

When your “bite” isn’t right, a whole cascade of physical maladies can result that might even put you on the medical merry-go-round. You go from doctor to doctor searching for relief of your distress.

What distress, you might ask? Well, there are at least 50 recognized symptoms; the more common are headache, eye pain, ringing in the ears, dizziness and back and/or neck pain. These can occur singularly (less common) or in combination (more common).

In a review of records from a private practice it was found that of the 50 symptoms, headache was the most common reason for care, and there were on average 13 symptoms tossed together like a salad. Often, Western medicine is driven by the symptoms of the patient’s complaint and does not address the root of the problem.

The best approach for this seems to be a systems approach. Here the doctor strives to understand the biomechanical aspects of the body, most often in conjunction with other practitioners, so that a “dance” between the doctor and patient can ensue. This allows the system to come into harmony and balance.

We have found that, for the most part, symptoms will abate or significantly lessen within the first month of care, without pharmaceutical (drug) intervention. The magic occurs when you put the system into balance, the big nerve involved (trigeminal) gets quieted down and the nervous system ceases to be overloaded.

What a great feeling it is when you can turn someone’s life back around after they have suffered for years with the pain, frustration and agony of this imbalance.

Nicholas Meyer, D.D.S., is a general dentist in Scottsdale, Ariz., with a special interest in the functional aspects of the oral cavity that contribute to such maladies as TMJ, snoring and sleep apnea. 480-948-0560 or www.milldental.com.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 27, Number 3, June/July 2008.