TMJ Symptoms

TMJ symptoms can vary from jaw pain, neck pain, headaches, clicking& popping, grating sounds or locking of the jaw. Fall and Spring can be the worst time of the year because changes of temperature to somewhat cold can cause the water to contract in muscles. The contraction can cause the muscles in the neck, jaw, and even inside the mouth to ache and become stiff. Most people are prepared for cold temperatures in the middle of winter, and cover the jaws and head appropriately. Fall sometimes can catch you off-guard when the jaw and face muscles are exposed to cold, wind, etc. Plus your body tends to accommodate itself to cold temperatures as the winter progresses.

TMJ and TMD

The combination of oral appliance, joint physical therapy, and stress management is the current standard of care for jaw joint treatment that is called "conservative TMJ or TMD therapy." TMJ stands for Temporo-Mandibular Joint, and is where the temporal bone meets the mandible bone at the jaw joint. TMD stands for Temporo-Mandibular Disorder. TMJ and TMD are pretty much interchangeable. When temperatures begin to change dramatically like they are now is when many TMJ problems begin, and when many old ones begin to come back or get worse. Conservative TMJ therapy is a large part of my practice and a sub-specialty that I have practiced for 22 years. More on symptoms and treatment next time...

Making you happy...

Our practice philosophy/mission statement: Practicing excellent orthodontic and TM-Joint therapy with care and professionalism. Leadership, optimal oral health and aesthetics are the goals of our team.
This is more than just words. In our practice we believe that you, our patients and families, are our biggest priority. YOU ARE VALUED. We want to make sure that your every visit is a pleasant one--that you have confidence in our team, and feel comfortable in our office. Nothing is more important than earning and maintaining your trust. Dr. Pierce or a highly-trained team member communicates with each parent after every appointment or adjustment. Questions are best handled on the spot, at the time of the in-office visit, and in a private area. Our entire team constantly works on all of this.

One week left!

Next Friday, August 27th, 6:30pm is our annual office trip to the Keys. I will throw out the first pitch in an opening ceremony--it's a real treat for me. An actual Keys catcher tries to catch my knuckleball! Ha Ha! Plamondon Companies (Roy Rogers) is going to provide coupons for tasty treats at Roy's. And then, fireworks at the end of the game. They are usually a very quality display--one of the best of the year, just before school is back in session. See ya grandslammers there!

Keys Night Out

Our staff celebrates summer each year with a night out at a Frederick Keys game with our families. Mark your calendars for Friday, August 27th, at 6:45pm, when I throw out a ceremonial first pitch before the Key's game. Roy Rogers and the Plamondon family of Frederick are providing free side dish giveaways to my patients and friends who attend. I will hand out coupons immediately after throwing out the pitch before the game. So don't miss this fun night of baseball, and bring your friends, because there is also a fireworks display at the end of the game. I'll be looking for those grand slam smiles!!!

Teamwork

A great team spends time together to get to know each other outside of the work environment. This is what our team does. We have various activities, lunches, dinners, seminars, leisure travel, etc. spread through the calendar to keep us sharp, motivated, and happy to be working with each other. Not only does this "down time" help to relieve a lot of stress, but it also rejuvenates the mind and body, especially our spa package trips in the cold winter. We always try to be our best for you.

Summer vacation can be a challenge

Summer vacation can be a challenge to many orthodontic patients. The daily routine of bathing, dressing, flossing and brushing usually becomes somewhat eratic when our regimen becomes varied and more flexible. Vacations, sleepover or late nights in the hood can lead to a relaxation of good brushing, flossing and daily flouride rinse. In fact, gingivites

usually peeks during summer and holiday vacations. Swollen, bleeding gums with heavy plaque can lead to gum recession, bone loss and white spot lesions over all teeth. Thats why we must keep up the discipline even in the summer. Straight teeth with multiple spots can not be the end results just because of a few weeks off.Power to u and the "Grand Slam Smile".

2th Sh8d

Beautiful brite white teeth are not necessarily achieved by gr8 brushing or special 2thpaste. 2th color is present inside the 2th structure or m8trix. Yes, that's right, m8trix, or the organized molecular structure deep in the enamel layer of the 2th. Color or shade is often inherited from the parents, and can also account for those brown or splotchy colors that are often noticeable in certain unfortunate cases. It's important to find out if the parents are thinking that the children are not brushing enuff when it may be a completely different situation. In fact, natural 2th shades often darken over time. Next time: different whitening techniques used in dentistry.

Straight Teeth - Higher Income

Multiple university studies have recently concluded that career adults who are percieved to have "straight teeth" or a "pleasing smile" actually enjoy a higher median income than others who do not. The subjectivity of this study came into question, however, many reviewers believe in the basic human attraction tenets that universally apply to everyone. Similar studies on height and hair have shown the same results. Cosmetic or aesthetic appeal in our culture is stronger than we may think.

Orthodontic Care - Phase I & II

What is phase I and phase II treatment? Often, more severe orthodontic problems can be best corrected by doing some of the treatment in the child’s early years, age seven to nine and the finishing later at age eleven or twelve. A period in between, gives the patient a rest where they would wear only a retainer. This splits the treatment time and fee in two halves and can have tremendous benefits versus waiting until the patient is a teenager with all the adult teeth.
The treatment at age seven to nine is called phase I. During phase I treatment, big problems are corrected while there is plenty of growth remaining which is a big help to the orthodontist. Problems such as a poor jaw position, excessive dental crowding, crossbite, and other severe conditions can be greatly improved if treatment us begun early in phase I. Orthodontic correction of these problems is often impossible if not initiated until twelve or thirteen years of age. Appliances often used in phase I are plastic-type functional appliances that are removable, headgear, fixed braces on a few teeth or a combination of the above.
Phase II treatment is initiated after phase I, and after the rest period with the retainer. This is the follow-up and final completion of corrections begun in phase I and usually starts when most of the adult teeth have erupted into the mouth. Phase II treatment involves conventional full braces on all the adult teeth, rubber bands, and retainers again afterwards. Correction of rotations, closing spaces, minor crowding, and final detailing to the bite is achieved, and can often be accomplished in less than one year. This is a tremendous decrease in treatment time with full braces which would otherwise be two or more nine years of phase I were not completed first. Also, the shortened phase II treatment time with full braces comes at the age when peer pressure is at its worst and cooperation at its lowest-- all the more reason to do as much as possible earlier in phase I.
In summary,
1. Phase I is started at age seven to nine—phase II at age eleven to twelve, retainers in between.
2. Treatment time and fee are split between the two phases.
3. Severe problems are treated early in phase I.
4. Final detailed correction of the bite is achieved in phase II with full braces but in a greatly reduced time.

Welcome!

This blog is going to be a combination of technical and fun content. Everyone should know certain universaly known details of how Orthodontic and TMJ therapy benefitsyou. Likewise, the communities that I service are the same communities that I grew upin and I will always enjoy interacting on both personal and proffesional levels.
Thank you!