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Good Morning!

Welcome to this week’s edition of More Than Teeth, where we explore cases that remind us: dentistry is never just about teeth.

Today’s story features a 22-year-old woman who came to our office with jaw pain, tension, and headaches. Her experience highlights the importance of treating orofacial pain with a whole-body approach that includes airway, inflammation, movement, and joint health.

📺 Watch her video testimonial here → [Click Here]

In Today’s Edition

• Patient Story: Hear how a 22-year-old found answers for her chronic jaw pain, tension, and headaches.

• Science Spotlight: Why TMJ compression can ignite sterile neurogenic inflammation and sympathetic overdrive (Demerjian et al.).

• Framework in Action: How the B.I.B.D.M.D. system — breathing, inflammation, balance, decompression, movement, and discernment — creates lasting relief.

• Practical Tools: Evidence-based insights on nasal hygiene, reducing sympathetic activation, and simple steps you can share with patients today.

• Reflection: Cathy’s Corner on small daily healing habits.

5-minute read👇

Clinical Corner

Your quick guide to clinical pearls that elevate patient care.

Key Takeaways🔑

• Breathing First: Nasal hygiene and airway optimization reduce sympathetic arousal and parafunctional jaw activity.

• Inflammation Matters: Neurogenic inflammation in the TMJ can activate the central nervous system and drive chronic pain. Compression of retrodiscal tissues may trigger sterile neurogenic inflammation and central sensitization (Demerjian, Barkhordarian, & Chiappelli, Temporomandibular Joint and Airway Disorders: A Translational Perspective).

• Balance & Decompression: Appliance therapy restores joint spacing, decreasing nociceptive input.

• Movement Disorder Control: Sleep-disordered breathing and stress can trigger bruxism and dystonia, making sympathetic regulation essential.

• Look Beyond the Mouth: PTSD, environmental toxins, processed foods, and structural injuries can all fuel sympathetic dominance.

Her Story

This 22-year-old described constant jaw tension, headaches, and difficulty managing stress. She noticed her symptoms worsened with poor sleep and nasal congestion, and that traditional “dental” fixes hadn’t provided relief.

Objective Findings

• TMJ tenderness and joint compression

• Parafunctional jaw movements contributing to microtrauma

• Signs of nasal airway compromise

• Chronic sympathetic overactivation

Assessment

1. TMJ compression with sterile neurogenic inflammation

2. Airway compromise is driving parafunctional movement disorder

3. Sympathetic nervous system hyperactivity is suspected

4. Systemic inflammatory triggers (nutrition, stress, environmental)

Plan: The B.I.B.D.M.D. Framework

Breathing – Nasal hygiene protocols to improve airflow (use the 3 Blow Method & Butekyo Breathing Method)
Inflammation – Reduce systemic and neurogenic triggers
Balance - Orthotics to balance joints

Decompression – Orthotics/appliances to unload TMJs
Movement Disorder – Calm reflexive activity linked to sympathetic arousal
Discern Chronic Sympathetic Triggers – PTSD, musculoskeletal injuries, toxins, nutrition, and environmental stressors

Clinical Implications

• Screen beyond the mouth: Evaluate for systemic triggers — trauma history (e.g., PTSD, adverse events, whiplash), diet and salt intake, environmental exposures (pollution, toxins), and airway function — as part of the patient’s initial problem list.

• Document sympathetic load: Use simple measures such as resting heart rate, patient stress questionnaires, and sleep/airway screens to capture signs of sympathetic dominance.

• Educate in plain language: Explain to patients that “your jaw pain is being fueled by your body’s stress alarm system.” This normalizes symptoms and builds trust.

• Target modifiable triggers: Encourage practical steps like nasal hygiene, anti-inflammatory diet changes, stress-reduction habits, and sleep optimization to reduce sympathetic activation alongside dental appliance therapy.

• Collaborate across disciplines: Refer to mental health providers (for trauma/PTSD), sleep medicine (for OSA/SRBD), and primary care/environmental health (for toxin/pollution concerns).

• Reassess regularly: Improvements in HRV, reduced parafunctional habits, and decreased TMJ loading can be early indicators of nervous system recalibration.

• Educating patients with simple frameworks like B.I.B.D.M.D. improves case acceptance and long-term success.

Access the reference citations here.

Practice Implications: Sample Dialogue

Cathy’s Corner

This story reminds us: healing rarely comes from a single appliance or pill. It comes when we support the body’s own design—helping it breathe better, calm inflammation, and restore balance.

This week’s encouragement: choose one small anti-inflammatory habit—whether it’s eating whole foods, practicing nasal breathing, or reducing screen time before bed—and make it a daily practice. Small steps compound into big healing. (And you never know who may be watching and picking up their own habits from you! Healthy lifestyles are important for everyone. Don’t forget the protein!)

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