REALITY CHECK

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Reality check:

– by Bruce W. Greenstein, D.M.D., Pinecrest, Florida  

  1. Doctors on forums and other sites have successes and challenges, but are in this arena because they genuinely care to improve patient health within their respective disciplines.
  2. Believing doctors post purely for marketing reasons makes little sense as the downsides in the TMJ arena are ever-present and simply not worth it from an emotional and financial perspective no matter what the public claims. As a dentist, I can definitively state that it is FAR easier to make money doing alternative dental procedures that bring less liability concerns.
  3. GNM – NM – CR modalities, when practised meticulously with a patient-centered approach, more often than not reduce symptoms and improve patient health.
  4. “Physiologic dentistry” or “biodynamic functional occlusion” are spin-offs that are more marketing than anything else trying to simplify, on the one hand, while claiming to consider even more components like airway and posture. NM and GNM have been discussing these things for years.
  5. Dentists are professionals responsible for oral tissues and bites while they share responsibilities for influencing tissues with other professionals and therapists ex. chiropractic, massage, pulmonologists, nutritionists and so many others inferring there’s a whole body connection affecting the human condition. Depending on each person’s individual history, therapies will potentially take longer and possibly give less results than hoped for by both patient and doctor – some folks have so much going on for so long and one cannot expect miracles, only hope and pray for them.
  6. There is no one way to do things in most any endeavor. There will always be differences of opinion on treatment modalities based on both research and clinical experiences. While challenging for the public to comprehend, that does not discredit the treatment practices of health practitioners. At the risk of over-simplifying….more than one mousetrap will catch the mouse.
  7. Not all patients are completely forthright either with all their doctors or with these forums. Full and accurate disclosure of their conditions as well as advice given (and any other medical communication) may not be fully disclosed. This leads to the inevitable problems that erroneous conclusions so often create…..and then the discrediting at best or bashing at worse ensues. The “victim culture” mentality is FAR too common, more so than it should be. Bad apples are everywhere in every facet of life, but the professionals here are taking time to truly help.
  8. Proper removable orthotic therapy with periodic follow-ups by doctor with patient is reversible. If the public truly doesn’t like it or feels it isn’t working, simply remove it and you are back to square one with no permanent damage.

Don’t wish to argue with anyone, but these are factual statements that while they may rub some the wrong way, they do not detract from their truth.
Public and doctors both – do your research, be truthful, work together and recognize that some instances may be successful with less therapy and fewer professionals than other instances.

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