Teeth are more than smiles

Posted in: Blog by Dr Kundel on August 2, 2008 | No Comments

This lovely 61 year old woman came in to have a new set of dentures.  Her old ones were already twelve years old and pretty much worn down, but still comfortable and doing their job as a set of “choppers.”  Moreover, they did not represent how her own teeth and smile looked in the past.  But the patient was happy with them and came in only because she was advised to renew dentures every five years. The final result is on the right – her smile is restored.There is more to these pictures than just an aesthetically improved smile.  The patient’s new dentures were designed in a special way to strengthen her overall health. Construction of these dentures was done while keeping in mind basic principles of head anatomy and physiology of breathing.  Her previous dentures did not meet anatomical and physiological requirements for functioning “as if her own teeth.”  They did allow her to chew, speak, and smile. Unfortunately, they were also a heavy burden on her heart and her nervous system. Attention to detail is extremely important because a small change can shift one’s body from health to dis-ease. That’s why the making of this denture is so time consuming. The amount of time it took to make her new dentures was about five times more then the old ones.  While people can get used to almost anything, it is far better to get used to an excellent result.  Dentures in the top photo were a burden on this woman’s central nervous system.  It became obvious to her after she put her new dentures in. She reported immediate improvements: “I feel calmer and I think I am in a better mood?!”   The next day the patient reported that she enjoyed a deeper, more restful sleep. Patient was seen several more times afterwards. The change was unmistakable. A “lighter” version of the same woman appeared: her eyes were open, mood was much improved. In addition to her improved smile and overall sense of well being, it was important to verify objectively the physiological changes that took place.Under the photographs is the “before” and “after” test we conducted to scientifically measure physiological changes. On the left is before, on the right is after. It can be seen that measure of the “Levels of Functioning of the Physiological systems” is drastically improved. It went from 11 to 6.   This means that overall functioning of the body went from “in the red” to “average.”  This is a significant improvement for someone who only got a new set of teeth.  This is the difference that a holistic approach can offer.

TMJ Disorder Part II

Posted in: Blog by Dr Kundel on November 3, 2007 | No Comments

Now that you have learned something about TMJ and hopefully snoring and sleep apnea we can continue.

In this author’s experience TMJ problems, snoring, sleep apnea, teeth grinding and clenching are one and the same ball of wax. So far it has been shown to be caused either by structural imperfections or infections.

Infections such as Lyme disease or chronic dental infections can make throat tissues swell up and cause narrowing of the wind pipe. People that have medical diagnosis of sleep apnea often times also have elevated C-reactive protein. Positive C-reactive protein blood test is indicative of inflammation in the body.

Now let’s talk about structure. One anatomical structure that we must be aware of when treating all of the above mentioned problems is tongue. Ideally, one’s tongue should be in the mouth gently resting on the palate behind upper front teeth. Very few people now days have this luxury. Most people have their tongues sitting partially in their throats. That’s a fact that can easily be confirmed with an x ray.

This misplaced position creates a constant stress for the body. As a result body and mind are never truly relaxed. A person rarely, if ever, is at peace. Physically, this is equivalent to having a pebble in the shoe that you are not aware of. You know you walk crooked, but you don’t know why. Common complaint here would be: “I carry stress in my shoulders.” Mentally, you may be annoyed or irritable, but here your mind will instantly will concoct a reason for you feeling this way. In practice, once breathing is made easier than what’s been accustomed to irritability, fearfulness, and mental racing calm down. The main idea here is to reduce stress. Once stress is reduced it is easier for the body to begin repairing.

Today it is a common thing to have wisdom teeth removed or to go to an orthodontist to have teeth straightened out. Jaws that do not grow to their proper size will not be able to house the tongue. In order for the person to stand comfortably his posture has to be relaxed. In order for the person to breathe comfortably his oral posture has to be relaxed. Relaxed and comfortable oral posture means sufficient room to rest against the palate behind upper front teeth. Relaxed and comfortable oral posture means breathing through the nose is easy and effortless.

In the early nineteen hundreds a dentist named Weston Price traveled the world. He visited just about every corner of the globe. After that he published his book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. There he showed how what person eats affects his teeth and jaws. Basically, when people ate of the earth they had straight, cavity free teeth with well developed jaws. Once people started eating processed, modern foods they instantly developed cavities and their jaws could no longer grow large enough to accommodate all the teeth.

Please visit www.WestonAPrice.org for more information.

Permalink

Suzan Pauling said,
December 17, 2007 @ 2:56 pm · Edit

I bookmarked your homepage several months ago not releazing you had a blog. I did a search pertaining to OSB (oral systemic balance). I was not aware that one’s CRP is an indicator in dentistry also. Mine was elevated to 12 three years ago and was attributed to a bronchial infection or my fibromyalgia that I’ve lived with since 1999. I am quite interested in your findings as I am suffering severely at this time with TMJ flareups due to recent root canal infections, amongst other pain issues in the neck area. I strongly believe that if tested again, my CRP would still be elevated, and agree, as a patient living with stress everyday, that ORAL POSTURE is VERY IMPORTANT, if not more than body posture. The pain is UNBEARABLE. I see a pain psychologist and she brought the importance of ORAL POSTURE to my attention when we spoke of relaxing the body during stress. I was totally unaware that I had been pressing my tongue hard to the roof of my mouth during the day, HABITUALLY from stress, which now had become a learned process. I also found myself upon waking with my tongue pressed hard to the roof of my mouth. All this pressure of course went straight to my jaws, nevermind the fact I suffer from bulging discs in my neck and have occipital neurgalia. (add 2 lateral root canal infections and #19 molar root canal to that and wa-la = SUPER PAIN)
So, to end a long comment, I was glad to see you had a blog and hope you can read my comment. Please comment further on Oral Systemic Balance. I have a friend that suffers from Sleep Apnea and use the mask. She can stand it and is interested in holistic approaches.

Dr. Kundel said,
December 17, 2007 @ 7:39 pm · Edit

Dear Suzan,
All your symptoms correspond with a disorder that we commonly call “TMD.” It is an umbrella name under which a great multitude of symptoms can find cover. They are too many to mention.
The short of it is: when something is off in the body structurally it begins to compensate by pulling on muscles and adjusting position of bones and disks. Eventually the compensatory mechanisms begin to break down. Body enters into disease mode.
I have a lot of hope for you and your friend. Constant pain and Sleep Apnea is not a condition that you have to live with for the rest of your life.
OSB treatment is a fantastic non invasive modality that treats Snoring and Sleep Apnea from day one.
All the Best.

TMJ Disorder Part III

Posted in: Blog by Dr Kundel on | No Comments

TMJ stands for Temporo Mandibular Joint. This fancy name means it is connected to the lower jaw and touches temples of the head. TMD stands for Temporo Mandibular Disease.

Treatment of TMD (jaw joint disease) has two phases. Phase one is pain relief. Phase two is changing the structure so that pain does not return. Sometimes surgical intervention is necessary. Unless you ask a surgeon, surgery is the last resort.

First, what is normal?

Normal joint does not make sounds. It has never made sounds. If you jaw joint ever made clicking, popping, sand grating sounds – you have a problem. It can also be that sound was present but not now. Odds are there is a problem. Due to our bodies’ amazing capacity to repair and accommodate often times structural change is not felt.

Normal opening of your mouth is at least 52mm from edge of lower front tooth to the edge of the upper front tooth. Another way to measure is to be able to fit four fingers in your mouth.

Normal joints go together with teeth that don’t look worn out. However, it is possible to have teeth that look “brand new” and still have TMD.

Here is a checklist that may help you decide if you are a candidate for TMJ treatment:

- Do you have clicking, popping or grating noises in one or both of your jaw joints when you open and/or close?

- Do you ever have a sensation of ear “stuffiness”, pressure or blockage of your ears? Is there excessive ear wax production?

- Do you ever get ringing, whooshing, roaring, hissing or buzzing noises in your ears?

- Do you ever feel dizzy when you turn around?

- Are there imprints of your teeth in the sides of your tongue? Are your teeth excessively worn?

- Does your jaw deviate to one side when you open slowly and fully. Check by looking in the mirror.

- Do you have missing back teeth? Does your “bite” feel wrong?

- Do you have pain or soreness in any of the following areas: jaw joints, upper jaw or teeth, side of neck, back of head, forehead, and sides of head (temples), tongue, chewing muscles and/or behind the eyes, lower back?

- Does your jaw ever lock or get stuck?

This is a partial list. TMD is a multi factorial disorder. In the next few pages you will see why.

Holistic means all inclusive. When any disorder is addressed, the entire person should be considered – body and mind. If a person has a kidney problem, it is not necessarily their kidneys that are malfunctioning. Problem literally can be coming from anywhere and its manifestation could be through the kidneys. TMJ problems and others in dentistry should be addressed in the similar fashion. Problems can arise as a result of body’s compensation to maintain an optimal level of function. To remove the need to compensate is to treat holistically. Remove the proverbial pebble from the shoe and you will stop limping.

To treat a TMJ problem, often times, is to address a breathing problem.

Lower jaw has a unique joint in that its position is controlled entirely by muscles. If there is a pebble in the shoe than muscles of the leg and foot will pull to avoid pain in the foot. Hence the limping. While limping can be tolerated indefinitely choking cannot be. Suboptimal breathing is registered instantly and muscles of throat, mouth, and chest move respective structures around to allow for unobstructed breathing. One example of compensation for choking is an open mouth. Here a jaw is pulled down for air to get in. A body has to work constantly and use energy to keep pulling the jaw. This will result in sore muscles in neck, back and inside of mouth. To ease pain of neck, back, and jaw is to remove the need to compensate for choking.

How does one remove the need to compensate for choking? Get the thing out of the throat that chokes you in the first place. What could be sitting in your throat that’s not food? A piece of meat we call tongue. Its normal home is a mouth, but for many people their mouths are too small. The tongue then has to compensate for the lack of space. Options are limited. It cannot shrink. It can either go forward and hang out of the mouth or go back into the throat. Once your tongue is partially obstructing your airway, an alarm in the brain goes off! Brain then sends a signal to the muscles of the throat and jaw to keep the airway open as best as possible. Since the tongue will be sitting not where it should be all the time, the alarm will be sounding continuously. Muscles of the jaw and throat will be working overtime continuously as well. Jaw joint muscles are therefore never relaxed. We come the full circle now. To treat a TMJ problem, often times, is to address a breathing problem.

This problem can be remedied with a dental appliance that repositions the jaw to make more room in the mouth and therefore throat.

Ideal Treatment

Posted in: Blog by Dr Kundel on February 7, 2007 | No Comments

In dental school we learn principals and algorithms of diagnosis and treatment. We memorize facts until they become second nature and we don’t have to think about them anymore. As we gain experience and knowledge in practice we are able to do more complicated cases, i.e. restore mouths that present multiple problems. As we become more sophisticated in our abilities we begin to look at mouths more critical, each time thinking what can we do to make it more ideal. Ideal implies the best. Herein lies the caveat. The best maybe the most elaborate, sophisticated, and possibly costly. It may not be the ideal treatment however. Ideal treatment maybe different things to different people. This note is simply to have you to ask yourself that question. What is the best thing for me at this moment? Take charge and begin to participate in your health care.

How sure am I that the treatment recommended to me will serve my best interests?

Do I thoroughly understand it?

Did I do my own research and have the right expectations of the outcome?

Get the idea..?

Doc I have TMJ! Please help!

Posted in: Blog by Dr Kundel on November 8, 2006 | No Comments

Ok, lets start form the beginning. We are composed of bones, muscles, ligaments, organs, fluids, and whatever else.

There is a left side and a right side. Ideally left and right should be symmetrical and functioning together in unison.

Our skeleton is held together by ligaments, muscles, and tendons.

Information is passed around by nerves. They act as conduits of commands and feedback.

They tell us when it hurts or feels good.

Head has two halves. Left and right halves are locked in together by very intricate maze of bony protrusions coming out of each half. They form a movable connection between the two halves.

Lower jaw is not connected to any other bone in the head by rigid processes. It is suspended in the air and held by muscles, ligaments and tendons. Position of the lower jaw is determined by the muscles it is suspended from and by the bones the muscles are connected to. This is important to remember because this means that the lower jaw will go where the bones of the head (for the most part) will direct it to go.

Most TMJ treatments done today are in two dimensions: up/down and forward/back. Some people say it is your bite, some people say it is your joint, and some people say “you are crazy.”

We will address the psychological aspect of TMJ later. Let’s just say for now that we have not met anybody who was making up their pain.

To address TMJ by itself is to ignore the rest of the body. Incidentally, sometimes people have problems in the other areas of their bodies without being even aware of their TM joints.

How can that be? Who knows .

To be continued .

Believe at Your Own Risk

Posted in: Blog by Dr Kundel on November 6, 2006 | No Comments

I saw a woman recently that could not conceive a child. She tried for a while to no avail. She was going for a second one. She was referred to me because some of her teeth were believed to be non vital. Dead teeth create dead bone around them. That can’t be healthy. Also, almost every major Chinese energy meridian crosses through the teeth. If a tooth is dead energy can’t flow. If energy does not flow, the organ that is meant to be fed by that energy starves for it. These particular dead teeth happened to be sitting where “conception meridian” happened to be passing. I think you can finish the rest of this blog on your own, dear reader.
After teeth and dead bone were removed this woman conceived a child and is currently pregnant.
Probably a coincidence,…. right?

The Significance of the So-Called Cleaning

Posted in: Blog by Dr Kundel on October 28, 2006 | No Comments

Several people now have asked me, “why do I need to have cleanings and how often should I have them?”

These are great questions which often times are left unasked and unanswered.
Let s start off with a concept that everyone will understand. Why do we change oil in our cars? Why do we get offered a 20 point inspection at the time of oil change. The answer is simple: we do car check ups so that our cars last us longer and trouble free. Why though? That s because a car is expensive enough to warrant us to want not to spend more on it.
Why do we tell people: You need regular dental visits ? For the same reason, practically speaking. Prevention is the most economical way. Problems caught early get resolved fast and inexpensively. Years of neglect lead to huge dental bills not to mention pain, dread, and suffering.
Since I am writing this letter I cant help but mention the effect oral health will have on your body. If you have been my patient for a while I probably have shed some light on the mouth-body connection for you. If you haven t, I invite you to go to www.StamfordDentist.com/blog where you will be able to pick up information that is otherwise unavailable to the general public. I started a blog on my website where new information will be added periodically that, in the long run, will save you heaps of money in addition to a healthier and happier you.
It is not important what the visit is actually called. We can call it a cleaning, a check up, a recare or prophy visit, or a come over get your choppers cleaned visit. The message stays the same. Have a trusted professional look at you on a periodic basis and odds are you will come out ahead.
So how is cleaning better, different, special here with me. I am glad you asked. There are several very significant reasons. First of all, because of the special care I give your gums. I don t believe a cleaning should be painful to be beneficial in spite of what you may have been told. Studies have shown that a cleaning done too aggressively can actually cause additional problems, like bacteria creeping into your blood stream and causing all kinds of problems in your body. Also, an aggressive cleaning will remove protective layer from a tooth s root. That will leave your teeth open to possible infections which carry obvious consequences. Secondly, during periodic visits a problem can be found that could be solved simply and inexpensively. Remember that the Best Dentistry is No Dentistry. Since I am a firm believer in this I will not advise you anything that I would not have done for myself. Finally, ignorance is not bliss. Heart disease and diabetes often take decades to surface and send one to multitudes of doctors. Wouldn t your time and money be spent better otherwise?

Gum Disease

Posted in: Blog by Dr Kundel on October 12, 2006 | No Comments

Everywhere you turn now days you see articles about how important it is to care for your gums. Mainstream media picked up the news and now everybody knows that gum disease and heart disease are somehow connected. Why are they connected and how?

The answer is really simple. Your gums and your heart are bathed in the same blood. They share the same nutrients and oxygen that blood carries. So, too, they share the bacteria that inhabit are bodies. In this case, bacteria that live in and around your gums will enter your blood stream and go where it pleases. When gums are inflamed they bleed. Bleeding in the mouth is a sign of infection. Bleeding occurs when capillaries (or really small blood vessels) burst open and bacteria is able to enter. Other offenders that can make your gums bleed are heavy metals such as mercury and lead and also certain hormones. Side note: if you brush your teeth and your tooth brush bristles get pink, even sometimes, you’ve got gum disease.

How does bacteria decide where to settle? The honest answer – We don t know.

What’s important to understand here is the concept of holism. You cannot study or address one part of your body and not pay attention to the other parts.

Your gums affect more that just your heart. We just haven’t found all the other scary connections.

Good news. Gum disease is easy to treat. One needs to practice good hygiene, have regular dental visits and use oral care products that are safe and effective. In our office we use products that are time and use tested. Our herbal oral care products in most instances are all that is needed to eliminate gum disease. Antibiotics and painful gum surgeries are a thing of the past.

Infection of just the gums is called gingivitis. Gingivitis is a mild form of gum disease. It can come or go uneventfully. If gingivitis remains untreated it will progress into a more serious form of gum infection – periodontitis. Periodontitis includes infection of ligaments and bone as well as the gums. Periodontitis can eat away bone that supports teeth and it can even kill a tooth.

Here is an important point: any infection is a systemic infection. No matter where infection starts or settles our bodies need to expand the same energy to fight it. The more extensive the infection the more resources the body will use up making them unavailable for the necessary upkeep of everyday.

It may take years before you become aware that you have a problem in your mouth. That s why regular visits are important. Your dentist can spot it early. Because gum disease doesn t hurt for the most part, you can be lured into thinking that everything is alright. Cars need oil changes and check ups. So do we! To repeat: the least expensive form of medicine and dentistry is preventive.

To keep your gums healthy it isn’t enough to just brush and floss. Health of the mouth best gets accomplished when a healthy lifestyle is maintained. Diet, exercise, and attitude all play a role. That s right – attitude! More on this sometime in the future. Check back with us often.