TMJAStaff2, Author at Richard C. Gerardo, D.C., C.S.C.P.

Who Owns YOUR TMJ Implant?

TMJAStaff2 — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 16:57:58 +0000

Especially during this past year, it’s been brought to our attention by a number of TMJ implant patients having their implants removed that their surgeon told them the devices MUST be returned to the manufacturer. We asked the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for clarification and the FDA response to them follows:

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Who Owns Your TMJ Implant?

TMJAStaff2 — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 16:57:06 +0000

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Social Security Disability Benefits and Temporomandibular Disorders

TMJAStaff2 — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 16:13:58 +0000

Those who suffer from Temporomandibular Disorders also referred to as TMJ or TMD, may find it impossible to maintain the responsibilities associated with full-time work activity. Some of the symptoms associated with Temporomandibular Disorder, such as vertigo, light sensitivity, and severe pain in the neck, head, and ears, can make it impossible to earn an income. The resulting lack of income can lead to significant financial stress. Fortunately, in some cases, Social Security Disability benefits can help alleviate some of the financial strain associated with this condition.

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Pain Sensitivity and Genetic Factors: Act Two of the OPPERA Study

TMJAStaff2 — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 16:03:31 +0000

This month we present the last set of findings from “Act Two” of the Oral Pain: Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment (OPPERA) study. [The Journal of Pain, Volume 14, Issue 12, Supplement, December 2013, pp. T1-T124.] Recall that these investigators recruited some 3,000 men and women between 18 and 44 years old who agreed to be studied over several years at four academic sites: Chapel Hill, NC; Baltimore, MD; Gainesville, FL; and Buffalo, NY. All were TMD free at the beginning of the study.

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Symptoms, Sociodemographics, & Psychological Profile: Act Two of the OPPERA Study

TMJAStaff2 — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 20:40:13 +0000

Last month we began our report on findings in OPPERA's Act Two," the second series of analyses of data from the Orofacial Pain Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment (OPPERA) study, which enrolled healthy volunteers at four campus sites in Chapel Hill, NC; Baltimore; MD; Buffalo, NY; and Gainesville, FL. Follow-up questionnaires were available from 2,737 enrollees, and clinical examinations in the course of the study documented that 260 of these people developed first-onset TMD.

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Temporomandibular Disorders and Sexual Intimacy

TMJAStaff2 — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 20:16:17 +0000

A recent posting on the TMJA website included the following request: "I wonder if you could include something in a future newsletter about the romantic/sexual side effects of TMD which I feel aren’t talked about much but are pretty relevant." (http://www.tmj.org/site/blogs/tmj-disorders/2013-08-14-1). She went on to describe some of her own experiences.

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TMD Risk Factors: Act Two of the OPPERA Study

TMJAStaff2 — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 21:33:48 +0000

Investigators analyzing the data collected in the long-running clinical study Orofacial Pain: Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment (OPPERA) have now published their findings comparing individuals, all of whom were TMD free at the start of the study, with 260 individuals who developed first-onset TMD in the course of follow-up examinations. The papers, published as a special supplement to the December issue of the Journal of Pain (the official journal of the American Pain Society) indicate that a number of factors in many domains (e.g., genetic, environmental, physiologi

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A Revised View of the Role of Sleep Bruxism and Sleep Chewing Muscle Activity in TMJ Muscle Pain

TMJAStaff2 — Sat, 21 Dec 2013 04:39:32 +0000

For at least 50 years, most dentists have told their TMJ patients that grinding or clenching of their teeth is a major factor in the cause and persistence of their facial pain. Consequently, many patients accept this to be true. If a sleep partner tells you that they heard you grind your teeth at night (“sleep bruxism”), it seems to provide even stronger proof that sleep bruxism is the cause of your facial pain.

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Metal Allergies & Temporomandibular Disorders

TMJAStaff2 — Fri, 06 Dec 2013 19:08:47 +0000

Two articles in the British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery report: 1) a high number of metal allergies in Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) patients needing total replacement of their TM joints and 2) one year follow-up data comparing patients with metal allergies treated with all titanium total joint replacements (considered non-allergenic) with non-allergic patients treated with standard cobalt-chromium replacements joints.

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Metal Hypersensitivity to Implant Materials

TMJAStaff2 — Fri, 06 Dec 2013 19:05:15 +0000

Hypersensitivity to TMJ implant materials is an issue that we are frequently hearing from TMJ patients. Given this concern we contacted Marco Caicedo, Ph.D., Senior Scientists and COO at Orthopedic Analysis in Chicago, IL. Orthopedic Analysis is an independent diagnostics company dedicated to the quantitative analysis of immune responses to biomaterials (i.e metal allergy to implant materials). We thank Dr. Caicedo for writing this state-of-the-art article.

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