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A game-changer T


emporoman- dibular joint disorders (TMJD) are a group of conditions


characterised by jaw pain, headaches, and bruxism. The most widely prescribed treat- ment for TMJD is an intraoral stabilisation splint. However, a new, more palatable alterna- tive, Cerezen, has recently been introduced from the US. Dr Lance Knight, one of the first Cerezen prescribers in the UK, explains why he has been an enthusiastic early adopter.


Do you find a significant number of your patients are presenting with TMJD? TMJD as a condition is under recognised. As professionals we are aware that lots of patients who suffer with TMJD don’t always present in a way that means that the condition is easy to diagnose. However, I would say I see patients who present obvious signs of bruxism about once or twice every day.


What are the most reoccurring TMJD


symptoms you encounter in your practice? Teeth grinding and clenching are something that we see a lot of in practice, but patients can also complain of jaw and/or neck pain as well


46 Ireland’s Dental magazine


A palatable alternative to traditional splints, Cerezen offers relief to TMJD sufferers


as occasionally unexplained headaches.


What has been your typical solution for TMJD suffers? Historically, I have turned to intraoral stabilisation splints to treat TMJD sufferers and have had mixed success. For some patients, bite guards have been fantastic and all that is needed to relieve the pain of TMJD. However, not all patients get on well with them, for some who have strong gagging reflexes they are impossible to wear. Some patients may benefit from splints during the day; however, this is not always a practical option for them, as they can affect speech, and of course you can’t eat with them in! I have found splints to be reasonable in some cases, but they have not provided a positive ‘suggestion’ of success, meaning I have not been confident of the outcome patients will have.


How did you hear about Cerezen? My Renew Health rep was the first person to make me aware of Cerezen. She came into the practice and explained about how Cerezen was a device which is inserted into a patient’s ear canal, close to


like a splint, totally reversible. If it doesn’t work, patients can simply remove it. With occlusal equilibration, which had always been another option to try and treat TMJD there is no going back, and here I was being presented with a second reversible option. I was keen to make my own


The Cerezen device is inserted in the patient’s ear canal


the temporomandibular joint. The ear canals change shape when the jaw is opened or closed, and Cerezen uses this anatomical change to provide a unique near-field treatment for TMJD. Cerezen encourages the patient to return to the ‘open bite’ position, by applying subtle pressure to the walls of the ear canal; this minimises the tendency to clench the jaw and tense the surrounding muscles. At first I was sceptical; it


sounds strange when you first hear that you are able to offer a patient a jaw treatment through the ear, but when she explained the science and provided a demonstration it made sense. I was particularly interested in the fact that the treatment is,


evaluation of the product, and was invited to test it on one of my patients, with which I had great success.


Do you feel confident engaging with patients presenting TMJD pain before hearing about Cerezen? Before Cerezen my knowledge of TMJD was not to the level it is now. Cerezen provide courses which were able to broaden my knowledge significantly, and allow me to offer practical advice and solutions to patients. The Cerezen courses added massively to my confidence in prescribing, as I felt that I was able to seamlessly apply the theory and knowledge they had shared with me in my practice to my patients.


What results have you seen from Cerezen? Cerezen has impacted everyone I have treated with it. For


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