A Testimonial Letter

by Chelane P.

I had suffered from TMJ problems for years and spent thousands of dollars with other dentists in an attempt to relieve my pain and discomfort before I came to Dr. Spainhower.

Stabilizing my jaw had been difficult to do with other providers but was quickly acheived with Dr. Spainhower's help. My treatment came to point where I could continue with the use of a bite plate to keep my jaw stable or I could consider fixing my problem.

My jaw problems resulted from an eneven bite and ligaments that were simply tired of trying to pull my bite back in place. For treatrment of that specifically, I took time with other dentists throughout salt Lake to get opinions and decide what would be best for me.

I ultimatley ended up coming back to Dr. Spainhower with advice from others. Dr. Spainhower gave me his input and we decided on a plan to hopefully fix my jaw.

After a month or two of planning and treatment, my jaw was stable and fixed. We ended up needing to take some height off of some of my teeth while adding some to others. All the while being sure my bite was exactly where it should be.

It's now 2 1/2 years later and my jaw is still stable and happy. What used to be pain on waking up, headaches and pain throughout the day, clicking and locking sporadically and overall discomfort is now what I used to hope normal felt like.

I greatly apprecciate the time Dr. Spainhower spent with me and his willingness to treat me as an individual with specific therapy needs. I can't begin to express how great life without jaw pain is.

Chelane P.

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A Testimonial Letter

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starstarstarstarstar 		Re:Hello from Scotland
by: Zara Ross

Dear Doctor,
Blessings from Scotland. I am 20 years old and I have special needs, I suffer from a rare syndrome.

I have been a TMJ sufferer for over 3 years due to a blunder, I have been on alot of different tablets for the pain and have been seen by a Maxillofacial surgeon 2 hours away from my home.

I now need a new jaw replacement, my question is has anyone had this operation and does it help?
my email is zaramayross@fsmail.net

Let me know
Zara Ross
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starstarstarstarstar 		You did great Chelane.
by: Dr. Spainhower

Ok, Chelane gave me this letter a week ago, and I'd like to make a few comments about her treatment...

Chelane was great to work with. Also, the cause of her TMJ issues was an "off bite". Now, if you've read a few of my webpages on this website, you should have the impression that stress is mostly or mainly the cause of TMJ problems.

Also, Chelane took her time to make an informed decision. And she was very responsible about that and very thorough. She took about 2 years of researching and seeing other TMJ specialist to abtain enough information to make an informed decision.

She ultimatley came back to me saying...I've seen many other doctors for second opinions and I'd like you to continue and fix me.

I'm thinking that she heard that you shouldn't grind/shave on her teeth to fix TMJ. Although that's true for individuals where stress is the main cause of TMJ pains, in Chelane's case, it was her bite that was the problem.

Though that is mostly true, in Chelanes' case, it was her bite causing her problems and not stress. So, it depends on the individual in every case. When a new TMJ patient walks into our office, it may be anything...bad bite, stress, death in the family, nutrition, lack of exercise or any of the other causes.

It sometimes takes 2-4 visits to pin down the true cause of TMJ problems. So, don't be impatient with yourself or your TMJ specialist. It does take a working diagnosis...meaning, it takes time to diagnose accuratley as you are treated.

I would say that it takes around a month or so, with 2-4 visits to pin down the real underlying cause of your clenching/TMJ symptoms.

Good luck with your quest for answers, and if you have any questions you'd like to ask me, please ask through this ask a question format.

God bless.

Dr. Spainhower

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