Are You Over 40 With Headaches? It May Be Your Teeth!

If you're new here, don't forget to sign up for Anti Aging Updates in the big blue box on the right. Thanks for visiting and your comments are welcome anytime!

Sharon had headaches for years and was told by multiple doctors that nothing could be done for her except surgery. When she met Dr. Peter Pagano for the first time, she was one week from her scheduled surgery. As a dentist whose orthopedic approach to care has enabled him to eliminate headaches for hundreds of patients, Dr. Pete recommended a simple treatment program as a last option before resorting to surgery.

Sharon was doubtful. After all of the specialists she had consulted, she didn’t expect a dentist could alleviate her problem. She agreed, however and weeks later was amazed to find herself free of headaches.

This orthopedic approach to dentistry is the basis of the protocol that Dr. Pagano uses for cosmetic makeovers. “With individuals over 40, in particular, their treatment usually includes cosmetic and rehabilitative work,” says Dr. Pete. “In order for everything to not only look good at the end of treatment, but feel natural, the dentist has to be proficient at ensuring the teeth and jaw fit together perfectly. Otherwise, the patient will not be comfortable with her cosmetic work, no matter how good it looks.”

The protocol that became “Midlife Dentistry” was developed over thirty years by Dr. Pagano. Though not yet recognized by the American Dental Association, it’s comprehensive, whole-body approach to dentistry results in addressing many health issues not often recognized as the result of a deteriorating dental condition. Some of these include:

• Waking up in the mornings with headaches
• Headaches that develop midday
• Lower back pain
• Head, neck and jaw pain
• Pain behind your eyes
• Sounds in your ears

These are all symptoms that could quite possibly be stemming from your dental condition. Even if you think your teeth are fine, they could be causing some of the other annoyances you feel throughout your body. Midlife dentistry addresses these symptoms and many others as well.

As you age, your teeth begin to wear down, like tread on tires. Your nose begins to get closer to your chin but is usually not perceptible until sufficient wear causes a collapsed look in the mouth area. Midlife dentistry often involves building the teeth back to their original height with crowns. This not only improves cosmetic appearance, but can decompress jaw joints that could be causing pain in the head or neck.

“Dentistry is really engineering on a much smaller level,” says Dr. Pete. That’s why his patients often experience relief from pain in the lower back. By balancing the head, neck and jaw as a part of treatment and then ensuring dental treatment doesn’t throw it out of balance, the alignment returns to the body. A few millimeters of imbalance in the way the bite forms can stress the jaw joints, which in turn refer pain.

Ideally, Midlife Dentistry procedures are performed under the same roof. Not only is it more convenient for the patient, but it allows the doctor to correctly sequence aesthetic dental procedures so the desired outcome is achieved. For example, Sam, a fifty-three year old professional, spent nearly a year restoring his teeth and gums. This included root canals, extractions and dental implants. Unfortunately, the cosmetic dentist overseeing his case did not perform orthodontics. At the end of Sam’s treatment, he had a healthy mouth and restored chewing function, but crooked bottom teeth that could have easily been straightened during the course of treatment. By then, Sam was tired of running all over town for his dental care and decided to live with his crooked smile.

Regardless of the desired cosmetic outcome, the doctor’s fist priority is always to maintain a natural chewing function for the patient. This is necessary to a healthy body and the Midlife Dentistry protocol is mindful of this every step of the way. This is why the decision to have dental implants is often more than a cosmetic decision. The restoration of natural chewing and jaw balance can greatly enhance health.

Dr. Pagano developed midlife dentistry as a result of thirty years of observing a pattern of symptoms in the midlife mouth. These, left untreated, often led to other health concerns later in life. By addressing these issues during midlife, teeth can be restored and preserved before it is too late.

____________________________-
Dr. Peter J. Pagano has authored an upcoming book entitled: Ageless Smile: What Every Boomer Needs to Know About Midlife Dentistry? (Foghorn Communications, LLC, January, 2009). His practice is based in St Louis but treats patients from outside the area.