Technology partners in occlusal diagnosis

The recent partnering of leaders in the manufacture of occlusal diagnosis equipment for dentists, BioRESEARCH Assoc. Inc. and TekScan, is perfectly timed to capitalize on the current interest in how the mouth, jaw and associated muscles affect overall systemic health.

BioRESEARCH leads the world in stateof- the-art diagnostic aids for the TM Joint, Craniofacial muscles and Mandibular positioning. TekScan is the world leader in the objective analysis of occlusion.

The seeds were unknowingly sewn in 1996 when then Vice President of BioRESEARCH Assoc. Inc. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), Brent Thompson, was recruited by Boston-based TekScan. As he assumed his new duties at TekScan, Mr. Thompson continued to mentor and brainstorm with Greg Kamyszek, his replacement at BioRESEARCH.

For two years, the friends discussed how each company gave dentists critical information about their patient's stomatognathic system. However, each of these dental visionaries understood that individually, each company only had a "piece of the puzzle".

The two subsequently formulated the concept of a cooperative relationship, where the two companies would join their devices into a single system. For the first time in dentistry, clinicians would be able to see the live interaction between the teeth, muscles and TM joints.

Dental theories claiming that either the teeth, or muscles or joints dictated proper occlusal function have grown. Each camp rallied against one another claiming that it had found the "Holy Grail" of dentistry. But Messrs Thompson and Kamyszek realized that all of them were promoting their theories while blindfolded! No one was able to actually see the muscles respond live, to a deflective contact! Nor could they know exactly when the forces on the teeth or in the muscles were properly balanced.

Today, the BioPAK and the T-Scan EMG link are used by the top dental training facilities in the world regardless of treatment philosophy. The Dawson Center for Advanced Dental Studies uses the instrumentation as does the Dick Barnes Group. Both the CR and Neuromuscular "camps" are now utilizing technology that allows them to test their theories of occlusion, muscle function and balance equally! They are able to see when their theories are spot on and when the patient's treatment plan needs to be reevaluated.

"The real impact of this technology is that it allows you to see how each individual patient is responding to your treatment right now!," said Mr Kamyszek. "In the past, dentists had to wait until the patient's next appointment or two before they received subjective evidence as to whether their treatment was working or not. Today, you have objective evidence immediately, and that's the true power of the T-Scan/EMG link!"