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Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 4+5/2016 14 TRENDS& APPLICATIONS The most widely prescribed treat- ment for temporomandibular dis- order (TMD) has been an intra-oral stabilisation splint. With Cerezen, however, a new and more palatable alternative has recently found its wayintotheUKmarketfromtheUS. Dr Lance Knight from the BUPA den- tal centre in Manchester has been oneofthefirst prescribersinBritain. In this interview, he talks about the device and why he has been an en- thusiastic early adopter. Dental Tribune: Dr Knight, do you find a significant number of your patients present withTMD? Dr Lance Knight: TMD as a con- dition is under-recognised. As pro- fessionals, we are aware that many patients who suffer with TMD do not always present in a way that allows the condition to be easily diagnosed. However, I would say I see patients with obvious signs of bruxism about once or twice every day. What are the most common TMD symptoms you encounter in your practice? Tooth grinding and clenching are something that we see a great deal of in the practice, but patients may also complain of jaw and/or neck pain, as well as unexplained headaches occasionally. What has your typical solution for TMD suffers been? Historically, I have turned to intra-oral stabilisation splints to treat TMD sufferers. With them, I have had mixed success. For some patients, bite guards have been fantastic, and all that is needed to relieve the pain of TMD. Unfortunately, not all patients get on well with them, and for some who have strong gag reflexes they are just impossible to wear. Some patients may benefit from splints during the day; however, this is not always a practical option for them, as splints can affect speech, and of course one cannot eat with them in. I have found splints to be reason- able in some cases, but they have not providedacertainprospectofsuccess, meaningIhavenotbeenconfidentof theoutcomepatientswillhave. How did you hear about Cerezen? My Renew Health representative was the first person to make me awareofCerezen.Shecameintothe practice and explained about how Cerezenwasadevicethatisinserted into the patient’s ear canal, close to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). 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 TMD. Cerezen encourages the patient to return to theopen-biteposition,byapplying subtle pressure to the walls of the ear canal, and this minimises the tendency to clench the jaw and tense the surrounding muscles. Atfirst,Iwassceptical—itsounds strange when one first hears that one is 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 in- terested in the fact that the treat- ment is, like a splint, totally re- versible.Ifitdoesnotwork,patients cansimplyremoveit.Withocclusal equilibration, which had always been another option for seeking to treat TMD, there is no going back, andhereIwasbeingpresentedwith a second reversible option. I was keentomakemyownevaluationof the product and was invited to test itononeofmypatients,withwhich I had great success. Did you feel confident engaging with patients presenting with TMJ painbeforelearningaboutCerezen? Before Cerezen, my knowledge of TMD was not to the level it is now. Cerezen provides courses that broadened my knowledge signi- ficantly and allowed me to offer practical advice and solutions to patients.TheCerezencoursesadded massively to my confidence in pre- scribing, as I felt that I was able to seamlessly apply the theory and knowledgeCerezenhadsharedwith me,inmypracticetomypatients. What results have you obtained with Cerezen? Cerezen has impacted everyone Ihavetreatedwithit.Forsome,ithas been subtle—the treatment is not an overnight wonder cure; it takes timeforpatients’jawstorelearnthe position they should be in during the day. Several months after treat- ment, patients predominantly re- port that they have had a reduction in pain—some have even reported animprovementinsleep! What are the greatest benefits of Cerezenforboththepatientandthe prescriber? For the patient, it is clear that Cerezen offers a significant im- provement in comfort compared with traditional splints. It is pro- vided at a good price point and is cost-effective,andcanofferachange tothepatient’squalityoflife. For the practitioner, the support from the company—the knowl- edgeoftherepresentativesandthe supportandtraining—issecondto none.Theproductisquickandeasy to prescribe, and I firmly believe that one achieves more successful outcomes for patients with TMD, andthisincreasesone’sconfidence in treating patients. What is your overall assessment of the Cerezen device? Cerezen has been a game chan- ger for me in the way I look to treat TMD. My experience with the de- vicehasbeenremarkable.Itisafan- tastic tool to have to offer to TMD sufferers and is definitely my first optionasatreatmentfortheircon- dition. I am confident of prescrib- ing it and of the outcome it will have for patients. It is such a good feeling to be able to offer patients a potentialsolutiontotheirproblem that does not pose an oral health risk (no more occlusal equilibra- tion) or burden their pocket (the manufacturers of Cerezen offer a money-back guarantee). ThesupportfromCerezenforthe practice has been amazing. Imple- mentinganewtreatmentcanoften be complex and expensive, as well as a massive change to the practice. With Cerezen,it is seamless. The only real cost to practition- ers is the time to learn about the device.Cerezenhasthepotentialto be highly profitable for practices, maximising the treatments that can be offered in-house and reduc- ing the number of patients who have to be referred out. The even greater reward has been the dif- ference I am now able to offer my patients whom I struggled to help before. Thank you very much for the inter- view. “Cerezen has impacted everyone I have treated with it” An interview with Dr Lance Knight, BUPA dental centre Manchester “...a significant improvement in comfort compared with traditional splints.” DTUK0416_14_Knight 25.05.16 10:21 Seite 1 DTUK0416_14_Knight 25.05.1610:21 Seite 1