Disclusion Time Reduction (DTR)

Disclusion Time Reduction (DTR)
Computer-guided Occlusal Therapy for Muscular TMD Symptoms

Robert B. Kerstein DMD

Multiple Research studies since 1991 have repeatedly shown that excursive occlusal contacts play a definitive causative role in the etiology of chronic muscular TMD symptoms, because prolonged in time, excursive movement occlusal contacts (known as long “Disclusion Time”) cause masticatory muscle hyperactivation that leads to symptom appearances. The symptoms result from the unique neuroanatomy of the posterior teeth, which will be described in detail within this program.
Disclusion Time Reduction (DTR) Therapy is a specialized dental treatment procedure that requires the use of T-Scan 10 synchronized with the BioEMG III, to evaluate occlusal function in relation to muscle activity, to measure the impact of excursive movements have on the muscle physiology. The goal is to identify excursive contacts that overly engage during excursive movements, which lead to hyperactive muscles, breakage, and TMD symptoms. The course will illustrate that shortening the Disclusion Time to less than 0.5 seconds per excursion (known as Disclusion Time Reduction; DTR) with T-Scan 10/BioEMG III guided, time-based occlusal adjustments, many common chronic TMD symptoms can be successfully treated, without requiring a patient to wear a splint, orthotic, deprogrammer, or bruxism appliance, nor undergo TENS therapy. This presentation will include the validating studies that have proved the efficacy of this highly successful computer-guided occlusal treatment method, and will highlight the most recently published evidence that Disclusion Time Reduction stops cold tooth hypersensitivity, lessens internal TMJ soft tissue structural damage, and markedly improves emotional depression that accompanies living with chronic painful TMD symptoms.
In addition, attendees will observe a diagnostic recording session with the T-Scan 10/BioEMG III synchronized technologies, performed on volunteer attendees that have chronic ongoing occlusal and TMD problems, that haven’t been resolved with splint therapy.

Learning Objectives
• To Understand how the neurophysiologic etiology of the long Disclusion Time/excursive muscle hyperactivity physiology creates the ischemic muscle pain commonly observed in TMD patients
• To Understand how the T-Scan and BioEMG technologies simultaneously record and illustrate both the excursive Disclusion Time contacts and the resultant masticatory muscle hyperfunction that causes ischemia and pain
• To Learn how lessening excursive muscle hyperactivity clinical ischemia is possible with T-Scan guided high-precision occlusal adjustments made specifically to the Disclusion Time, with the ICAGD Coronoplasty
• To Recognize which TMD patients should or should not undergo DTR therapy
• To Understand how to treat muscular TMD without TENS, appliances, mouth guards, NTI’s, Orthotics and deprogrammers
• To Realize that definitive DTR Chairside Training with patients is required for a clinician to learn to perform DTR treatment predictably and effectively