Dr. Ladesic, iHATEheadaches Blog

One of my first patients was the mother of one of our team members. This woman had been a nurse and had headaches almost daily since she was in her 20's. It wasn't until we get a dental exam, I think it was for broken tooth( not the first) that obvious signs of dysfunction were apparent. She had a high narrow palate, deep bite, crowded severely worn front teeth, and missing back teeth. These were only the observable signs. She then gave us her symptoms: constant stiff neck and shoulders, lower back pain, 'sinus problems', ringing in the ears, vertigo, and frequent almost daily headaches.

Now in her early 70s, the headaches had somewhat diminished after going through menopause. at that time( almost 10 years ago) experience was much less than the present, so I worked with Dr. Shapiro on her case. She completed her initial scans and splint( orthosis) placement with him. Her daughter told me that her mother called her from the parking lot just after receiving her orthosis and said "I think this is bull-shit". fortunately, when she woke up the next morning without a headache and was pain-free she was convinced. After about three months and resolution of her symptoms her teeth were restored to her new job position. She not only had a beautiful smile and smile behind her teeth.

Her daughter had begun to understand their mother was not the main, stern person she thought her to be growing up that person who had been constantly wounded by pain. Let me ask you a question...

My interest in TMJ dysfunction began in college when I was preparing to apply to dental school. I did extra projects in the anatomy lab and regularly scrubbed into surgical cases at a nearby hospital. The interest continued through the 8 years serving in the U.S. Navy Dental Corps.

In 1995, I was blessed by being hired as an associate dentist with Dr. Ira Shapira and Dr. Mark Amidei in the Gurnee, Illinois. Dr. Shapira was treating patients for TMJ dysfunction, snoring and sleep apnea. I saw Dr. Shapira treating patients that had been through the gambit of the medical system: physicians, physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists and even other dentists not trained in neuromuscular dentistry. These patients had been through x-rays, scans, spinal taps, adjustments, acupuncture, all types of supplements, and many many medications.

Unfortunately none of their previous treatments had truly resolved their issues, but through neuromuscular dentistry these patients were starting to live more normal lives and the sparkle was beginning to return to their eyes. I was excited by what I witnessed, but also a little nervous. It would be a lot to learn and relearn in order to treat similar patients. In my opinion, neuromuscular dentists are a different type of doctor with training that goes far beyond what is taught in the majority of dental schools. Yet, I decided this would be the path in dental medicine that I wanted to follow.

I spent the next eight years working with and being mentored by Dr. Shapira, observing him treat patients and receiving the benefit of his 25+ years of experience as I began treating my own patients. He also encouraged me to become a member of the International College of Cranio mandibular Orthopedics( ICCMO). Dr. Shapira, Dr. Amidei and myself began to train at the LasVegas Institute of Advanced Dental Studies(LVI) which has become the premier institute for training in neuromuscular dentistry. I now own my own practice, but Dr. Shapira continues to be a very close friend and an incredible mentor. I practice at Waterloo Heights Dental Center in West Salem, WI (15 minutes from across). I practice with another nueromuscular dentist Dr. Chuck Flume. Dr. Flume is also an instructor at LVI.

Although I continue to practice general dentistry, the focus of my practice and my professional passion is treating headaches, TMJ dysfunction and sleep apnea. My spirit is constantly lifted when I see patients who come to our practice with tired and empty eyes. As they start to find the missing pieces in their pain puzzle I love to see the spark of life come back into their eyes.

Labels: headaches, La Crosse, TMJ, Waterloo Heights, West Salem