Highland Park Dentist is New Chair of The American Alliance of TMD Organizations. New Highland Park Office Focuses on TMJ Disorders, Sleep Apnea, Snoring, Chronic Daily Headaches and Migraines

    HIGHLAND PARK, IL, March 09, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The American Alliance of TMD held its annual meeting on February 26-27 at the Chicago Marriott. Long Time Highland Park resident Ira L Shapira became the new Chair of the TMD Alliance.

The Alliance (http://www.tmdalliance.org/index.html) is dedicated to protecting the rights of TMD patients to receive the care they need. According to Dr Shapira there is a grave new threat has arisen that may effect both the patients rights and ability to have their care reimbursed by insurance. The threat is from a new board claiming the right to grant specialty outside the auspices of the American Dental Association which is and always has represented the dental profession and public safety.

The American Dental Association is the voice of organized dentistry and Specialty recognition in the U.S. The American Dental Association has recognized several dental specialties including: American Board of Dental Public Health, American Board of Endodontics, American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, American Board of Orthodontics, American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, and American Board of Periodontology.

A new group, the American Board of Dental Specialties (ABDS) is acting outside of organized dentistry to create and grant specialty status to groups that have either not met the ADA standards for specialty or had their application rejected by the Ameican Dental Association.

The following Dental Specialty Boards have been granted recognition by the ABDS:

American Board of Oral Implantology. Implant Dentistry; this so called specialty is already well represented by both The American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery & The American Board of Periodontology.

American Board of Orofacial Pain. This group has been repeatedly denied specialty by the American Dental Association for multiple reasons. There have been other groups who have also been denied specialty in the TMD field by the American Dental Association. All Diplomats of the ABOP will become instant (just add water) specialists. Many of these doctors have previously been involved in questionable groups that unfairly (and possibly fraudulently) deny patients legitimate insurance claims. Specialty Status, however dubious will embolden them to unfairly attempt to restrict medical benefits to patients. This group actually discounts the effect of dentistry and occlusion on oral facial pain. The promote utilizing drugs and psychotherapy to treat TMJ disorders.

Two additional boards seeking specialty are:
American Dental Board of Anesthesiology
American Board of Oral Medicine.

The TMD Alliance and it's individual members have multiple other concerns over any specialty designation in TMD or Oral Facial Pain.

Dr Shapira could not comment further on specifics of the problems associated with this group but the Alliance of TMD Organizations has long been opposed to specialty. Dr Shapira believes this specialty will hurt patients, TMD practitioners as well as the entire dental profession.

The so called specialties being created will need to be approved by each and every state dental board across the country. Dr Shapira urges the ADA and all of its constituents to do all it can to protect the American Public from this dangerous development. State Dental Boards across the country need to reject these questionable new specialties to protect the public until they have been properly vetted. The ADA should consider taking a strong stance in this issue before it is too late.

When the American Dental Association creates a new specialty it Grandfathers in doctors working within the specialty as specialists. The DANGER WITH SELF-DECLARED SPECIALTIES IS ONLY MEMBERS OF A SELECT GROUP ARE ADMITTED AND THEN THAT GROUP IS IN CHARGE OF WHO CAN LATER BECOME A SPECIALIST. The ABOP has been restrictive in the past in who could become members.

THIS IS A REAL DANGER TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC AND SHOULD BE DISCUSSED IN AN OPEN FORUM.

The Alliance of TMD Organizations includes the following organizations:

American Academy of Craniofacial Pain
(Previously American Academy of Head, Neck and Facial Pain

American Equilibration Society
(The first organization dedicated to TMJ disorders)

International Association of Physiologic Aesthetics
(previously International Association of Comprehensive Esthetics)

International College of Cranio-Mandibular Orthopedics
(The original Neuromuscular dental group)

International Association for Orthodontics

Sacro Occipital Technique Organization-USA
(The only Chiropractic group in the Alliance)

Tennessee CRANIO

The following organizations have lapsed membership in the Alliance but Dr Shapira hopes to bring them back to full membership status:

American Academy of Pain Management
American College of Prosthodontics

Treatment of TMJ and Sleep Disorders has been a consuming passion for Dr Shapira for 35 years who is a Fellow of the International College of CranioMandibular Orthopedics as well as Secretary and the representative from ICCMO to the TMD Alliance along with Dr Barry Cooper, who is Past President of ICCMO, A Life Member of the AES and one of the founding members of the Alliance and past chair. Dr Cooper has an impressive history in the TMD field.

http://www.tmjtmd.com/curriculum-vitae2.html

As a Diplomat of the American Academy of Pain Management and a long time member of both the American Equilibration Society and the Academy of CranioFacial Pain, and a previous member of the IACA Dr Shapira is well versed in all of the pholosophies of each group. As a member Dr Shapira urges the ADA, the Illinois State Dental Society and the Chicago Dental Society to see these pseudo-specialties as a threat to the profession and the public.

Dr Shapira is a founding member of The American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (formerly the Sleep Disorder Dental Society), a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine and a founding and charter member of DOSA, The Dental Organization for Sleep Apnea. The AADSM should, in Dr Shapira's opinion, join the TMD Alliance this year.

Dr Shapira is the Dental Editor of Sleep and Health Journal.

Dr Shapira did research on the similarities in jaw position in sleep apnea and TMJ patients in the 1980's as a visiting assistant professor at Rush Medical School where he worked with Rosalind Cartwright PhD who is primarily responsible for the entire field of Dental Sleep Medicine. He also studied with Dr Barney Jankelson who created the initial concepts that neuromuscular dentistry still uses today and created a company Myotronics that is the leading manufacturer of instrumentation used by Neuromuscular Dentistry.
His research showed that TMJ and Sleep Apnea patients had very similar jaw postures.

Dr Shapira has maintained a general dental practice with a special emphasis on sleep and pain in Gurnee, Il and has recently started Chicagoland Dental Sleep Medicine Associates in Highland Park. More information on Sleep, TMJ and Headache Treatment can be found on his websites.

http://www.thinkbetterlife.com (Highland Park office)

http://www.delanydentalcare.com (Gurnee Office)

http://www.ihateheadaches.org

http://www.chicagoland.ihatecpap.com.

http://www.Sleepandhealth.com

Dr Ira L Shapira is an author and section editor of Sleep and Health Journal, President of I HATE CPAP LLC, President Dato-TECH, President of Sleep Well Illinois, Dr Shapira also holds several patents on methods and devices for the prophylactic minimally invasive early removal of wisdom teeth and collection of bone marrow and stem cells. He is currently working with Dr Tom Diekwisch at the University of Illinois and Baylor University to prove these stem cells can change peoples lives for the better. Dr Shapira is a licensed general dentist in Illinois and Wisconsin.

LMS-PSS

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