Neural Therapy

What is Neural Therapy?

Neural therapy began with an event that caught the attention of two German physician brothers, Ferdinand and Walter Huneke, in the 1926s:

In 1926, Ferdinand Huneke observed that a patient's chronic migraine was cured after an intravenous application in which novacaine (an anesthetic substance) was inadvertently spilled out of the vein. Later, when both physicians administered a combination of drugs recommended for rheumatic diseases to their sister, whose migraine they could not cure, they observed that the sister's pain suddenly passed before the medicine was finished and that she became cheerful and happy. When they investigated this situation, they realized that they had accidentally drawn the form of the drug into the syringe, not the intravenous form, but the intramuscular form, and that this form contained procaine, unlike the intravenous form. They discovered that the healing that occurred before the drug was absorbed occurred due to the effect of the drug on the nerve network surrounding the vein. While the Huneke brothers laid the foundations of neural therapy, they developed a new field of application in medicine by examining the positive results of simple errors and coincidences.

Neural therapy is a treatment for various diseases, especially pain, and a supportive treatment method that helps the body heal itself. At the same time, it is related to the nervous system, which is the general communication system of our body and surrounds our entire body, and the muscle tissue and lymphatic system included in it.

Neural therapy evaluates the body as a whole. Thanks to our connective tissue and nervous system that surround our body like a network, a disease in a certain organ or tissue can show disease in another tissue or organ connected to it.

Neural therapy is based on the principle that the body heals itself by injecting local anesthetics (0.5-1% procaine or lidocaine) into specific points in the body. In fact, healing comes from the person's body. We remind the body of this by injecting into the roots of the teeth. Just as technological devices are returned to factory settings and formatted, we aim to return the body to factory settings by regulating it.

Areas of Use of Neural Therapy in Dentistry

Neural therapy is used especially in TMJ (Temporomandibular joint) disorders, in the treatment of bruxism, in the treatment of migraine, before and after root canal treatment, before and after wisdom tooth extractions to accelerate healing and reduce post-procedural sensitivity.

Noraltherapy in the Treatment of Teeth Grinding (Bruxism)

Bruxism is a parafunctional activity characterized by clenching or grinding teeth without a functional purpose such as chewing and grinding. Morphological, psychological and parafunctional factors are effective in its formation. Bruxism can occur during sleep or while awake.

Bruxism can cause problems such as fractures and abrasions in teeth, loss of support and mobility in periodontal tissues, pain in the chewing system and orofacial region, and temporomandibular joint dysfunction. At this point, the “trigger point” comes to mind. Trigger points are painful and sensitive points that usually develop on the basis of tight bands on the muscles. In fact, these sensitive points are also called “Clunch” among the public. Trigger points reduce the quality of life by causing pain, sensitivity, stiffness and limited movement.

Trigger points occur as a result of bruxism or trigger points can cause bruxism. As a result of trigger points in the chewing muscles, the muscles cannot relax and want to close in the closing position (occlusion) that they are always comfortable in. Due to the presence of trigger points, this situation is reflected in the person as a bruxism habit.

As a result of bruxism, people may experience jaw pain, tooth abrasion and sensitivity, pain in the jaw joint area, pain in front of and behind the ear, and headaches when they wake up in the morning. It can even trigger migraines.

Neural therapy applied in trigger point treatment reduces teeth grinding by allowing the trigger points in the muscles to be released and the chewing muscles to be positioned in a comfortable position.

After the physician conducts a preliminary examination of the patient, he/she shares with the patient how many sessions of neural therapy will be required.

From a holistic dentistry perspective, the doctor supports her patients in maintaining their relieved bruxism by providing them with certain nutritional supplements.

For example, recent studies have found that patients with bruxism have lower than normal levels of vitamin D and less calcium absorption in the body.

The physician guides the patient in maintaining his/her well-being with such arrangements and recommendations.