WHAT IS NEURAL THERAPY?

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

In 1926, Ferdinand Huneke observed that a patient’s chronic migraine improved after an intravenous procedure in which novacaine (an anesthetic) was inadvertently overflowing into the vein. Later, when both physicians administered a combination of drugs recommended for rheumatic diseases intravenously to their sister, whose migraine they could not get rid of, they observed that their sister’s pain was suddenly relieved and she became cheerful and happy even before the drug was finished. When they investigated this, they realized that they had mistakenly injected not the intravenous form of the drug, but the intramuscular form, which, unlike the intravenous form, contained procaine. They discovered that the healing that took place before the drug was absorbed was caused by the effect of the drug on the nerve network surrounding the vein. While laying the foundation of neural therapy, the Huneke brothers developed a new field of medical practice by studying the positive results of simple mistakes and coincidences.

Neural therapy is a treatment for various diseases, especially pain, and a supportive therapy that helps the body to heal itself. It is also related to the nervous system, which is the general communication system of our body and surrounds our entire body, as well as the muscle tissue and lymphatic system.

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

Neural therapy is based on the principle of self-treatment by injecting local anesthetics (0.5-1% procaine or lidocaine) into certain points on the body. In fact, healing comes from the person’s body. We remind the body of this by injecting the roots of the teeth. Just as technological devices are restored to factory settings, formatted, we aim to return the body to factory settings by regulating the body.

AREAS OF USE OF NEURAL THERAPY IN DENTISTRY

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

NEURAL THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF BRUXISM

Bruxism is a parafunctional activity characterized by clenching or grinding of 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 lead to problems such as fractures and abrasions in the teeth, loss of support and mobility in periodontal tissues, pain in the masticatory system and orofacial region, and temporomandibular joint dysfunction. At this point, we think of the “trigger point”. Trigger points are painful and sensitive points on the muscles that usually develop on the basis of tense bands. In fact, these sensitive points are also called “Kulunç” among the people. Trigger points reduce the quality of life by causing stiffness and restriction of movement as well as pain and tenderness.

Trigger point occurs as a result of bruxism or trigger point can cause bruxism. As a result of trigger points in the masticatory muscles, the muscles cannot relax and always want to close in their comfortable closing position (occlusion). Due to the presence of trigger points, this situation reflects on the person as a bruxism habit.

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

Neural therapy applied in trigger point treatment reduces teeth clenching by providing the release of trigger points in the muscles and positioning the chewing muscles in a comfortable position.

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

In the holistic dentistry perspective, the physician supports the patient in maintaining the relieved bruxism condition by providing certain nutritional supplements to the patient.

For example, recent studies have found that the vitamin D value in patients with bruxism is lower than normal and calcium absorption is low in the body.

The physician guides the continuity of the patient’s well-being with such arrangements and recommendations.