Abstract
Although temporomandibular joint (TMJ) prob lems are difficult to diagnose and evaluate, treatment today centers on conservative methods, not surgery. Many dentists lack the knowledge to adequately di agnose and treat TMJ, and many insurers as well as managed care plans have often refused to pay for conservative therapy, now known as Phase 1 TMJ treatment. This treatment consists of appliance or intraoral splint placement, along with physical ther apy. Ultimately, this therapy is far less expensive than either joint or orthognathic surgery.
Since there is no recognized specialty in TMJ dis ease, managed care programs need to establish dis cernible criteria for the selection of providers to di agnose and treat their TMJ patients. By carefully selecting providers and monitoring the outcome of treatment rendered to patients, costs and time of treatment could be drastically reduced, benefiting the patient and the managed care program.
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