The San Antonio Center for Headache Pain and TMJ Disorders, Risto E. Hurme, D.D.S.


		Patient Testimonials Monica Valtierra Hello, my name is Monica Valtierra. I actually did not know what was happening to me before I was diagnosed with TMJ. Over the past 4-5 years. my pain was actually different. I noticed my pain in the neck and shoulder area. I had to take a leave of absence from work because it became unbearable. I had been on all kinds of medications and my doctor continued to increase my dosages. Nothing helped. I was even sent in for spinal injections. Then 8 months ago, the headaches came and it was a regular headache. More like a migraine and least that's what everyone continued to tell me it was. But it would not go away. Again more drugs. For the past 8 months I had a constant headache. On a scale from 1-10, it was a 7-15. I cried at my work desk, I cried at home. Yep the depression then started. I hated how my time had become limited for my 1 yr old daughter. I had become sensitive to light and all noise. It was by accident that the doctor finalize realize there was a mouth issue. I had gone in for a sonogram of my brain to ensure there were no tumors. By a slight accident the x-ray pick up a portion of my jaw. I was then sent to a Maxofacial surgeon, who said it was TMJ and did not recommend surgery. He referred to me Dr. Hurme. Dr. Hurme has given me my life back. I have to admit I was skeptical, because I had issues with my dental and my insurance not paying for this. But after I came up with my deposit I went in for my temporary mouth piece. It was the best thing ever. Within a matter of hours I could feel relief shoulders and neck. That was the 1st night I slept without tossing and turning. My husband said I didn't even snore for the 1st time in what he can remember. That morning I was headache free. I am still amazed at how the jaw would have been the cause to my problems. Needless to say, I have my time back with my daughter. I am planning dates and am no longer sleeping my life away. I am even down 10 pounds. Thank you thank you thank you Dr. Hurme!!!!! Margaria Barraza My name is Margarita Barraza and for at least ten years out of my nineteen years, I've lived with headaches, backaches, allergies, jaw pains, and earaches, to mention a few. I never left my home without headache, sinus, and allergy medicines. Dr. Hurme explained to me that my everyday struggles were all symptoms of TMJ, which could be treated and were not things that I had to continue to live with. It's hard for me to believe that after only five months with my mouthpiece all my symptoms are gone. Even problems that I wasn't aware I had like knee pains and neck pains, they are no longer in my life. Thanks to Dr. Hurme and my mouthpiece I can sleep better, chew without my jaw popping, and even breathe better. I don't have to live in pain or on pills. Kathy Kyrish Gutierrez My name is Kathy Kyrish Gutierrez. I just retired as a middle school English teacher after 30 years in the same school. Believe me, I wish I had met Dr. Risto Hurme about 25 years ago because I have been suffering with severe, debilitating headaches even longer than that!! I've gone to all types of physicians who've run every medical test including a brain MRI (for a possible brain tumor) and prescribed countless migraine, sinus, and painkilling medications. They all seemed to work for a while, but absolutely nothing provided real, lasting relief. The headaches inadvertently returned as did pain in the neck, jaw, and shoulders. It wasn't until I began TMJ treatment with Dr. Risto Hurme that I began to see a ray of hope. Even the temporary splint gave me some relief. But it wasn't until Dr. Hurme gave me the bionator that I experienced the first real relief of my entire life. Dr. Hurme says the pained expression on my face is GONE after only one month with the bionator. That expression was on my face for my entire adult life!! Dr. Hurme and the bionator are a blessing in my life!! Gilbert Sandoval I had suffered with severe headaches for over thirty years. I had severe pain in back of my eyes. I went to headache clinics, headache specialists, allergists, I had several MRI's. I think I tried everything under the sun to try and rid myself of these headaches. Nothing worked. One thirty minute session with Dr. Hurme is the greatest thing I could have done. Following his advice, my headaches have almost gone away. My quality of life has improved tremendously. I'm able to function now during the day where before it was a real struggle. I'm confident that Dr. Hurme will rid me of my headaches completely. Thanks Dr. Hurme for giving me back my life! Gilbert Sandoval Monica Cannon My name is Monica Cannon, and I am 22 years old. I have suffered from TMJ for most of my life. Many of the symptoms that have plagued me for 22 years are practically gone now. I have been working with Dr. Hurme since July, 2003, and the results are simply amazing. As an adolescent I suffered from chronic joint pain in my ankles, knees, hips, back, shoulders, neck and head. I was also extremely depressed, desperately seeking a solution to my "problems". When I entered college, I began grinding my teeth so much that I spent a great deal of money and time meeting with specialists about my ear and sinus pain. The entire time I was in college I felt that something was not working properly in my body and I remedied my physical ailments with medications prescribed by my doctors. I have recently begun using an expander and most of my problems have ceased. I no longer suffer from depression, which was a huge concern for me. My joints hardly ever ache, and if I feel a headache coming on I immediately use my expander and all of my pain diminishes. I would strongly recommend getting tested for TMJ. If you do find that you have this condition and you are properly treated, I am most certain that you will be content with the results. I am fortunate to have been diagnosed at such an early stage in my life. Life has taken on a whole new meaning for me thanks to my diagnosis and proper treatment from Dr. Hurme. Bill Thomas Early in 2003, I began to experience pain on both sides of my upper jaws. Suspecting that it might be TMJ, I saw my dentist of fifteen years, Dr. Risto Hurme. Dr. Hurme confirmed the diagnosis and immediately fit me for a flexible mouthguard, until a Sagittal plate to shift my upper incisors forward could be made. I noticed a difference right away even with just the mouthguard. The mouthguard prevented me from grinding my teeth while sleeping, as well as keeping some distance between my teeth to open up the space where my jawbone and socket connect, allowing the blood vessels in that area to heal (according to Dr. Hurme). Within several weeks the pain in my socket went away and has not come back. With the Sagittal device my teeth shifted forward successfully and my bite has improved. I sleep better now as well. I am looking forward to the next stage of my treatment. Bill Thomas Michelle Mascarenas My name is Michelle Mascarenas and I have suffered from TMJ disorder (neck, head and back pain) for 14 years. I also previously had surgery on my right side of the jaw, but still suffered from my left side. I have had loud popping of my joint and loud ear ringing. I have been seeing Dr. Hurme for 3 months for my symptoms and they are gone. His treatment that he has me on at this time is working wonderfully. Pekka Sarmanto My name is Pekka Sarmanto, I’m a 59 year old male. I’m a professional jazz musician who plays the bass. The quality of my life had been bad for the past fifteen years, starting with the onset of tinnitus (ringing of ears), which was extremely tormenting. I thought it was caused by my profession and the high decibel level during our performances. Doctors told me that there was no treatment or cure for it. On top of the ringing, my joints had worsened from year to year, until last year I could not lift my arm over my head, and needed help to put a jacket on! It also affected my ability to play the bass. I also could not bend and had difficulty tying my shoes. My finger joints were so sore that I thought I might have to give up playing musical instruments. In addition, I was always tired and depressed and I could not sleep well at night at all. Dr. Hurme examined me and told me that lots of my problems were caused by my TMJ disorder. My jaw was very crooked and too far back on my left side. In January he made me a Bionator appliance which I have been using since then. I was amazed with the fast relief it gave me! The tinnitus started to fade away immediately and now is very subdued and sometimes gone completely. What a good fortune and a blessing! My joints started to heal and the pain disappear after a couple of weeks, and now, four months later I feel like a completely different person! My pains have left me, I am able to use my joints normally, and to play my bass as well as ever. In addition, my mental health has improved, I’m no longer melancholy but looking to the future with a positive attitude. I realize that his treatment will take a couple of years to complete, and I gladly continue, knowing that my physical and psychological condition will just keep improving. I don’t know how my life would’ve been without Dr. Hurme, I probably would’ve spent the rest of my life as a sick and suffering old man. Thank you, Dr. Hurme, for giving me the chance to get back my health! Raija Sarmanto I am Raija Sarmanto, a 57 year old woman, former general manager of a jazz orchestra. I have been healthy all my life and in good physical condition. But all that changed in the spring of 2000 when I started to be bothered by headaches. They were localized to my left temple, pulsating and excruciating. My aches and pains were investigated using all available means by all sorts of specialists. They checked my eyes, ears, brain, vertebra, etc. They found nothing, and ordered heavy doses of pain medications. In June, 2000, I started seeing double. (Fortunately, my double vision went away after 3 months.) I spent one week in a neurological hospital undergoing more testing – MRI, spinal tap, etc. Once again, nothing was found and more medications were prescribed. A regimen of physical therapy, osteopathic therapy, massage therapy, psychiatric treatment was begun. Nothing helped. Because of the chronic pain, I became depressed and was forced to quit my job before my retirement age. I also suffered from serious memory disturbances. My hands would grow numb at night and I would awaken without any feeling in them in the morning. I was dizzy whenever I got up. Doctors prescribed antidepressants and other medications to raise my pain threshold, but they left me feeling disoriented and did not help. Finally, the doctor’s last comment was that there are some headaches whose cause is unknown and that I would just have to learn to live with them. Dr. Hurme told me that 90% of headaches of this sort are caused by TMJ dysfunction. I already knew that my upper teeth were too far out and that I had a deep overbite. It turns out that I had a classic case. In January, I was fitted with a Bionator, which I have used ever since. Immediately, my headaches started to get milder, with fewer and farther between. Now, I’m like a new person, full of energy, my memory is back to normal, and I’m not depressed at all. I have long stretches in which I don’t even remember my headaches, and if sometimes I get a slight pain in my temple, I know it will disappear quickly by itself. I have been able to give up all medications. Thank God for Dr. Hurme, who changed my life back to normal, where it is once again worth living! Aicha Sarmanto I am Raija Sarmanto, writing about my eight year old granddaughter Aicha, who has suffered from regularly recurring headaches for many years. Her headaches caused concentration disturbances and made going to school more difficult. Also, her baby teeth were very crowded and lacked space for the permanent teeth to come in. In January, Dr. Hurme fabricated upper and lower expanders to expand her arches and open up her bite (increase its vertical dimension). Aicha has been wearing them regularly ever since. Her headaches have lessened and are a rarity nowadays. Also, her ability to concentrate has improved remarkably. Spaces are opening up for her permanent teeth and Dr. Hurme says now that braces probably won’t be needed. Marian Reeves My name is Marian Reeves and I'm enjoying a very unexpected blessing at age 82. I've had chronic ear and jaw pain for many years and had accepted the fact that I always would. No doctor had ever been helpful with this condition. At Dr. Hurme's suggestion we began TMJ treatment and within several days of wearing the appliances he made for me my pain was gone. This is almost unbelievable and I'm looking forward to the rest of my life without TMJ! Lisa Wiatrek I used to have headaches all the time. I went to six doctors, even had an MRI done. They didn't know what was causing my headaches. My mom saw an article about Dr. Hurme, then I went to him. He said that I have TMJ and he helped me by giving me a Bionator. Now I have absolutely no more headaches. Thank you so very much, Lisa Wiatrek, age 10 Jody N. My name is Jody N. I have an 11 year old daughter. Last year, she started complaining of headaches, intermittent allergy symptoms, earaches, and pressure and ringing in the ears. She is a swimmer, so we initially thought that swimming was aggravating an allergy problem. We invested in special ear plugs, ear drops and pediatric, allergy and ENT consultations. She even stopped swimming for a few months! No one could give us a diagnosis or provide helpful solutions. She came to Dr. Hurme for an orthodontic consultation. We discovered that she has symptoms of TMJ. Dr. Hurme fit her with special mouth pieces and retainers. Although she had some difficulty wearing her retainers consistently, her symptoms have slowly but surely improved over the last year. We are thankful that he was able to help her, and that she can continue all her activities. Jody N. Mira Kirkland Dear Dr. Hurme, Words cannot express my appreciation to you. What a difference your expert care has made in my life. Thank you. It was almost one year ago that I was lying in bed on a Sunday morning trying to ignore the radio telling me it was time to get up. The Ron Aaron show was on and while I'm sure that your son is a wonderful young man I honestly wasn't interested in fencing. Then Ron began to talk with you about your work. He was saying that you "fix" TMj. I'm a retired Dental Hygienist and I thought, "Sure. He's selling snake oil. There is no real cure for TMj." Then you, Dr. Hurme, began to talk about the symptoms of TMj. When you said, "severe headaches around and behind the eye" I sat right up in bed. Wide awake now! I had those headaches. Sometimes they lasted up to 3 days and were debilitating. So, I called and made an appointment. I knew I had TMj. At the dinner table people would turn and look at me as they heard my jaw popping from across the table. Sometime the jaw would just ache. When you began to ask me about a host to symptoms I really thought you were out of your mind. Stumbling? Yes, but wasn't I just clumsy? Falling? Yes, twice. Hurt badly both times. Blood shot eyes? Always. The ophthalmologist attributed it to allergies. The list went on and on. During our first visit you showed me how to stop a headache just by repositioning my jaw. Dr. Hurme, I HAVE NOT HAD ONE SINGLE HEADACHE SINCE THAT DAY. Additionally, the repositioning of the jaw seemed to make me look younger. I can't complain about that. On July 3rd I was in the car and looked in the mirror. I realized that my eyes were not blood shot. In fact, I had beautiful eyes! I looked about 20 times in the next hour. I couldn't believe my eyes! It was about that same time that my hair turned curly. It had always had some curl, but was now curly. It still is. You attribute it to the increased blood flow to the scalp. I just say, "Thank you, God!" Well, I can go on and on. I do not stumble any more. I sleep better. People do not look at me while I'm eating because my jaw is now silent. My allergies seem to have cleared dramatically this last year. I just don't get congestion like I once did. Some of course, but nothing like what I once was. Life is better. Thank you. Mira Kirkland _______________________________________________________________________________ How are we doing? We want to know what you think! Please send your thoughts and comments to testimonial@ristohurme.com and let us know if we may use either your full name, initials or anonymous, and be sure to include your home town!