TMJ 'dysfunction' - Health implications

I woke up one morning in the summer of 2000 to see a fistful of my hair on my pillow which had fallen out in a patchy manner. My GP examined me on the same day and diagnosed me with Alopecia. He prescribed me with a Dermovate scalp application to use twice a day and also advised me to purchase Regaine extra strength and to use it in conjunction with Dermovate. My GP was unable to give me any indication of the root cause of the condition and simply stated that it is one of those conditions which can come and go and that there is no research confirming its cause.

I started using the Dermovate and Regaine during which time the patchy hair loss got progressively worse, two months after being diagnosed I was suffering from 80% patchy hair loss. I was referred to a Dermatologist who saw me four months later and advised me to continue using the Dermovate and Regaine. Like my GP, the Dermatologist stated that they do not know much about the condition and that they suspect it might be an auto immune disease. After seeing the Dermatologist I spent the next few months coping with a flaky and itchy scalp caused by the medication and I started wearing a cap each time I stepped outside.

A year later I went to see my dentist, Dr. M Amir, to have a filling checked and when he saw my scalp he started enquiring about my medical history and after checking my teeth and jaws he went on to tell me that the root cause of my condition was not a medical issue but a dental issue, the reasons given were the asymmetry of my jaw, neck pains that I suffered from since the age of 16. I felt that I received more convincing answers in that 15 minute consultation than I did in all the GP visits so I agreed to undertake his proposed treatment. A week later I was given a specially designed dental appliance and Within two weeks of using the brace my hair started to grow back! Within two months all my hair had grown back!

My treatment lasted about a year and half during which time bespoke dental appliances were made to correct my jaws. Since having the treatment I have never suffered the patchy hair loss again.

I believe that I was suffering from a condition which was misdiagnosed by the medical profession as an autoimmune disorder. It is a dental condition which can be cured by dental treatment.

I am sharing the foregoing experience as I believe that there are many people who have also been misdiagnosed. I hope that this platform can raise awareness of the condition and that many people who are in the same situation that I was in can find the path to a permanent cure.
Please note the patient has never lost any hair 10 years on and has a full head of hair. His recovery has been permanent.

Hi frq,
How amazing... I have suffered from Alopecia Areata since the birth of my son, some 35 years ago. During my second pregnancy my hair grew back completely and then when Ella was born it fell out again and within a few months I was completely bald. Gradually over the next 6 years the condition gradually resolved itself and apart from the occasional small patch of baldness I had a full head of hair until I reached the age of 50, then once again it started falling out. The saving grace for me now is that the white hair on my head does not fall out, occasionally my dark brown hair regrows for a few months before falling out again.
I also have been told that it is autoimmune similar to MS. In actual fact my alopecia is relapsing remitting like MS and as my daughter has MS and I'm quite sure that the immune system is not responsible for her condition, neither is it for mine. But I had no idea that it could have anything to do with my jaw. I did think it might have to do with the circulation though. I was once told by a hairdresser friend that my scalp was quite thin and that would indicate that somehow the tissues were not getting the right kind of circulation. But if orthodontic treatment is going to help my daughter then it is quite possible that it would help me too, especially in view of your experience.
However priority must go to my daugher, and if there is any money left in the health fund at the end, then maybe something could be done for me even at this late stage in my life.
Thanks frq for your story.
Michele