Written by Sara Piccola |
It was a pleasant surprise walking into Dr. Dan Mannikko’s office, being greeted with a relaxing atmosphere and an elegant waiting area with only 4 chairs. Was this a dentist’s or a massage therapist’s waiting room?
There is no doubt Dr. Mannikko is a dentist. In 1997 he graduated from the University of Pacific Dental School in San Francisco, and has been practicing ever since. Continuing his education, Dr. Mannikko has had additional training from the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, acquiring certifications in orthodontics, neuromuscular training, TMJ training, anatomy, physiology and neuromuscular dentures, to name a few. Although he focuses on neuromuscular dentistry, he is also a certified general dentist, ensuring he can meet all his patients’ dental needs.
Dr. Mannikko always knew he would end up in the medical field. Wanting to focus on a single part of the body, he chose to pursue dentistry. Realizing the mouth is one of the most complicated parts of the body, he found his passion in its relation to the whole body; affecting posture, spinal health, balance, flexibility and coordination. When practicing general dentistry, Dr. Mannikko noticed holes in his own training and found neuromuscular dentistry to be the answer to his questions.
Neuromuscular dentistry, practiced over 40 years, focuses on the teeth, muscles, nerves and joints as a physiologic system and how they all work together. No longer are they looked at as a mechanical hinge. Treatment can now lead to whole body change.
According to Dr. Mannikko, one of the most important things in life is being balanced. When we think of balance and good posture we think of our shoulders and hips being level with the ground, our teeth being straight and level as well. It’s hard to believe the teeth have anything to do with balance; however, while teeth go front and back and move with the jaw, the jaw itself is unique in that it has different dimensions. It’s when you focus on the jaw that you discover the imbalance that can be caused by a poor bite.
Our balance organ functions within our ear. Dr. Mannikko explains the relationship between the mouth and the balance organ as a wiring system in our jaw. The wiring between the jaw muscles feed into the same wires that go to the balance organ. When there are imbalances in the bite, those muscles become overworked, overloading the wires. This in turn interrupts the wiring that goes back to the ears. Although very subtle, it is the source of imbalance which leads to many other painful symptoms such as headaches, neck aches and back pain.
Dr. Mannikko stressed that the importance of the teeth has been devalued forever, mainly because people have become adaptable to symptoms such as headaches and refer to it as being normal, when it is not normal and can be resolved with neuromuscular dentistry.
Although neuromuscular dentistry can be expensive depending on the patient’s needs – Dr. Mannikko believes you can’t put a price on the quality of life. Neuromuscular dentistry eliminates pain and the impact throughout the body. The level of care is elevated, more so than general dentistry.
Neuromuscular dentistry can also improve the patient’s appearance. Many people feel they are being too vain when concerned about their appearance; studies show that the smile is the first thing people notice when they see someone. An improvement in self-esteem is a result Dr. Mannikko sees very often.
It can be difficult to understand how the bite can relieve chronic pain and be the cause of many daily symptoms found in people. Everything Dr. Mannikko talks about and has done for patients he has done for himself. He has seen the benefits and knows he can offer the best in treatment that is available.
“I’m only in this game to make people better,” said Dr. Mannikko. “Every dentist needs to realize they are the gatekeeper of people’s overall health, and proper dental treatment increases the quality and length of life.”
