Dental students from the Marquette School of Dentistry and medical students from the Medical College of Wisconsin have begun to meet annually for sessions focused one the temporomandibular joint andĀ its disorders. The most recent session brought 200 students together in hands-on workshops focused on joint anatomy, head and neck exams, and patient case studies.
The program was sparked by advocacy efforts from The TMJ Association, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between medicine and dentistry given the complexity of the jaw joint and TMD disorders. This yearās session was also informed by the attendance of a TMD patient who shared her experience. Her reflections and suggestions are described below.
TMD Patient Reflection
We are grateful to Maryann for authoring this reflection and for her participation in the MCW/Marquette educational event, as well as her willingness to share her lived experience with students.
āSay yes… be kind… say thank you.” Simple advice from an inspiring speech. It wasn’t until I found myself saying yes as a TMD patient, to participate in an annual education workshop for medical & dental students that these words felt so meaningful. This would be the 1st time I was included in such an event. Saying yes felt ordinary in the moment. It was anything but. What followed was more than participation, it was perspective. It was purpose. And it was transformative in ways Iām still discovering.
For 35 years I’ve been a TMJ Association Advocate & TMD Patient, witnessing remarkable growth & achievement. The recent collaboration between the Medical College of Wisconsin & Marquette Dental School is one of those achievements. Saying yes to the invite, did not disappoint, & I am tremendously grateful for the chance to participate as much as I am grateful for the inspiring array of students & educators. It made me proud. I want to say thank you.
Students & educators welcomed me to interact in multiple learning stations where I kindly engaged with students, answered questions, & volunteered to be examined. I could not have been more impressed by their enthusiasm & the expressed value that students placed on putting a TMD face to their learning experience. I did not anticipate this educational event to be so enlightening.
Forty years of TMD treatments & surgeries was difficult & indignifying. Indignity being the greater trauma. It was not from shame & alienation within, but from what I experienced. Preventing healing & compromising recovery. Therefore, being welcomed to participate with the education of these impressive medical students, changed that, & touched me deeply.
I was reminded that my own medical education was halted by TMD, medical debt, & recoveriesā¦ What were the chances that Iād come full circle years later, interacting with TMD medical students?
So I said yes. Took a chance to be kind. Said thank you.
The future of TMD is held, quite literally, in the hands of these powerful & amazing students. Whose eagerness puts me at a loss for words. Say nothing of their earnest gratitude & respect. This is the type of discipline that changes worlds. They have certainly changed mine.
As I continue to reflect, my thoughts are centered on the spirit of the day & the shared goals that feel markedly hopeful. I further believe that these TMD educational opportunities will grow & persevere, bridge alliances, & effectively foster growth for students, educators & patients alike, that will also continue to say yes.Ā A simple yes.