1017: The #1 Thing Dentists Get WRONG About Occlusion (It’s Not the Teeth) - Dr. Jim McKee

Occlusion cases stall when dentists focus only on how the teeth fit, instead of why the bite doesn’t fit in the first place. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Jim McKee to explain the #1 thing dentists get wrong about occlusion—and why it’s not the teeth.

You’ll learn how to redefine occlusion beyond tooth contacts, how disc displacement changes the bite, why many “malocclusions” should be considered joint-driven until proven otherwise, and how better diagnosis can create a restorative diagnostic practice model that attracts the right patients. listen to Episode 1017 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways

1. Occlusion must be defined as both how the teeth fit together and how the joints fit together, because joint position drives tooth position.
2. Many cases that stall in treatment planning stall because the dentist doesn’t know how to manage occlusion and TMD variables.
3. Clicking and popping joints are most often ligament tears that create a disc displacement, not “stretching” that resolves on its own.
4. Instead of asking how to remove a posterior interference, the better question is why the interference exists in the first place.
5. Class II malocclusions are often related to joint conditions, and the disc-condyle relationship can explain why the mandible isn’t forward enough.
6. If you wait for TMJ pain to appear, you are often late, because many adult TMD presentations started during growth years.
7. Diagnosis requires appropriate imaging, and evaluating only hard tissue can miss the disc-condyle interface that drives growth and occlusal change.

Snippets:

00:00 Podcast Welcome

01:10 Meet Dr Jim McKee

02:25 Young Dentist Challenges

04:17 Why Occlusion Stalls Cases

07:02 Redefining Occlusion

08:26 Class Two Joint Clues

11:34 Disc Displacement Basics

13:25 Injury Causes Clicking

14:47 Gasket Analogy Explained

17:39 Posterior Interference Rethink

21:00 Reading Patient Red Flags

22:53 Growth Airway MRI Debate

26:16 Supporting Orthodontists Better

27:21 Malocclusion Is Joint Driven

28:02 Prevalence And Planting Seeds

30:29 Diagnostic Records Practice Model

31:50 Fees And Low Stress Workflow

33:15 Rethinking Orofacial Pain

36:40 Bruxism And Sympathetic Drive

38:50 Patients Are Not Crazy

40:01 Imaging Before Appliances

41:37 TMD As Practice Growth Engine

43:19 Referrals And Study Clubs

44:33 Chicago Study Club And Courses

47:52 Wrap Up And Resources

Guest Bio/Guest Resource:

Dr. Jim McKee is a restorative dentist and educator focused on occlusion, TMD, and restorative diagnosis. He is a member of the Spear Resident Faculty. He has maintained a private practice since 1984 in Downers Grove, Illinois, where he treats a wide variety of cases with a focus on predictable restorative dentistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and former president of the American Equilibration Society. He has lectured both nationally and internationally for over 25 years and directs several study clubs. Dr. McKee graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1980 and earned his dental degree from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1984.

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