DTR Therapy/
T-Scan

I’m a DTR dentist, I will be making many BLOG posting with a lot of information regarding TMD/TMJ symptoms. I’m one of very few UK dentists with advanced qualification which enables me to offer this treatment

Disclusion Time Reduction DTR Therapy and TMJ Care

Understanding Your Bite and Why It Matters

The way your teeth come together is called your occlusion. In a healthy bite, the teeth meet evenly, with all contacts balanced and your front teeth guiding your jaw movements. When this does not happen, the bite becomes unstable.

An unbalanced bite may cause more than just dental problems. It can contribute to:

  • Headaches and migraines
  • Jaw pain, stiffness, or clicking sounds
  • Neck and shoulder pain
  • Tooth wear and sensitivity
  • Damaged crowns, fillings, or implants
  • Teeth grinding or clenching (bruxism)
  • Gum recession and loosened teeth

These symptoms are often signs of occlusal disease and are closely linked to TMJ dysfunction (TMD).

patient with TMD/TMJ symptoms

What Is Disclusion Time and Why Is It Important?

When you move your jaw side-to-side or forward, your back teeth should separate within 0.5 seconds. This is called Disclusion Time.

If disclusion takes longer, your jaw muscles and TMJ are forced to absorb unnecessary stress. Over time, this can lead to muscle pain, inflammation, and wear on your teeth and dental work.

DTR disclusion time explained

What Happens During a DTR Session?

A typical session is comfortable and takes about 30 to 90 minutes:

  1. Data collection
    • You bite on a T-Scan sensor, while EMG monitors muscle activity.
    • The system records where your bite is imbalanced and which muscles are overactive.
  2. Precise adjustments
    • Using digital feedback, we make tiny refinements by gently reshaping enamel (often less than 1 mm) or adding composite material.
    • No injections or anaesthetic are usually required.
  3. Verification
    • The bite is re-measured immediately to confirm improvements.
    • Most patients feel relief before they leave the chair.

Follow-up visits may be scheduled to check stability and fine-tune if needed.

Benefits of DTR Therapy

DTR offers patients an advanced, conservative solution for TMJ pain and bite problems:

  • Non-invasive and painless: no surgery, no anaesthetic, and no recovery time
  • Immediate relief: many patients notice reduced muscle pain and tension straight away
  • Objective precision: guided by real-time T-Scan and EMG data
  • Protects dental work: reduces excessive forces that can damage crowns, bridges, or implants
  • Improves function: optimises jaw movement and bite balance
  • Long-lasting: reduces reliance on painkillers, splints, or nightguards
  • Customised to you: treatment is tailored to your specific bite pattern and muscle activity
DTR Therapy/T-Scan technology TMJ treatment

Why T-Scan Technology Makes the Difference

A typical session is comfortable and takes about 30 to 90 minutes:

  1. Data collection
    • You bite on a T-Scan sensor, while EMG monitors muscle activity.
    • The system records where your bite is imbalanced and which muscles are overactive.
  2. Precise adjustments
    • Using digital feedback, we make tiny refinements by gently reshaping enamel (often less than 1 mm) or adding composite material.
    • No injections or anaesthetic are usually required.
  3. Verification
    • The bite is re-measured immediately to confirm improvements.
    • Most patients feel relief before they leave the chair.

Follow-up visits may be scheduled to check stability and fine-tune if needed.

Do You Need DTR Therapy?

You may benefit from DTR Therapy if you experience:

  • TMJ pain or ear pain
  • Frequent headaches or migraines
  • Clicking or popping sounds in the jaw
  • Muscle tightness in the face, neck, or shoulders
  • Bruxism (teeth grinding or clenching)
  • Worn, sensitive, or fractured teeth
  • Loosened gums or failed dental restorations

The Bigger Picture: Occlusion and Systemic Health

Research shows that an unbalanced bite can contribute not only to TMJ pain but also to wider health concerns:

  • Periodontal stress: gum inflammation and bacterial spread into the bloodstream
  • Neurogenic inflammation: nerve-driven pain linked to headaches and chronic fatigue
  • Airway compromise: poor bite alignment can reduce airway space and increase risk of sleep-disordered breathing
  • Muscle overload: hyperactive jaw muscles contribute to body-wide inflammation and pain syndromes

Correcting the bite through DTR Therapy, splint therapy, or orthodontics such as Invisalign can help restore balance and reduce the body’s overall inflammatory load.

In Summary

Your bite affects much more than your teeth. By measuring and correcting disclusion time with advanced tools like T-Scan and EMG, DTR Therapy offers an accurate, non-invasive way to relieve TMJ pain, protect your teeth, and improve overall wellbeing.

Head Pain, Headache

Forehead
Temples
“Migraine” Type
Sinus Type
Shooting Pain Up Back of Head
Hair and/or Scalp Painful to Touch
Brain Fog

Ear Problems

Hissing, Buzzing or Ringing
Decreased Hearing
Ear Pain, Ear Ache, No Infection
Clogged, “Itchy” ears
Vertigo, Dizziness

Eyes

Pain Behind Eyes
Bloodshot Eyes
May Bulge Out
Sensitive to Sunlight
Weeping Eyes
Double Vision
Problems Tracking While reading
Eye Muscle Twitching

Jaw Problems

Clicking, Popping Jaw Joints
Grating Sounds
Pain in Cheek Muscles
Uncontrollable Jaw and/or
Tongue Movements

Mouth

Discomfort
Limited Opening of Mouth
Inability to Open Smoothly
Jaw Deviates to One Side When Opening
Locks Shut or Open
Can’t Find bite

Neck Problems

Lack of Mobility, Stiffness
Neck Pain
Tired, Sore Muscles
Shoulder Aches and Back Aches
Arm & Finger Numbness and/or Pain

Teeth

Clenching, Grinding at Night
Looseness and Soreness of Back Teeth
Tooth Sensitivity to Cold or Ice

Throat

Swallowing Difficulties
Laryngitis /Sore Throat With No Infection
Snoring / Acid Reflux
Voice Irregularities or Changes
Frequent Coughing or Constant Clearing of Throat
Feeling of Foreign Object in throat Constantly
Feeling of ‘hand resting on throat”

FAQ – Disclusion Time Reduction (DTR) Therapy

In dentistry, Disclusion Time refers to the amount of time it takes for your upper and lower teeth to separate after they first make contact during chewing or jaw movements.
Ideally this should be less than 0.5 seconds. If it lasts longer, your jaw joints (TMJ) and chewing muscles must work harder than they should. Over time this can contribute to TMJ disorders (TMD), bite imbalances, headaches and muscle pain.

Disclusion Time Reduction Therapy is an advanced, non invasive treatment that corrects bite timing problems. Using T-Scan digital occlusal analysis and electromyography (EMG), DTR Therapy measures how your teeth contact and how your jaw muscles react.
The dentist then makes precise micro adjustments to your bite to reduce stress on the muscles and joints. The result is often immediate relief from jaw pain, headaches and bruxism symptoms.

  • Digital bite recording: You bite on a T-Scan sensor, which records bite force, timing and contact balance. EMG sensors track muscle activity.
  • Analysis: The software synchronizes bite and muscle data, revealing contacts that overload the muscles or prolong disclusion.
  • Precise bite adjustment: Guided by the data, your dentist makes tiny modifications by gently reshaping enamel or adding composite material in specific spots.
  • Verification: The bite is retested until optimal disclusion time and muscle relaxation are achieved.

This process is highly accurate because it is based on real-time digital measurements rather than guesswork.

You may benefit from DTR Therapy if you experience:

  • Jaw pain, clicking or popping in the TMJ
  • Headaches, neck pain or facial pain linked to muscle strain
  • Bruxism or teeth grinding especially at night
  • Uneven tooth wear or broken dental work from bite stress
  • Difficulty opening your mouth fully or comfortably

DTR is ideal for patients whose symptoms are caused by how their bite and muscles interact rather than structural joint damage.

  • Non invasive TMJ solution with no surgery, injections or anaesthetic
  • Immediate relief in many cases, especially from muscle tension and pain
  • Precise and objective thanks to T-Scan technology and EMG feedback
  • Long lasting stability, often reducing or eliminating the need for nightguards or pain medication
  • Helps protect against further tooth wear, clenching damage and TMJ strain

Yes. Clinical studies and practice-based results show that DTR Therapy can:

Improve overall quality of life by restoring a balanced, comfortable bite

Reduce muscle strain and pain significantly

Lower long-term use of pain medication by up to 90 percent

Eliminate the need for nightguards or restrictive diets in many patients

Most sessions last between 30 and 90 minutes, depending on how many bite adjustments are needed.
Many patients achieve excellent results in one to three visits. Complex cases may require additional sessions. Follow up appointments every few months help track progress and maintain stability.

No. Because the adjustments are extremely small and digitally guided, the procedure is comfortable and rarely requires anaesthetic. Most patients report no pain and immediate comfort during and after treatment.

There is no downtime after DTR Therapy. Since the procedure is gentle and non invasive, you can return to your normal activities immediately.

Relief often comes after the very first session. However, to ensure long-term stability and comfort, periodic reviews are recommended. These visits allow your dentist to re-measure disclusion time and muscle activity, and to make refinements if needed.