 |
 |
|
||||||
|
 |
 |
 |
|
After completion of the Florida Dental Board examination, Dr. Burcham moved to Sarasota. At that time, Sarasota was a small growing community similar in size to Franklin, located just below Tampa. There, he enjoyed the next 18 years in the same location as the owner of a successful solo restorative practice. In 1997, he and his wife Alice, along with their 13 year-old daughter, Alicia, made a decision to move to Franklin. "We knew Alicia would not be in our home forever, and this would be a much better community and overall conservative atmosphere in which to spend her high school years, before she heads off to College". "Exactly what Alice and I had hoped for… we left a great place, but we have landed in an oasis where true Christian values abound!" Dr. Burcham has also successfully completed the State Dental Board requirements of Missouri, Colorado, and recently, Tennessee. Being active in the Florida Dental Association and the Sarasota Dental Society, He is presently a member of the Tennessee Dental Association, Nashville Dental Society, the Academy of General Dentistry, and the American Dental Association. In 1987, Dr. Burcham graduated from the United States Dental Institute, a two-year orthodontic study of both European and American orthodontic modalities.
On TMJ…… For the past 15 years, Dr. Burcham has applied himself in the attempt to understand the complex and mysterious realm of the TMJ or (Temporo-Mandibular Joint). "Our TMJ is quite adaptive and resilient. It's a true miracle by any standard. The joint can be abused with overuse, or maligned with inadequate or poor dentistry and still not give its owner the slightest sign of a problem. Usual causes of TMJ discomfort, when it does occur, include: disease, trauma, or chronic imbalance. The most preventable form of TMJ disorder would have to be contributed to poor dentistry or poor personal oral care. If you can imagine a valuable fine-tuned machine with many intercommunicating and moving parts-all of which are well lubricated and balanced from side to side… Imagine then your 32 teeth sliding and chewing efficiently against their neighbors on the opposing arch. A missing tooth, or worse, an imbalanced restoration… and the table is set for a future problem. When I said the TMJ can take a lot of abuse, it is very true. Only when things get so far out of line that the symptoms begin to show up. By then, it is often hard to manage a soothing solution." Some early warning signs are: frequent headaches accompanied by soreness or pain in the muscles surrounding the joint; and clicking or popping noises when chewing. When you experience these signs, its best to have them checked out. "I have seen folks go for years with these symptoms, or wait until it's too late to fix easily. Often the imbalance or other causes can be minimized quickly, insuring less damage as time goes on, …and it's much much less expensive." TREATMENT -finding a peaceful restful position is the first step. "The most common cause for TMJ pain that patients have presented to me for help in the last 22 years, is simply stated imbalance from right to left or front to back." The first big step for comfort is to unwind often years of spiraling errors that get "built-in" from dentist to dentist. It is not uncommon for an error to exist in a young person whose endurance is high, and as the years pass, the error becomes compounded as new work is placed around it. "The bite must be perfectly BALANCED each and every time dental work is performed!" This is done easily with very careful tooth adjustments in a controlled setting. A small percentage of TMJ disorders come from disease such as arthritis, or accidents. Often a combination of medicine, and splint therapy is needed. Diseased or traumatized joints are harder to calm and these solutions are approached in a different way…. But again, there must be as much harmony as possible in the bite relationship. For more on this subject or for specific questions, please contact Dr Burcham by clicking Here. .....on ORTHODONTICS Dr. Burcham is acutely aware of tooth developmental problems in young children. His advice to parents..........
|
Dr.
Burcham was raised in the small midwestern town of Kennett, Missouri.
He completed his undergraduate training at Harding University, a Christian
school in Searcy, Arkansas, and in 1978, received his doctorate degree
from the University of Missouri. Immediately, he joined the established
dental practice of his father, J. Russell Burcham, Jr. DDS, in their hometown.
Dr. Burcham's brother Britt, (also a dentist), has taken over their dad's
practice . Dentistry is a family affair.
EXPERIENCE