Even before graduating from dental school I always had a special interest in the function of the craniomandibular system. Back then, my fellow students felt this was strange, as they were rather interested in orhter aspects of dentistry, as implants or whatsoever. Today, however, this earyl focus on function and dysfunction leads to an extended experience in respective patients.
After graduation, I joined the university clinics department for restorative dentistry to gain a broad understanding and compatence in clinical dentistry with a focus in all restorative techniques.
In research I concentrated on adhesive technique and published my habilitation thesis in this field.
Besides I was responsible for the TMD-patients of the university hospital´s school of dental medicine for many years.
In this position I developed or improved a considerable number of techniques in order to improve our diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Maybe my combined functional, restaorative and adhesive background was decisive for the development the technique to restore the occlusion minimally invasively by means of semipermanent (2003) and later by permanent (2009) repositioning onlays.
This technique works so well in my personal practice that I decided it was time to open up a special centre dedicated for the diagnostics and therapy of TMD-Patients in 2004 - a step I never regretted. In this structure my team and I have improved the techniques I developed at the dental school. In fact, I have published more research and CDE-articles after opening of the CMD-Centre than while working full time at the dental school. Also I revied my current textbook completely in 2011 - the book sold extremely well in meanwhile 4 (German) editions.
The drawback in this is that I rarely find the time anymore to play the saxophone with our band - something I will try to change in the future...
1996 Prize for meeting´s best from the German Society of Functional Diagnostics and Therapy (GSFDT), for the development of a documentary system for the clinical functional analysis (with H.A. Jakstat)
2001 TPrize for meeting´s best from the German Society of Functional Diagnostics and Therapy (GSFDT), for the Development of a diagnostic scheme for the cranoimandibular disorders (with W.B. Freesmeyer, H.A. Jakstat, A. Hugger, G. Meyer, H. Simonis)
2008: Prize for meeting’s best from the German Society of Functional Diagnostics and Therapy for the development
of an electronic condylar position measuring system (with K. Vahle-Hinz, A. Rybczynski and H.A: Jakstat)
2009: Prize for meeting´s best from the German Society of Functional Diagnostics and Therapy (GSFDT), for the
Presentation of a successfull revision of a formerly unsuccessful restorative treatment in another practice (with K.
Vahle-Hinz und A. M. Rybczynski, shared with H. Kares)
2011 Prize for meeting´s best from the German Society of Functional Diagnostics and Therapy (GSFDT), for the presentation of the etiologie, diagnostics und therapy von limitations in mouth opening (with A. M. Rybczynski and K. Vahle-Hinz)