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Health, comfort and psychophysical well-being may be compromised by incorrect postures assumed during the day, but above all by incorrect static positions (decubitus) assumed during sleep. People who sleep lying face downwards on the bed, on their stomach or on a side, weigh heavily on their jaws with static load. By keeping such incorrect positions during sleep for years, these people gradually, with time, develop the symptoms of the so-called: Galiffa's Mandibular Decubitus Syndrome. Descending Postural Syndrome.
The symptoms are the following: headache; migraine, trigeminal neuralgia, cervicofacial pains, backache, myalgic asthenia, ocular retrobulbar tension and pain; hum, tinnitus, ear ringing, whistle, noise In the ear, dizziness, vertigo ; pyorrhoea, paradentosis, temporomandibular disorders; TMJ syndrome; bruxism; clicking, grating, crackling, anxiety, neurosis; mandibular unbalance; facial asymmetry. facial acne.
Dr. Galiffa graduated in Medicine and Surgery at "La Sapienza" University in Rome, where he also specialized in Dentistry and Stomatology. Moreover, he holds a specialization in Otorhinolaryngology and Cervicofacial Pathologies from "La Cattolica" University in Rome. He has been head of the Dentistry Department of "G.Mazzini" state hospital in Teramo for several years.
He wrote an article, "Mandibular Decubitus Syndrome", published on the revue "Dental Cadmos", n° 3, 1992. His publications also include:
There is no medical or dental specialty of qualified experts trained in the care and treatment of TMJ patients. As a result, there are no established standards of care in clinical practice. Although a variety of health care providers advertise themselves as “TMJ specialists,” the more than 50 different treatments available today are based largely on beliefs, not on scientific evidence.
Sir William Osler, the father of modern medicine, said
that when there are many treatments for a single condition, it is because none of them works. No one knows the
true cause of TMJD, all repeat it. THE REASON? No one asks in history: "How do you sleep?" If they do understand
that everyone has slept and sleep in the prone position (face down) on the right or left side of the jaw.
The jaw is pushed and forced
ln lateral occlusion, a
static load burden for many hours on the joints on the nerves
and muscles. (The first scientific evidence). And so it hinders the 'beneficial action of Spontaneous
Swallowing. In this position to be able to swallow the muscles must be activated to bring the jaw from side
occlusion to centric occlusion. Due to the weight of the body that rests on the jaw, you can only swallow teeth
rubbing each other, virtually with BRUXISM.
Spontaneous Swallowing , which is innate reflex , unconscious and
unconditional. This precious gift of nature and health can only occur whether the jaw is free to move and make
contact with the teeth in the right position, in anatomical and functional harmony with the other chewing
elements. BRUXISM is not a movement aimed at one purpose. It is an oral
parafunctional activity, Bruxism is an
unusual activity that has a simple scientific explanation because It results from a physiological and highly
functional activity: Spontaneous Deglutition
when taking wrong position in his sleep. All doctors,
gnathologists, caregivers must understand that no one can heal if you do not eliminate the underlying cause, if
you do not correct the decubitus, the Correct Position is supine with the face side up. (The second scientific
evidence). 
All those who, because
of cultural conditioning, do not understand and do only damage with Bite and
selective grinding of natural teeth.
Dentistry is a constantly changing science. Since new research and clinical experience broaden our knowledge, changes in treatment are necessary. This says the great professor of NEW YORK HAROLD GELB
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Sleeping in one of these positions, the jaw is moved and forced to an unbalanced lateral teeth occlusion. A static load lies heavily on the three components of the Stomatognathic System for hours every night:
A wrong sleeping position (decubitus) hinders the Automatic Spontaneous Swallowing. The latter is an unconditional movement, whereby every 4 minutes any human being spontaneously swallows (night and day, lifetime). If this functional action is performed while the jaw is free to move and in a correct position, it exerts compression and decompression on the teeth. This simple movement favours blood circulation in teeth, periodontium, gums, periodontal ligament and cement, alveolar bone, temporo-mandibular joints, chewing muscles. Instead if it is performed in a wrong position (see above), the Spontaneous Deglutition does no long exert its beneficial function but causes stress on the chewing muscles, teeth chafing, clicking, grating, crackling, (BRUXISM), thereby damaging the overall structure of the teeth, gum, periodontium, masticatory bones, and TMJ.
In a wrong sleeping position the weight of the head pushes the mandibula to lateral occlusion and exerts non-stop compression ( for many hours)on the teeth, gums, periodontium and TMJ, therefore obstructing the blood circulation and moving the teeth in bad occlusion position. In order to swallow, masticatory muscles must activate themselves to center the jaw and then must bring the teeth from forced lateral misocclusion to centered occlusion (maximum Intercuspidation occlusion), gnashing the teeth, THIS IS THE CAUSE OF NOCTURNAL BRUXISM and negative trophic action on the gums, periodontium and TMJ.
Malocclusion and mandibular unbalance are the results of the Mandibular Decubitus, which destroys the morphofunctional balance of the Stomatognathic System causing the TMJ syndrome and the descending postural syndrome. The parafunctional trauma (BRUXISM) and the static load are the cause of periodontal problems (periodontitis, paradentosis, pyorrhoea, have the same cause and etiopathogenesis of bedsore, infection due to the continuous static load hindering blood circulation)
In wrong sleeping position Mandibular condyle exerts non-stop compression ( for many hours) on the articular disc and retrodiscal tissue that is highly vascularized and innervated. It obstructs the blood circulation in the cochlea (Therefore HUM tinnitus, whistle) and in the vestibule(Therefore dizziness, vertigo)
History taking and Empirical evidence prove that everybody who suffers from one or more of the above-mentioned symptoms, sleeps lying face downwards or on their stomach. No one sleeps in the correct position. It thus follows by logic that a wrong static sleeping position (decubitus) is the main cause of these symptoms.
The variety of pathologies which may occur is only due to individual predisposition, various favoring factors and the duration of the decubitus. People suffering from these symptoms can eliminate all their chronic pains they don't need, BITE, and expensive therapy, drugs or prosthesis. Everybody can recover by simply adopting the correct positions suggested below.
Definitive recovery will only take place after keeping a correct sleeping position for a period of 4 to 6 months.
Everybody who sleeps supine or in lateral position with the face turned upwards never suffers from: headache; migrane; trigeminal neuralgia, cervicofacial pains, backache; myalgenic asthenia, ocular retrobulbar tension and pain; hum, tinnitus, hear ringing, whistle, noise in the ear, dizziness, vertigo; pyorrhoea, paradentosis, temporomandibular disorders; TMJ syndrome; bruxism; clicking, grating, crackling, anxiety, neurosis; mandibular unbalance; facial asymmetry, facial acne.
Obviously, everybody who has lost many teeth needs special therapies in association with a correct sleeping position. Nevertheless, there is little hope to achieve total recovery without eliminating the wrong position (mandibular decubitus), which is the most important cause of the above-mentioned problems. Everybody who undergoes treatment of Tmj syndrome, pyorrhoea, paradentosis, needs correct sleeping positions in order to avoid the certainty of relapse.
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Sleeping on the back is natural, comfortable and helps recovery. In these positions, no static load lies on the three components of the Stomatognatic (Chewing) System; the jaw is not constrained and its space of action is free; Spontaneous Deglutition is thus not hindered.
What I define as “autoharmonization” is an automatic harmonizing action carried out by means of Spontaneous Deglutition. The “autoharmonization” is possible due to the control capacity, adjustment capacity and remodelling CAPACITY of the three components of the Stomatognathic System:
The teeth pressed by repeated functional stimuli caused by spontaneous deglutition, can be moved, worn and mobilized until they assume a position which is in harmony with the other components.
SPONTANEOUS DEGLUTITION is a permanent, automatic, unconscious and unconditioned act, which occurs in the maximum intercuspidal position and occlusal harmony every four or five minutes. It is to be defined as a Check Control, a Guide to recover and preserve the harmony of the whole Stomatognatic System. It takes place with short contacts between the teeth and intermittent loads which activate compression and decompression, thereby improving the blood pumping action.
During Spontaneous Deglutition, teeth are pushed vertically into the bone with co-ordinate muscular contractions and pressure modulated by receptors. It is a muscular and vascular “gymnastics“ that exerts a eutrophic action for all the components. Spontaneous Deglutition is an amazing natural device for recovery and maintenance of health.
Mandibular Decubitus hinders such vital bio-mechanism, provoking severe damage to the Stomatognatic System.
Democracy and Freedom generate Harmony, prosperity and well-being. Dictatorship and lack of freedom generate Disharmony and Discomfort. The MANDIBULAR DECUBITUS is a dictator for the jaw. It exerts violence on the teeth, the periodontal ligaments, TMJ, and the Neuromuscular component.
If you suffer from one or more of the symptoms described above and you are seeking quick answers to your questions, please address your inquiries to the following fax number: +39 0861 242878. Or write to the following e-mail address: info@galiffa.it
Our aim is to collect as much empirical evidence as possible to prove the benefits of the methodology described above. The final goal is to convince the scientific community of the truthfulness of this scientific discovery. For this purpose, we need the co-operation of everybody who has tried Dr. Galiffa' s method.
If you suffer from one or more of the symptoms described above and you have noticed significant improvements by adopting one of the suggested correct positions, please send an email describing your initial problems and the results achieved to the following email address: info@galiffa.it
Your contribution can help other people who suffer
Doctor Galiffa