Root Cause, Not Relief: What Dentistry Misses About Function and Health With Dr Curtis Westersund

Send us Fan MailIf you’ve ever wondered why TMJ pain, headaches, poor sleep, and stubborn neck tension so often travel together, this conversation makes the case that the jaw is rarely acting alone. We sit down with Dr Curtis Westersund, a dentist with 46 years in practice and 25 years focused on functional, systems-based dentistry, to challenge a familiar clinical reflex: treating pain as the main target. Curtis argues that pain can be a poor metric for health because it’s easy to mute while the underlying biomechanics keep pulling the body further off course.Curtis shares his own turning point, from weekly migraines and heavy ibuprofen use to the day a dental orthotic changed everything and he hasn’t had a migraine since 2002. From there we dig into what he actually sees in practice: worn and cracked teeth, grinding, gum recession, temporalis pain, limited jaw opening, head and neck restriction, and a steady overlap with airway and sleep-related breathing problems. The core idea is adaptive capacity: humans survive and thrive by compensating, but those compensations eventually create new strain. When breathing is harder, posture shifts to protect the next breath, and that can ripple from the bite to the neck and beyond.We also talk shop on how digital diagnostics such as CBCT imaging and T-Scan bite analysis reduce “wild guessing”, why biomechanics is still under-taught in dentistry, and how business incentives, time constraints, and insurance structures shape what care patients can access. Curtis closes with what he’s building next: teaching platforms, global education, and AI-enabled ways to help clinicians learn faster and patients find the right kind of support.Subscribe for more practitioner-level conversations, share this with a colleague who treats complex pain patterns, and leave a review so more clinicians can find the show. What’s the biggest link you see between bite, breathing, and posture?Guest BiographyDr Curtis Westersund is a Calgary-based dentist with more than 46 years of clinical experience, including the last 25 years focused on functional, systems-based dentistry. Through his work at Dentalife, he helps patients with complex TMJ, structural, airway, and bite-related issues using a whole-person, biomechanical approach. Known for his “teeth to toes” philosophy, Dr Westersund combines digital diagnostics, patient education, and interdisciplinary collaboration to address root causes rather than simply manage symptoms.Contact Details Websites: www.dentalife.com and www.digitaltmj.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtis-westersund-5727323/Subscribe on SubstackVoices in Health and Wellness is published on Substack, as part of The Diagnostician. Every episode lands there with written notes and reflections you won't find in the podcast feed. Free to subscribe.👉 https://thediagnostician.substack.com/s/voices-in-health-and-wellnessAbout the podcastVoices in Health and Wellness features conversations at the intersection of medicine, lifestyle, and human potential, with clinicians, scientists, and thinkers shaping the future of care.About Dr Andrew GreenlandUK-based medical doctor and founder of Greenland Medical, specialising in Integrative and Functional Medicine. Trained in both conventional and root-cause approaches, Andrew helps people optimise health, performance, and longevity, with a focus on cognitive resilience and healthy ageing.