Having established himself as one of the most sought-after cosmetic dentists in Southern California, Dr Sam Hakim’s first insight into the damage caused by TMJ came three decades ago when he noticed patients returning with damage to the cosmetic dental work he had completed for them. These patients were showing unexpected damage to their beautifully placed cosmetic dental work and dental implants, such as grinding wear from bruxism to opposing teeth. Interestingly, these patients also reported seemingly unrelated symptoms such as ringing in the ears and neck, shoulder, and back pain. Synthesizing all this data, Dr Sam Hakim grasped the jaw and body connection. The issue was not the cosmetic work itself, but something more subtle and insidious — an unbalanced bite — TMJ.