The case of Ivan

Check out the youtube version of this article:

Now onto the article…

I thought it would be good to showcase the experience thus far of one of the guys in our community that is making good progress despite only starting some weeks ago.

His name is Ivan and he’s asked that we not reveal his identity.

Ivan’s story before Reviv

This part is in Ivan’s own words…

I've had a distal bite since childhood.

In my teenage years, I was diagnosed with stage 2 scoliosis, but I didn't do anything about it then because it didn't bother me.

From the age of 16, I started experiencing pelvic pain, which only became more frequent over the years, and no one could help me with it.

At 20, I got an education in programming and started working in IT. I also started having problems with my neck and nasal breathing

At 21, I fell on my head while snow tubing and a collapse began: the pain in my spine started to increase, I began to feel how my posture and cognitive abilities were deteriorating.

Even before the fall, I had visited doctors of various specialties, and after it, I started going even more often, and ultimately it all came down to them telling me that I needed psychotherapeutic support and that there was nothing seriously wrong with me.

In the spring of 2023 (I was 22 at the time), when I was developing a mobile application, one day I sat down to work on my project and realized that I had forgotten how to work.

After this incident, I couldn't complete the project and I was fired. I literally became dumb.

In the period from March 2023 to August 2023, in addition to what was described above, I experienced the following symptoms:

Significant memory impairment

Deterioration of vision (brightness disturbance, focusing problems, photophobia, a huge number of floaters in front of the eyes)

1. Impaired coordination and fine motor skills
2. Panic attacks
3. Anxiety and depression
4. Increased pulse and blood pressure
5. Loss of sensitivity in various limbs
6. Headaches, dizziness
7. Insomnia

I spent several thousand dollars (which is a lot for the country where I live), but I didn't achieve a full recovery. But I was at least able to perform the simplest work.

From September 2023 to early July 2024, I worked as a loader in a warehouse (ie. I carried boxes by hand). I wasn't capable of more complex tasks.

In April 2024, I visited a competent manual therapist and I started to train a lot. I kept working on improving my mental performance and reached a state that allowed me to quit my job as a loader and do basic computer work.

But no matter what I did (meditation, exercise, etc) it was as if I had hit a ceiling. Nothing helped me progress further in my recovery and I was not "smart" enough to work in IT again.

By the beginning of September 2024, my financial savings were rapidly running out, and I urgently needed to find a way to fully recover and return to IT.

How did Ivan find Reviv?

This is again in Ivan’s own words…
Back in the spring of 2023, I stumbled upon the tooth-for-tooth website, where they discussed Starecta and other TMJ treatment methods. I also came across Ken's story. While I was interested in Starecta and some of these methods I read about, I didn't dare to try them yet.

Then in September 2024 I researched each method and would find contradictory reviews. For each approach, it seemed to help some and not help others.

I wandered through forums where people, just like me, were confused about which method would suit them best. Also my well-being began to deteriorate again... I needed an answer.

I decided to search for information about Starecta again and even found Moreno Conte's contact and wrote to him, but he didn't reply to me.

Then I came across a post on Reddit where a user was asking some questions about Starecta. A user who responded to this post very much resembled the story that was written about Ken on the tooth-for-tooth website, and in his response he recommended trying a device like Myobrace A1 as an alternative.

I looked up other responses and posts by this user and realized that it was definitely Ken! In one of his posts, there was a link to his Substack (which you are reading now), where he talked about his new method. It interested me as it seemed logical.

In one article he talked about his test group and had his email so I wrote him. With this stroke of luck my story with Reviv began 🙂

The initial weeks on Reviv

September 16 - 22

Ivan purchased Reviv and asked if there was anything he could do to start while he was waiting for his appliance to arrive.

I explained how to make a ‘homemade flat plane splint’ out of paper towels and he immediately did so.

In his own words he wrote:

1. I've started sleeping better and feeling more rested.  
2. My cheeks have become rosier. 
3. Nasal breathing has improved. 
4. There's a sense of lightness in my neck.
   

October 1 - 7

Ivan got his Reviv One appliance and started wearing it.

After wearing for a little while it started to become quite painful. It felt like it was rubbing his jaw. He needed to take a break.

During the periods when Ivan took a break it felt like the tension in his neck and the pain in the shoulder would begin again.

He asked me if there was anything else he could do during these periods when he is taking a break from the rubber appliance… and i mentioned that he could get a flat plane splint.

He decided it was a good idea and I recommended a dentist in Moscow that could make one for him.

October 11

Ivan remarked that he was able to ‘crunch’ his spine in a way that he hadn’t been able to in a long time.

October 14

Wrote “My soft tissues have torn again in several places, but I didn't experience as much pain as before.”

October 16

Got his flat plane splint from a dentist. Fits onto the lower teeth and was adjusted it to have even contacts on back two teeth on either side.

(Real picture of Ivan’s flat plane splint with even contacts on the back)

Also, the front upper teeth did not make contact with the splint.

October 18 - 22

Wrote “Today I worked from 2 PM to 10 PM without a break and worked productively. This is amazing. I haven't worked like this in a long time.”

Had also had a few headaches as I warned him might happen.

October 23

Continued the process. Noticed that upper teeth were now making contact with the front part of the splint.

Eureka! This ‘curve of spee’ stuff actually works!

So on October 23 Ivan made the comment above in our community. Basically when he had first gotten his flat plane splint on Oct. 16 the contacts were only on the back.

But now a week later the upper front teeth were already making contact with the splint as you can tell from the contact here

(Real picture of the splint with contact now on front)

What does this mean?

Well there was no contact before and now there is contact. So he should add more height to the back of the splint so that the front doesn’t make contact anymore.

And as you continue to adjust for this in the coming months…. more and more of a ‘curve of spee’ appears.

Meaning that the back part of the splint gets higher and the front part gets lower as I explained here.

This is in my view the best gauge for getting healthier. Because i’ve consistently found over the years that the more this curve develops the healthier you get.

A few words from me (Ken)

Ivan has continued to update his Reviv journal a few times every week and I always reviewed and typically responded the same day with my thoughts.

Ivan has exactly the mindset of a person that i literally guarantee will fix his shit and get out of this TMJ thing.

Why?

1. Discipline: He takes a very systematic approach to the process
2. Takes Action on Feedback: He takes the feedback I give him and immediately acts on it.
3. Openness: He is very transparent about what he is going through in his journal entries, which allows me to better understand what is going on and help guide him.

These are the characteristics that I leveraged in myself to get out. And now that he has the roadmap, there is absolutely nothing standing in his way to being completely healthy again.

I predict that not only will he get over all of his symptoms… but in time he will feel and function better than he ever has his entire life.

When that happens… i’ll let Ivan make that guest post himself :)

Final thoughts

You’re gonna see a snowball coming down that mountain in the coming months/years.

There will be lots of folks like Ivan.

Getting their lives back.

And then even going beyond.

One day the alumni of Reviv will be like a band of X-men.

Kicking the asses each day… of the same people who thought we were done for.

You have my word on that.