The Case of the Confused Craniofacial Case

When it comes to treating your craniofacial pain, there are actually a number of diverse ways to go about it. When a person lands at my office, the first step is really to try and figure out the underlying cause of the pain by doing an in-depth analysis of the problem. This process (in most cases) will entail an MRI... read more »

The Case of: “Why Does This Take So Long?”

This is a question we hear at Sleep and TMJ Therapy almost every day. When a person hears that they need to wear an appliance or two for 12-18 months they almost inevitably want to know why it takes so long. Many people feel that the slipped discs can just be ‘pushed back into place’ and then the problem is... read more »

How Oral Health Affects the TM Joints

It is really important to be aware of your oral health for so many reasons. Let’s start off with something that is considered to be really obvious; the loss of a tooth. When gum disease or a cavity gets to the point where a tooth is damaged beyond repair, it is  likely that you will have to extract that tooth.... read more »

Oral Cancer and TMD- Coincidence or Correlation?

There are so many factors involved with TMD (temporomandibular disorder) that it can make one’s head spin. When it comes to analyzing TMJ disorders, there are many factors that need to be examined. One of the first pieces to the puzzle is actually a palpation exam where the dentist presses on the various muscle groups to determine if any are... read more »

“I Have TMJ” What Does That Really Mean?

When a patient calls in and says, “I think I have TMJ” the office staff could possibly be quite flip. More than likely such a response would never happen. Realistically, what a person is trying to say is he or she is having a TMJ problem, not that they have a Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ). This is a bit of a... read more »

The Case of the Misunderstood Surgery

It really is unfortunate that TMJ surgery is so misunderstood. Most patients, when told they might benefit from surgery, look it up online only to discover very scary pictures where the incision goes from the ear down to the chin on each side of their face. Then, after more research they learn that their teeth are wired shut for two... read more »