TMJ Services

If you are one of the unfortunate patients who has suffered with TMD/TMJ symptoms for decades without resolution, you have likely sought treatment from several different health care providers over time. It is not unusual for patients with a 20- or 30-year history of symptoms to have seen between 5 and 10 providers seeking relief […]

Practicing dentistry is a very difficult profession.  The public’s perception of the profession of dentistry is quite different from the reality of a practicing dentist.  I have observed, communicated with, and drawn my conclusions about my fellow professionals for 48 years since completing my own training as an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon in 1976.   Upon […]

At least once a week a patient will ask me, “What do you think of Botox for treating TMD/TMJ.  My answer is always the same.  “I think it’s a scam.” I’m never quite sure what the patient thinks of my answer because the patients never comments about Botox further. I always back up my comment […]

The second most common question I hear patients ask at the time of their consultation is “Why doesn’t my medical insurance cover your device and protocol?”  Sometimes I give a short answer and sometimes I give the more comprehensive response.  The short answer is, “Because they don’t want to.” The more comprehensive answer usually takes […]

Chiari Malformation is a very uncommon disease affecting only one in one thousand people. There are four (4) types of Chiari Malformation.  The most common type is Chiari Malformation Type 1, which occurs when the lower part of the cerebellum, that part of the brain responsible for movement and balance, pushes through or herniates through […]

I bet you haven’t heard of Tardive Dyskinesia.  Unless you are a Neurologist or Psychiatrist you probably don’t know about Tardive Dyskinesia. It is kind of a medical secret.  The pharmaceutical industry doesn’t want to talk much about Tardive Dyskinesia. Most general physicians, PCP’s, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants don’t know about Tardive Dyskinesia. Most […]

It was 50 years ago, while training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Vanderbilt University Hospital, I confronted my first case of TMD/TMJ.  As a junior resident I was allowed to assist the chairman of the department operating on a patient who exhibited the disparate symptoms of this confusing and devastating disease.  Before having the […]

In his book, “Mistreated, Why We Think We’re Getting Good Health Care, and Why We’re Usually Wrong”, Dr Robert Pearl M.D., retired CEO of Kaiser-Permanente Health Care System, describes why sepsis (infection) is an orphan disease even though it is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality.  Within the practice of medicine, physicians concentrate their efforts […]

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder is a devastating disease.  It is a progressive disease which usually starts out with minimal symptoms, once ignored, progresses into multiple symptoms which eventually ruins the patient’s ability to continue with life’s normal functions and duties.  It has been estimated that millions of workplace hours are missed each year in the US […]

Recently, I saw a patient referred to me by a general dentist for consultation for TMD/TMJ. The non-surgical treatment of TMD/TMJ is the only service our practice offers. Once I began the consultation and asked a few questions it was obvious the patient’s problem was Sleep Apnea not TMD/TMJ.  You might ask, how could that […]