TMJ and sleep disorders are very common but not really understood.  This can explain why myths or misconceptions are out there.  The other side of this coin is this is also commonly misdiagnosed because symptoms vary from person to person and are similar to other problems.  One example of similarities is with Lyme Disease.  This is caused by a tick... read more »

When I meet with new patients in our office, I have lots and lots of information that I give them to help them understand their TMJ and sleep problems. One of the biggest things we talk about is commitment. Yes, that’s right, when you come to my office you have to commit to the treatment regimen or it simply will... read more »

Myofunctional therapy is a program of specific exercises that target the facial muscles. The exercised-based therapy focuses on the mouth, tongue, and face muscles. These exercises are designed to develop, improve, and promote proper breathing, chewing, and swallowing. These exercises do strengthen the tongue. Below are frontal and side views of good normal growth and development of the orofacial structures.... read more »

So many people in this world suffer from displaced discs in their jaw joints and have a hard enough time going about their daily lives that it’s time to give a little more perspective on what can be done to make their lives easier. One of the most helpful tools in dealing with TMJ disorders is so simple yet can... read more »

So, let’s talk (well, it’s me doing most of the talking) about the side effects of TMJ disorders. You, dear readers, already know about the problem of having displaced discs in the TM joints and how this can cause terrible pain in the body. I’ll bet you didn’t know that this can directly correlate to disease processes like cardiovascular disease... read more »

- It is unfortunate that so many people suffer the pain of headaches along with neck and back pain, but there are ways to manage. The first step is diagnosis- i.e., figure out what is really going on. For so many people, craniofacial pain is a real problem. If the discs in the jaw joints are displaced this can be... read more »

- When we survey our patients, generally we find that 90% or more are doing better, however, that last 10% is what makes our day sometimes very difficult. You see folks, as most people know, the unhappy person is the one who makes the most noise. As they say, the squeaky wheel is the one that gets the grease- or... read more »

- Just this past week, I have had a handful of new patients come to the practice seeking a 2nd opinion. The conclusion amazingly was either mismanaged and/or misinformed! The first part of the misinformation begins with the diagnosis phase. An MRI was never done to check the status of the articular discs. This is a very basic and a... read more »

- Over the many years of interest and training in physical therapy with a bit of osteopathy, I have come across an interesting term: Bowling Ball Head. This term originates out of the fact that so many of us have Forward Head Posture (FHP). FHP comes from leaning over our computer all day and not maintaining a good sitting or... read more »

- So many of my new patients tell me they ‘clench like crazy’ or grind their teeth like there is no tomorrow. There are several reasons why a person might clench or grind their teeth. Let’s get into a few of them. Some of the more recent research indicates that more than half the time a person will grind/clench in... read more »